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Conference negotiators tentatively agree to $5 million childcare reserve and related programs
Summary
Negotiators on the conference committee for H.493 reported agreement in principle on a $5 million childcare reserve, apprenticeship funding and CACFP support, and discussed an infant-toddler rate compromise; they declined to fence a proposed OPR staff allocation pending more review.
Conference committee negotiators meeting on H.493 on Oct. 11, 2025, said they would agree in principle to include a $5 million childcare contribution reserve, an apprenticeship program allocation and support for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) in the budget adjustment.
The committee said the childcare reserve language would be included pending final drafting, and negotiators described a compromise on provider rates for infant and toddler care. One negotiator summarized the parties’ position as splitting prior proposals and “land[ing] at 5” (percent) for the infant/toddler rate; earlier offers mentioned 4.5% and 5% positions. Members emphasized that a separate proposal for an Office of Provider Rates (OPR) staff allocation was not acceptable at this stage and should be the subject of a longer conversation before any dollars are fenced.
Why it matters: child care funding and provider rates affect access and affordability for families and feed into provider reimbursement and state contract planning. A reserve and the programmatic choices the committee described would change how the state supports providers and families in the coming fiscal year.
Details from the negotiation: negotiators said they would accept the $5 million reserve language and would include apprenticeship funding and CACFP support in the package. They described the infant/toddler rate compromise as a negotiated landing point rather than a final statutory rate pending drafting. The group also said they were not comfortable committing to the separate OPR staff funding without additional review and information.
Process and next steps: committee members asked staff to fold the agreed language into the technical drafts and to return with final language and any consequential technical changes. Negotiators stressed these were internal agreements among the conference delegates and would need to be reflected in final bill text before becoming law.
Meeting context: the discussion occurred during a broader Joint Fiscal Office (JFO) technical review of budget language and one-time appropriations. Staff signaled they would reconcile draft language and bring technical letters back to the committee for final decisions.
Ending note: negotiators requested additional drafting and technical review before the agreements are inserted into the finalized conference report.
