Childcare program pause, budget fixes and one-time funds discussed as department weighs ICCP costs

Lawmakers were briefed Thursday on recent actions in the Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP), including an enrollment pause the department used to live within a fixed legislative appropriation and steps the department says it will take to stabilize access while aligning to the budget.

Alex Adams, director of the Department of Health and Welfare, reminded the committee that childcare in Idaho includes a mix of programs that are not automatic entitlements; the department must live within the appropriation lawmakers provide for non‑entitlement programs. “My base budget for last year was $52,700,000. I spent $52,700,000 on childcare,” Adams said. He told the committee that treating the program as an entitlement would have required an estimated $68,200,000 — about $15,400,000 more than the enacted appropriation.

Faced with that gap, Adams said the department paused new enrollments temporarily to stay within the appropriation and prioritized enrollment exceptions for foster youth, disabled youth and homeless youth. The department lifted the pause and resumed enrollments in January, he said. Adams characterized the decisions as an attempt to live within the legislature’s budget while protecting the most vulnerable program participants.

The governor’s recommendation includes a one‑time $15,000,000 installment for child care (part of a larger available pot from the Child Care and Development Block Grant the presentation described as about $45,000,000 in one‑time funds over three years) and the agency requested $4,200,000 ongoing for ICCP. The agency told the committee that the one‑time funds come from under‑utilized federal grant allocations available statewide.

Adams said the department reorganized early‑childhood programs under a new division (Early Learning and Development) and placed Miss Lisonbee Tate (introduced in committee as the division administrator) in charge of that portfolio to strengthen oversight. Committee members asked whether the department had taken corrective actions after prior program issues and about the capacity of support brokers and other service coordinators; Adams said most development‑disability services are funded and administered under Medicaid and that the committee would have a fuller Medicaid presentation scheduled in a subsequent hearing.

Senators asked for additional detail in future hearings and the agency said it would provide required program reports, including progress updates on the STAR certification work at the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center (SWITC) and an evaluation of child‑care enrollment and spending. The department indicated it would continue to manage program eligibility and enrollment to align with legislative funding, while using targeted exceptions to serve the highest‑need families.