Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Early Learning Developmental Disability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee reviews early learning, developmental‑disability spending; governor proposes $15M one‑time child‑care installment and $4.2M ongoing
Summary
Legislative analysts and department leaders told JFAC the reorganization moves many DD and early learning programs under Medicaid, and the governor’s recommendation includes one‑time child‑care funding installments plus an ongoing increase; members asked about SWITC facility improvements and START certification progress.
At the Feb. 20 Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee hearing, Legislative Services analyst Alex Williamson and Health and Welfare leaders presented the fiscal year 2026 request for services for people with developmental disabilities and for early learning and child‑care programs. The department explained that reorganization has moved many developmental‑disability services into Medicaid and created a new Early Learning and Development division.
Williamson told the committee that the division historically had three programs: community developmental‑disability services, the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center (SWITC) in Nampa, and extended employment services. She said the reorganization places many DD services under Medicaid and moves the Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP) into Early Learning and Development.
Why it matters: the committee was asked to consider both ongoing and one‑time proposals. The governor recommended $15 million one‑time per year (installments over three years) from available Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) balances, plus an ongoing $4.2 million for the Idaho Child Care Program. Department officials said some child‑care elements are not entitlements and required the department to pause enrollment last year to remain within legislative appropriations.
Program and fiscal highlights
- Funding and organizational changes: Williamson said the division is authorized about 306.71 FTE and reported 38.71 vacancies as of early February; the analyst noted some positions were being held pending agency budget reviews. She outlined prior supplementals that were made ongoing, including infant‑toddler service coordination and crisis care funding for SWITC.
- ICCP (Idaho Child Care Program): the governor recommended $15 million one‑time in FY26 (part of a three‑year installment plan using underutilized federal CCDBG funds) and the governor and agency proposed an ongoing addition of $4.2 million. Director Alex Adams told the committee the department spent its FY25 budget for ICCP and that treating the program as an entitlement would have required roughly $68.2 million — about $15.4 million more than the appropriation — which led the department to pause new enrollments and later reopen them in January.
- SWITC and facility needs: Senator Cook asked about a request for a walk‑in cooler and other building work at SWITC. Lisonbee Tate, who oversees Early Learning and Development in the department’s reorganization, said buying food in bulk and using a central cooler could reduce food costs for SWITC and related state hospitals. "The cost of food when you buy it in bulk, of course, is much less," she said, describing an operational rationale for a larger cooler that could also serve related state facilities.
- START certification: Williamson listed a year‑three one‑time request (about $249,200) as part of the START certification program; agency staff reported progress and said a report on the program’s progress will be delivered to the committee later in the summer.
Committee discussion and federal funding questions
Senator Wintrow and others asked about federal funding exposure for DD services and whether the department was monitoring federal policy risks. Director Adams said most DD funding is now addressed in the Medicaid budget and said he does not currently expect a federal‑funding cutoff for the entitlements in question; he committed to providing fuller DD detail during the separate Medicaid budget hearing. Several members asked about support brokers and other service coordination roles; department staff said shortages exist in some areas and that the reorganization aims to bring related programs and staffing under clearer management.
What happens next
Analysts and the department said more detailed DD and Medicaid materials will be presented during Medicaid hearings next week. The department will also provide the committee the required report on the START certification progress later this summer.
