Department of Children, Youth, and Families government‑affairs staff summarized mid‑session budget proposals and potential impacts on early learning programs, advising providers that differences between proposed budgets remain under negotiation and that DCYF will publish impact details after legislative budgets are released.

Courtney Parker, a DCYF policy adviser, told the Provider Supports Subcommittee that Governor Ferguson’s proposed budget keeps many existing services but scales back or delays new investments in the face of a projected state revenue shortfall. ‘‘The goal of all these things is that they if there are reductions, these reductions are the least harmful to the people we serve,’’ Parker said.

Major contrasts Parker outlined
- ECAP slot reductions: Ferguson’s proposal removes 1,505 contracted but unfilled part‑day ECAP slots; the prior proposal removed 845 part‑day slots.
- ECAP slot conversion and expansion: Ferguson removes a planned conversion/expansion of part‑day to full‑day ECAP slots that was in the earlier proposal.
- Rate increases: Ferguson proposes a 10% rate increase for school‑based ECAP slots; an earlier proposal suggested an 18% increase.
- Working Connections: the Ferguson proposal includes changes that would increase family co‑pays to 7% of family income and discontinues a policy that ‘‘held harmless’’ providers whose rates exceeded the 80th percentile of the 2024 market rate survey.

Parker stressed these are proposals, not final decisions, and DCYF staff said they will prepare communications about enacted changes and implementation impacts once the House and Senate budgets are released next week. Allison (DCYF public affairs) joined for Q&A and clarified that family child care investments negotiated in a collective bargaining agreement remain intact under the governor’s proposal; some center‑specific increases would be phased differently.

Provider concerns
During discussion, providers and DCYF staff emphasized two recurring themes: workforce shortages and the interaction of rates with staff recruitment. Several attendees warned that increasing licensed capacity without concurrent workforce investments risks empty classrooms; DCYF officials acknowledged the need to consider interim supports while rate models mature.

Where to get more information
Parker pointed providers to DCYF’s government affairs webpage for decision packages and promised a mid‑session webinar on April 3 to discuss impacts. DCYF staff asked for patience as analysts review House and Senate budgets, which were scheduled to be released the following Monday.

Ending
DCYF urged providers to monitor the agency’s communication channels and said staff would post more detailed impact assessments once legislative budget proposals are analyzed.