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Bill to allow high school juniors and seniors to earn credit for caregiving and child-care work draws broad support
Summary
House Bill 381 would let juniors and seniors earn high school credit for working or volunteering in child care, congregate care and related programs. Proponents from business, health care, early-childhood, and school boards endorsed the proposal as a workforce pipeline measure; informational witnesses answered technical questions.
Representative Ed Butchery introduced House Bill 381, saying the bill recognizes workforce shortages in child care and congregate-care facilities and would let high-school juniors and seniors work or volunteer in those settings while receiving high-school credit.
"This bill puts us all together to allow these juniors and seniors the ability to work or volunteer at these facilities and at the same time receive high school credits for graduation," Representative Ed Butchery said in his opening.
Proponents urged the committee to adopt the bill and an amendment adding school-age programs (after‑school programs) to eligible placements. Carrie Hegherberg of the Montana Chamber of Commerce said the measure advances workforce readiness. Lance Melton of the Montana School Boards Association described the bill as consistent with prior legislation and within school-board authority to provide credit equivalencies. Health-sector proponents — Heather O'Hara of the Montana Hospital Association and Rose Hughes of the Montana Healthcare Association — said hands‑on work experience can encourage careers in caregiving and strengthen the workforce pipeline. Jesse Luther of the Montana Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs supported the amendment to include after‑school programs and said 20–30 students currently participate in Boys & Girls Clubs work experiences.
Board of Public Education staff provided a handout on graduation-credit requirements to assist the committee in assessing how the bill would align with existing high-school credit rules. Tracy Moseman of DPHHS served as an informational witness about licensing and oversight of child-care facilities.
Representative Butchery closed by asking the committee for consideration; the hearing record closed after proponents and informational testimony. The committee did not take final action during this hearing.
The bill also includes statutory definitions of "congregate care facility" and the proposed amendment broadens eligible programs to include school-age programs, a change proponents said would help after‑school workforce pipelines.
