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Governor proposes $11 million for Boys & Girls Clubs and changes to childcare programs to expand access
Summary
Governor Bill Lee proposed an additional $11 million to the Boys & Girls Club to serve 7,500 low-income children, changes to the Smart Steps childcare program to ease the benefits cliff, and expanded eligibility in Tennessee's wages program to raise pay for childcare workers.
Governor Bill Lee proposed an additional $11 million investment for "one of our premier childcare providers," naming the Boys & Girls Club, and said the investment would serve 7,500 low-income children across Tennessee.
"That's why this year we're proposing an additional $11,000,000 investment in 1 of our premier childcare providers, Boys and Girls Club, to serve 7,500 low income kids across Tennessee," Lee said.
Lee also said the administration will seek to adjust the Smart Steps childcare program to ease the benefits cliff and cover more middle- and low-income working families. He said the state will expand eligibility in Tennessee's existing wages program to increase pay for childcare workers, with the stated goal of increasing daycare spots and reducing turnover.
The transcript does not provide statutory language or a funding schedule for the Smart Steps changes nor the wages expansion. Lee framed the actions as steps to create tens of thousands of new daycare spots statewide through a combination of funding, licensing reform and workforce pay changes.
