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Bill to let high‑school students earn credit for work in childcare and care facilities wins broad support
Summary
House Bill 381 would let juniors and seniors earn elective high‑school credit (up to a local cap) for paid or volunteer hours in childcare, long‑term care and other congregate settings; business and care‑industry groups supported it as a workforce pipeline solution while education officials noted local control of credit and dual‑enrollment limits.
Representative Ed Buttrey sponsored House Bill 381 to allow high‑school juniors and seniors to earn high‑school credits for work or volunteer hours in childcare, developmental‑disability, long‑term care and other congregate‑care settings.
Proponents from the Montana Chamber of Commerce, 0 to 5 Montana, the Montana Hospital Association and the Montana Healthcare Association said the bill helps address acute workforce shortages and gives students early exposure to caregiving careers. Sheridan Hoyer (Montana Chamber) and Caitlin Jensen (0 to 5 Montana) framed the proposal as a workforce‑readiness strategy that complements existing pre‑apprenticeship and early‑career programs.
Disability Rights Montana urged inclusion of dual‑enrollment options for students pursuing higher education pathways in health and human services.
Informational witnesses explained how credits and supervision would be implemented. McCall Flynn of the Board of Public Education said the board requires 8,100 minutes per unit (about 135 hours) as the baseline reference for unit calculation. Gayla Randall from the Office of Public Instruction described existing career‑and‑technical education processes, application and log templates, and local control over how many credits a district awards. Tracy Moseman of DPHHS explained licensing rules for childcare: under current licensing rules a worker must be 18 to be in unsupervised care, but licensing changes planned for 2025 would allow 16‑year‑olds to be licensed in some circumstances, with background checks and supervision requirements still applying.
Committee members discussed hours‑to‑credit conversion, liability (workman's comp and insurance), supervision and whether volunteer hours should count toward staff‑to‑child ratios. Sponsor Buttrey said local school districts and OPI rules govern credit conversion and recordkeeping; he said he would work with OPI and stakeholders on technical amendments. The committee took no formal action during the hearing.
The committee closed the hearing on HB 381 with broad proponent support and multiple informational witnesses available for follow‑up questions.
