Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Childcare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Childcare providers and teachers urge the General Assembly to invest in supply, workforce and school funding
Summary
Speakers highlighted childcare deserts, a shrinking family‑day‑home supply, 13,000 children on subsidy waiting lists, and school‑funding shortfalls; they urged grants, workforce investments, and adoption of JLARC recommendations to modernize funding formulas.
Philip Norman, western regional manager for Child Care Aware Virginia, said a 2023 JLARC report and his organization's mapping show the supply of childcare is well below demand, with nearly 1,000 fewer family day homes since 2019 and about 13,000 children on subsidy waiting lists (roughly 8,000 under age 5). He urged the General Assembly to support proposed grants for family day‑home start‑up and safety compliance and to consider workforce investments such as refundable tax credits or wage supplements.
Mary McIntyre, a public‑school teacher in Albemarle County, told the committee that the governor's proposed raises—a one‑time 2% bonus and 2% raises each of the next two years—will not keep educator pay competitive and urged the adoption of JLARC recommendations and a reevaluation of the Standards of Quality (SOQ) to fully fund staffing needs and special‑education supports.
Other witnesses sought funding for the Excel Center and programs supporting adult education and workforce reentry. Testimony connected childcare availability and workforce stability to broader economic participation and urged the legislature to use surplus funds to address chronic underinvestment.
