Programs for the Development of Child Care Facilities
The bill creates 3 new programs to be implemented and administered by the division of housing in the department of local affairs (division). The division is required to adopt policies, procedures, and guidelines for each program on or before November 1, 2024 ; except that, if there is insufficient funding before June 30, 2025 to implement and administer the child care facility development capital grant program, then the division is required to adopt policies, procedures, and guidelines for this program on or before November 1, 2025 . Each program will be available for 4 years. For each program, collaboration between the division and the department of early childhood is required for the policies the division develops and adopts to implement the programs. Additionally, the division is required to publish on its website and submit an annual report regarding the programs to specified legislative committees and to the department of early childhood.
The child care facility development toolkit and technical assistance program is created to provide technical assistance from consultants and related professionals to enable interested child care providers, developers, employers, public schools, institutions of higher education, and local governments to understand the technical aspects of planning, developing, building, and co-locating child care facilities. The division must prioritize applications for projects that will meet a demonstrable need for child care in the areas of greatest need across the state and that satisfy one or more purposes of the program. The division 's is required to annually publish a annual report must contain information regarding the assistance provided under this program and the uses of such assistance by program recipients. This program is available until July 1, 2028.
The child care facility development planning grant program is created to incentivize and support local governments in identifying and making regulatory updates or improvements to community planning, development, building, zoning, and other regulatory processes to support the development of child care facilities. The division must develop a menu of recommended policy or regulatory tools, and eligible recipients for the grant must intend to implement one or more of such tools off the menu or identify other local policies or programs to implement to streamline the eligible recipient's regulatory environment for the development of child care facilities. The division 's must publish a annual report that contains must contain information regarding the amount of grants distributed and a description of recipients' use of the grants. This program is available until July 1, 2028.
The child care facility development capital grant program is created to provide eligible entities, which are local governments , public schools, institutions of higher education, or public-private partnerships, with money to support the development of licensed child care and to construct, remodel, renovate, or retrofit a child care facility to meet a demonstrated need for child care in a local government's an eligible entity's community. The state housing board within the division will be utilized by the division to review and make recommendations on grant applications. Grant recipients are required to provide a financial match. The financial match for center-based facilities is 50% and the financial match for home-based facilities is 25%. More weight is given to applications that represent geographic diversity, will serve a high percentage of families below the area's median income, commit to providing a well-compensated staff, co-locate with or repurpose facilities with other uses, plan to serve children in regions with low child care capacity, or plan to serve infants and toddlers. The division 's must publish a annual report that contains must contain information regarding the amount of grants distributed and a description of recipients' use of the grants., and prioritize money first for the toolkit and technical assistance program, then before June 30, 2028, money from the transfer can be used for all 3 programs, and after July 1, 2028, but before June 30, 2029, money from the transfer may be used for the child care facility development capital grant program. Additionally, the division may receive gifts, grants, or donations to implement and administer and make grants under the child care facility development capital grant program. The division may also use $70,000 from the general fund transfer for administrative costs.
(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)
(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)