HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 202

(By Delegate Young, Hornbuckle, Fluharty, Williams, Rowe, Hamilton, Garcia, Hansen, Pushkin, Lewis, and Griffith)

[Introduced October 6, 2024; referred

to the Committee on Health and Human Resources.]

Requesting Marshall University and West Virginia University to lead a childcare consortium, in consultation with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Education, stakeholders, and experts, to create a cost of care estimator tool, which enables the state to model actual costs of childcare.

Whereas, The Legislature of West Virginia understands that a childcare system that meets the needs of every family supported by stable funding streams to provide flexibility for children and families, efficient systemwide administration and infrastructure, and minimum burden for providers is critical to growth and prosperity for West Virginia; and

Whereas, The State of West Virginia has consistently been a national leader in early childhood education, having started the childcare worker apprenticeship program in the nation, and being an early adopter for universal pre-k; and

Whereas, West Virginia has utilized a market rate survey to assess the basis of state-determined subsidy rates administered through the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant understanding that a market rate survey does not fully meet the true financial needs of childcare providers; and

Whereas, The Legislature of West Virginia understands that cost modeling tools can be used to inform strategic questions facing the early childhood education field and create a variety of policy-driven scenarios to ensure that public dollars are invested wisely; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Legislature hereby requests Marshall University and West Virginia University, to lead a childcare consortium, in consultation with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Education, stakeholders, and experts, to create a cost of care estimator tool, which enables the state to model actual costs of childcare. The estimator tool will be developed to meet requirements of alternative methodology for rate setting with the Administration for Children and Families under the Child Care Development Block Grant; and, be it

Further Resolved, That Marshall University and West Virginia University shall report back the findings of the childcare consortium to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance no later than June 30, 2025; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct a study, prepare reports, and draft necessary legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.