BY FAITH ABDULLAH
For the Dominion Post
On April 2, the West Virginia Legislature passed House Bill 4191, which aims to stabilize and expand child care in the state.
Parents, child care providers, as well as nonprofits, have advocated for more child care incentives and expansion. West Virginia currently has over 28,000 kids under the age of 6 who have no access to child care. This is due to children being placed on long waitlists as a result of little availability of child care providers, little financial support from the government and a lack of qualified child care professionals.
Huntington-based mother Madison Hutchinson is one of thousands of parents in the state who noted that she had to place her daughter on a two-year waitlist before being enrolled.
“I’d say there is a lack of facilitated, accountable and affordable child care in West Virginia. Hutchinson said. “I know that I am lucky to have put my child on a waiting list a few months after being born and gotten a call when she finally turned two years old.”
Such dilemmas put a strain on parents, children and child care providers, with many closing businesses as they cannot afford the operational costs.
“So we currently still have 43% of children under the age of six that can’t access care. And in the last two years, we have had fewer than 200 child care programs,” said Kristy Ritz, executive director of the West Virginia Association for Young Children. “They are struggling to recruit, retain and expand to meet the need for families in their communities. It’s been gradually getting worse since COVID relief dollars are no longer available.”
HB 4191 expands tax credits for employers providing child care for employees. The bill also requires that the Department of Human Services remunerate child care providers based on total enrollment rather than daily attendance.
“That’s a huge piece of this bill that a lot of people are really excited about, which is provider reimbursements,” said Amy Jo Hutchison, Campaign Director for West Virginia nonprofit Moms Rising.
Hutchison noted that the bill helps provide financial stability and staff retention, which are big issues in West Virginia. HB 4191 passing comes after years of parents, providers and nonprofits, such as Moms Rising, advocating for child care reforms.
“There’s been an increased effort to advocate for child care over the last five years. So those last five legislative sessions,” Ritz said.
“House Bill 4191 did not have any funding tied to it. We’re hoping that it laid the groundwork for funding to increase, increased reimbursement rates and other policies that will help support the whole system of child care. It takes a long time to get anything passed. So we were really happy to see that something was done this year.”
While HB 4191 is said to be a step in the right direction regarding the state of child care. Melissa Colagrasso, who owns a child care center in Fayette County, notes the bill comes in a little too late, as children are still losing their spots and child care businesses are closing.
“So what is happening and what will probably continue to happen is that child care programs are closing even after this bill passed,” Calograsso said. “I know of three child care facilities, so that’s 36 children who lost their spots even though this bill passed. So it didn’t fix it all, but it’s a step in the right direction because what it said to all of us is that our current legislature understands the value and importance of child care. This is important to West Virginia’s workforce. This is important to our children.”
As a mother who has struggled with the state’s child care system, Hutchinson hopes for the best moving forward.
“I think it could help child care providers to stay open even during times of low attendance/high sickness. I’d love to see a few more facilities open and be sustainable, reliable and thriving,” Hutchinson said. “I also hope that employers might even begin to offer child care stipends for their employees as a part of their benefits package, since they would be getting a tax credit. That would be amazing for all parents.”
