050B6763166EDFBC872584400066D622 Hearing Summary

PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For PRESENTATION ON ADDRESSING EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION ACCESS, AFFORDABILITY, AND QUALITY

INTERIM COMMITTEE EARLY CHILDHOOD AND SCHOOL READINESS
Date Jul 23, 2019
Location SCR 357

Presentation on Addressing Early Care and Education Access, Affordability, and Quality - Committee Discussion Only

Attachment Tag

File Name

Attachment

190723 AttachE.pdf

Attachment

190723 AttachF.pdf

12:43:25 PM

Senator Story invited Bill Jaeger, Vice
President of Early Childhood and Policy Initiatives for the Colorado Children's
Campaign, to come to the table to begin his presentation on access, quality,
and affordability of early care and education. A copy of his presentation
and an additional handout he distributed can be found as Attachments E
and F. Mr. Jaeger discussed brain development in the early years
of a child's life, and provided statistics about the need for access to
early care for families in Colorado. He discussed the economic return
on investment of early childhood education and stated that for every job
created in the Colorado early care and education sector, one and a half
jobs are created in the state's economy.

12:59:56 PM

Mr. Jaeger discussed the consequences of
limited access to early care and education, the impact of the decline in
licensed child care capacity for infants in Colorado counties, and the
consequences of a lack of access to quality care for children, families,
and the economy, including a longer pathway to self-sufficiency, lower
labor force participation, and preventable child deaths. He discussed
how child care problems adversely affect the economy and that access is
disproportionate based on income. He answered questions about why
access to quality early care and education so limited and expensive, by
stating that 70 percent of the budget for early child care providers is
salary and benefits due to the fact that these jobs will never be automated
or outsourced. He stated that as the cost of living increases, salaires
also need to increase or the supply will never meet the demand.

01:20:33 PM

Mr. Jaeger stated that the demand for early
childhood services will continue to increase as Colorado's population grows.
He said the demand for professionals in the early childhood field
is expted to increase about 40 percent by 2025. He showed a video
from the Center for the Study of Childcare Employment titled "Why
Do Parents Spend So Much on Child Care, Yet Early Childhood Workers Earn
So Little?". Mr. Jaeger discussed the need for public investment,
stating that Colorado currently only has two public programs investing
in early child care and education (CCCAP and the Colorado Preschool Program)
and said that the state is curently only spending one half of one percent
of the state budget on early child care and education. He concluded
his presentation with considerations for policymakers, which include prioritizing
early care and education, investing in research and evidence-based approaches,
and measuring outcomes, evaluating impact, and adapting to emerging learning.
Mr. Jaeger answered questions from the commission.

Presentation on Addressing Early Care and Education Access, Affordability, and Quality - Committee Discussion Only

Colorado General Assembly