Substantial policy moves sought for Georgia child care costs
Substantial policy moves sought for Georgia child care costs
(The Center Square) – State Sen. Brian Strickland said he hopes the Legislature will make “substantial policy moves in the coming years” to address child care issues for Georgia families.
Stickland, a Republican, is chairman of the Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare that met Monday to hear from various child care leaders, nonprofit associations, and education partners on the different ways that child care can be made more affordable and accessible throughout the state.
“Hopefully, what we are doing and what we have done, has started a very serious conversation about this with our friends up here at the state capital,” Strickland said. “We all know how important this is for our state, along with the families in our state and for our workers in our state.”
Buzz Brockway, vice president of policy for Georgia’s Center for Opportunity, warned that additional funding should come with an overhaul to the current child care subsidies. Without an overhaul, both work and marriage could be disincentivized by an additional investment into Childcare and Parent Services, Brockway said.
“The very purpose of the program is to encourage work,” Brockway said. “Ironically, CAPS represents the largest challenge to solve the safety-net programs in terms of limiting their upward mobility and discouraging marriage.”
