Appropriations Subcommittee Recommends Two Million Dollars for College Child Care Centers and Programs

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education proposed increasing in the funding of the Child Care Grant Program to $2,125,000 a year

February 7, 2008

OLYMPIA, WA- On Monday, January 28 the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education released its 2008 Supplemental Operating Budget Recommendations. The recommendations, proposed by Subcommittee Chair Kathy Haigh (D-Shelton), include increasing the funding of the Child Care Grant Program to $1,075,000 annually for four-year institutions and $1,050,000 annually for two-year institutions. The Child Care Grant Program, managed by the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) and State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), provides state funding to college child care centers and programs.

The funding increase is pursuant to House Bill 2582, which reforms the state's child care allocation process. This legislation would eliminate the HECB competitive grant program and replace it with a system in which state would match funds raised by student fees for child care dollar-for-dollar. If the funds are not matched equally, the money will be distributed proportionally to each institution. In the current fiscal year, student governments have contributed $3.8 million in fees to child care centers.

“Increasing opportunities for child care on campus not only benefits parents but also the children,” said Representative Deb Wallace (D-Vancouver), Chair of the Higher Education Committee and member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education. “It's one less thing for parents who are taking classes to worry about.”

Currently, with 1,511 children on waitlists in the four-year public institutions and an average waiting period of six months to two years, lack of affordable child care access has become one of the highest barriers to achieving a higher education.

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Information from the Washington Student Lobby