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(Des Moines, IA) -- Proposed expansion of state-funded preschools and other early childhood development programs is advancing through committee. A portion of Senate Study Bill 1135, which will be renumbered as it makes its way to the floor, allows community-based preschools to qualify under the statewide programs without needing to partner with the local school district. Supporters say it would also aid in transporting young children from preschool to daycare, since the schooling does not provide full-day care. The proposal is backed by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
"It's about more than convenience," Reynolds says. "It's about offering our children the educational foundation they need while giving parents peace of mind that their children are cared for throughout the work day."
Some opponents say the bill doesn't do anything about the expansion of preschool hours for four year-olds. State Sen. Herman Quirmbach (D-Ames) is one of them.
"I don't want to see four year-olds denied the opportunity to go to preschool just to keep the money flowing to the childcare centers," Quirmbach says. "What we really need to do is to change the compensation for the childcare centers so that the charges and/or the subsidy match the cost."
He says he supports the general spirit of the bill despite opposition to details. Another portion of the proposal would move $3.6 million from the existing Shared Visions Program to grants serving at-risk three and four year-olds. Some opponents in the committee meeting expressed concerns over that shift. State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott (D-Waukee) is one of them.
"We need a lot," Trone Garriott says. "A lot of resources to be able to provide what this state needs in terms of childcare. Shifting from one place to another doesn't get us there."
Supporters, like State Sen. Lynn Evans (R-Aurelia) say the good in the bill outweighs what it's missing.
"Iowa has consistently for decades now ranked near the top if you have two parents in the household and both parents work," Evans says. "This is a real problem that needed to be addressed...I'm the one that used to run the bill on expanding preschool and preschool hours. I'll take that up again at some point in time."
The bill is now eligible to be brought to the Senate floor.