Gov. Jim Justice today said he’s interested in taking on West Virginia’s struggles with the availability of childcare, emphasizing a child tax credit proposal that he intends to push in a special session later this month.
“We do have a dilemma in this nation in regards to childcare. We all know it. And we’ve got to find a way to be able to help our working families if we can,” Justice said. “So let’s try to help.”
Justice responded to several reporters’ questions focused on the childcare issue during a regular statewide administration briefing. Justice expressed openness to additional measures for childcare — although he didn’t talk in terms of many specifics.
The governor said he’ll introduce the same version of a child tax credit that his administration proposed during the regular legislative session. “I hope to goodness we can get this across the finish line. This doesn’t seem like much of nothing to get past the finish line.”
The governor today also described pushing for a new grant program through Workforce West Virginia that he described as being “performance-based.” Other details were not yet clear. “You’ll have to kind of wait and see what that’s all about,” Justice said.
The issue is simmering as childcare providers close under economic pressure. Updates to the federal Child Care and Development Fund, the nation’s largest funding stream to help families afford child care, now require that states subsidize based on enrollment rather than attendance.
The Department of Human Services is using short-term funds to cover that for now, and the agency has said it will provide 60-days notice to lawmakers before that money runs out. As the clock ticks on that stopgap funding, the state needs to determine how best to support childcare options affecting thousands of kids.
Advocacy groups and some lawmakers have questioned whether the policy the governor is proposing matches the problems the state is experiencing.
“The proposed childcare tax credit does not address the issue of childcare deserts in our state. It doesn’t increase the supply of childcare for people on wait lists or those who live in an area without a local childcare provider,” said Jim McKay, state coordinator for Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia.
The organization’s West Virginia Childcare Dashboard comparing current census data with licensed childcare capacity in West Virginia shows that there is currently a gap of more than 25,000 children under age 6 in West Virginia who need childcare because both parents work and there’s no available childcare spot for them.
“It’s essential to enact policies that help childcare centers throughout our state stay open, as more centers will close if comprehensive action is not taken. Unfortunately, West Virginia is falling behind neighboring states due to cuts in state appropriations for childcare since 2017. Restoring state childcare funding is crucial to meet the needs of working families in our state,” McKay said.
Delegate Joey Garcia, in a press conference of Democratic lawmakers this week, said lawmakers would benefit from an open session on childcare to consider a range of policies.
“Thank God the governor is calling this,” Garcia said. “It may be late, but it is an opportunity. But it cannot just be this tax credit. It can absolutely not end there. We have a number of different solutions that we’re ready to work on.”
Justice, in his comments at today’s briefing, did not rule out putting more state dollars into childcare. “We do need to put some more money in, but we’ve got to get it across the finish line — don’t we? — with the Legislature,” he said.
“Our nation knows there’s a problem with childcare,” he said. “So the choices are real simple: you either do something about it or you don’t. It’s as simple as that.”