COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — On Monday, the Iowa House passed two bills that aim to alleviate a childcare labor shortage. One bill, would allow 16 and 17-year-old daycare employees to work, unsupervised, with children under the age of five for short periods of time.
- Don George, the director of the St. Albert Sheryl K. Johnson Childcare Center in Council Bluffs, says staffing is his biggest concern.
- Republican State Representative Devin Wood says the high school-aged employees would only be alone with young children for short breaks under five minutes.
- Democrat Rep. Austin Baeth called the bill a “band-aid."
A separate bill was passed with almost unanimous support. It extends a pilot program increasing the amount of state support that childcare workers can receive for their own children in daycare.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Available childcare continues to be a struggle for many Iowa communities. I'm your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter, Katrina Markel.
On Monday, the Iowa House passed two bills that aim to alleviate a childcare labor shortage.
One bill, would allow 16 and 17-year-old daycare employees to work, unsupervised, with children under the age of five for short periods of time.
Don George, the director of the St. Albert Sheryl K. Johnson Childcare Center in Council Bluffs, says staffing also remains his biggest concern.
"It's getting harder and harder,” said George. “It actually has been hard for some time. We've been fortunate. We've been able to retain some of our core staff, but it is really difficult to hire really quality staff.”
Questions have been raised about the safety of having 16 and 17-year-olds supervising young children, but Republican State Representative Devin Wood argues that it's only for nap time or when adults take breaks.
"It would be only for a brief moment of absence, which the department already defines as five minutes or less," said Wood.
Democrat Rep. Austin Baeth called the bill a “band-aid."
"We need to be able to recruit more qualified childcare workers with better wages and benefits,” said Beath.
A separate bill was passed with almost unanimous support. It extends a pilot program increasing the amount of state support that childcare workers can receive for their own children in daycare.
Ft. Dodge Representative Rep. Ann Meyer (R): "Thirty-seven percent in the pilot would leave childcare if this was not available, so it's proven to be a good retention tool.”
As Childcare continues to be a major concern for Iowa neighbors, we'll continue to follow efforts to find solutions.
