In 2019 , the legislature directed that a cost of care study be undertaken by the task force . The study was started but was not able to be completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In 2021 , the legislature directed that the study recommence . The two legislative directives are listed below .
3 ) The child care collaborative task force shall :
a ) ( i ) Develop a child care cost estimate model to determine the full costs providers would incur when providing high quality child care , including recommended teacher-child ratios based on research and best practices . The model must include :
( 1 ) Regional differences ; ( 2 ) Employee salaries and benefits ; ( 3 ) Enrollment levels ; ( 4 ) Facility costs ; and
( 5 ) Costs associated with compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements , including quality rating system participation and identify specific costs associated with each level of the rating system and any quality indicators utilized .
ii ) The model must utilize existing data and research available from existing studies and reports .
iii ) The model must consider differentiating subsidy rates by child age and region , evaluate the effectiveness of current child care subsidy region boundaries , and examine alternatives such as ZIP code level regions or regionalization based on urban , suburban , and rural designations ;
b ) Consider how the measure of state median income could be used in place of federal poverty level when determining eligibility for child care subsidy ;
c ) Evaluate recommendations from the department of children , youth , and families ' technical work group on compensation , including consideration of pay scale changes , to achieve pay parity with K-12 teachers by January 1 , 2025 . When considering implementation of the technical work group recommendations , the task force shall further develop policy recommendations for the department of children , youth , and families that :
i )
Endeavor to preserve and increase racial and ethnic equity and diversity in the child care workforce and recognize the value of cultural competency and multilingualism ;
ii ) Include a salary floor that supports recruitment and retention of a qualified workforce in every early learning setting , determined by an analysis of fields that compete to recruit workers with comparable skills , competencies , and experience of early childhood educators ;
2022 COST OF QUALITY CHILD CARE LEGISLATIVE REPORT 27