Rep. Steve Berch Newsletter: Cutting childcare hurts Idaho

Rep. Steve Berch Newsletter - Cutting childcare hurts Idaho

The following commentary was co-authored by myself and Sen. Rick Just

Childcare: The workforce behind the workforce

The Idaho legislature has been ignoring a growing threat to the local economy across the state: the lack of affordable childcare services, and in many cases the lack of childcare services altogether.

And it’s about to become much worse by a recent decision that is totally avoidable.

Childcare is important to every industry in Idaho. It is the workforce behind the workforce. Businesses suffer when their employees miss work if they have no safe and affordable place to leave their children. Employees who are parents need childcare in order to come to work.

For decades, families have relied on the Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP) to alleviate the problem. It is a vital lifeline for the lowest-earning families in the state, making safe childcare accessible for around 8,000 children in Idaho. It allows parents to work, keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table. It fits well with Idaho’s philosophy of encouraging work and self-help. It’s a hand-up – not a hand out – that helps families stay employed. This program provides a childcare subsidy for a family of three that earns up to $34,000. The ICCP is almost entirely federally funded, but it does require authorization from the state legislature to accept those funds.

It is very disappointing to learn that the program was frozen in August of this year. Impoverished families are being turned away. Now, even the poorest families cannot enroll in ICCP unless their child is in foster care, homeless, or disabled.

Why did this happen? The choice to put these young families at risk is not a result of desperate times or a lack of funds. It’s because majority party leaders in the Idaho Legislature refuse to accept the money to help some of the most vulnerable citizens among us. We are now hearing that they also intend to make permanent, deep cuts to this program. There is nothing “conservative” about being penny-wise and pound-foolish.

This is becoming part of a disturbing trend. The majority party recently refused to accept $18 million to provide early childhood literacy and $16.5 million to provide school lunches for economically disadvantaged children during the summer when school isn’t in session. The legislature is deliberately and unnecessarily making life more difficult for many of its constituents.

Stripping childcare assistance from families living in poverty will prevent people from working, escalate homelessness, and increase dependence on social safety net programs. Idaho is already losing a half-billion dollars in economic activity due to a lack of affordable childcare. Further cuts to ICCP will only make things worse. The legislature should support local businesses and working families, which includes protecting ICCP.

Keeping people employed and off of welfare programs is the conservative thing to do.