North Dakota lawmakers say childcare is a barrier to workforce development, and they will look at ways to make it easier for working families to afford.
Gov. Doug Burgum proposed a plan to expand the current Child Care Assistance Program and provide a child care tax credit. The governor is also pitching a plan to help child care centers attract quality staff. The proposal could cost the state between $70 million to $80 million during the 2023–2025 biennium, according to information from Burgum’s office.
“The legislature will be very interested in looking at the details,” said Rep. Dale Patten, R-Watford City. “As always, cost will be a factor. The two basic aspects of a program are, one—getting the salaries of the staff at a level where the childcare centers can attract employees. Second, the hourly rates for the parents must be at a level that makes getting that second job feasible. This results in a funding gap that needs to be filled, hopefully with some type of public private partnership.”…