DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Senate Education Committee introduced a bill aimed at extending childcare programs at schools.

Senator Lynn Evans (R) District 3, of the Senate Education Committee, said that the bill will allow half day preschool programs to offer access to daycare for their students.

“The bill is getting at a specific problem, which is we offer a statewide voluntary preschool program. But oftentimes those are part day programs but not full day programs.” Senator Evans said. “The exciting part of it is grants for a pilot program that where a community provider or a school district could offer a preschool program that’s under the statewide voluntary preschool requirements and offer wraparound childcare.”

The wrap around care grants would be funded through braided funding which means funding from other programs would be used.

Suzanne Zutter, the Executive Director of Families Forward, a non profit child care provider in Des Moines, said if the bill passes she will lose grant money required to hire staff.

“We’ve been funded $35,000 a year and it’s strictly for wages to help supplement so that we can pay our childcare providers a decent living wage. If this bill goes through, we were told that that 35,000 will be cut,” Zutter said.

Senator Evans said the governor, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Education have assured him that funding for existing grants will stay the same.

“I’ve had extensive conversations with the Department of Health and Human Services, the governor’s office, and the Department of Education, and I’ve been assured that those that there will be grant funding available for those existing programs,” Senator Evans said.

The Iowa House of Representatives have also introduced a similar bill.

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