HI SCR5

Urges the Department of Human Services to increase reimbursement rates for family child care homes to 75 percent of the current center-based child care rate under the Child Care Connection Hawaii program.

Current family child care home reimbursement rates have remained stagnant since 2009 and represent only 44 percent of center-based care rates for the same services.

Requests the Department of Human Services provide incentive bonuses to family child care homes that achieve accreditation.

Notes that center-based care reimbursement rates were increased by an average of 20 percent in 2017, while family child care homes received no corresponding increase.

Emphasizes critical shortage of available child care, particularly for infants and toddlers on the islands of Kauai, Molokai, and Lanai, and the need to encourage licensed family child care homes.