MACON, Ga. — Georgia's state senate leaders may act in 2025 to cool rising child care costs, offering parents some needed relief.
A hot topic in Thursday's senate study committee meeting: giving access to more families. Suggestions include increasing state funding for Child Care and Parent Services and increasing the state's Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit.
Darnisha Goolsby owns Little Disciples Daycare in Macon; she said many families are burdened with the decision of choosing between monthly expenses and childcare costs.
"They have to choose between paying their rent or paying child care, paying their car note or paying child care and both little things are essential for them to go to work their car and of of course their rent," Goolsby said.
Another top of mind topic for the committee is improving employee retention and narrowing the wage gap for workers. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, half of child care workers make $14.60 an hour. According to the final meeting report, members of the committee proposed increasing ways providers can get more money.
"You want a staff that's able to see about children's needs on all varying levels as well as pay them competitively to keep them in the childcare field," Goolsby said.
Tamara Allen, whose grandson attends Goolsby's daycare, said if these ideas go through, families could end up with more to spend on their monthly expenses.
"If they could just relieve some parents of that and allow these kids to be where they're happy, I think that would help a lot," Allen said.
Senate leaders will consider these recommendations once the legislative session begins next year, Monday, Jan. 13.