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7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This bill amends provisions governing the Office of Child Care.
10 Highlighted Provisions:
11 This bill:
12 ▸ requires the office to contract for the creation of a quality child care estimator tool;
13 ▸ enacts criteria and requirements for developing the tool;
14 ▸ requires the office to prepare a report on the tool development and projected child
15 care costs; and
16 ▸ makes conforming changes.
17 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
18 None
19 Other Special Clauses:
20 None
21 Utah Code Sections Affected:
22 ENACTS:
23 35A-3-211, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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25 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
26 Section 1. Section 35A-3-211 is enacted to read:
27 35A-3-211. Child care estimator tool.
28 (1) As used in this section, "tool" means the cost of quality child care estimator tool
29 created in accordance with this section.
30 (2) In accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 6a, Utah Procurement Code, the office shall
31 enter into a contract with a systems developer to create a cost of quality child care estimator
32 tool.
33 (3) The tool shall:
34 (a) enable the state to model the actual costs of child care, according to:
35 (i) systems developed by the office to inform the public of quality child care providers;
36 (ii) federal guidelines set forth in 45 C.F.R. Sec. 98.45; and
37 (iii) other factors determined by the office;
38 (b) meet federal requirements for alternative methodology for rate setting as described
39 in 45 C.F.R. Sec. 98.45 and established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
40 Office of Child Care; and
41 (c) be publicly available no later than December 1, 2022.
42 (4) The office shall consult stakeholders in development of the tool, including:
43 (a) experts on cost studies and federal approval;
44 (b) child care providers from a spectrum of service types;
45 (c) child care resources and referral agencies; and
46 (d) early childhood care and education advocates.
47 (5) (a) No later than December 1, 2022, the office shall prepare and make publicly
48 available a report that describes:
49 (i) factors considered when developing the tool;
50 (ii) data points used to model costs, including the target wage scale for child care
51 professionals used to create the tool;
52 (iii) costs based on tiers in the current system described in Subsection (3)(a)(i); and
53 (iv) projected costs of quality child care in the state of Utah over the next five years.
54 (b) No later than May 1, 2023, the office shall submit the report described in
55 Subsection (5)(a) and in accordance with Section 68-3-13 to the Economic Development and
56 Workforce Services Interim Committee.