I am in favor of all these bills specifically. Thank you.

Leaders from Valley Interfaith Action (VIA), a broad-based citizens organization made up of 26 dues-paying member institutions representing 10,000 residents in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, had registered to speak this morning. We did not receive the Zoom link until 7:31am. The livestream listed the hearing to begin at 8:30am. The livestream link became live at 7:09am, minutes after HB403 was heard. We are extremely disappointed we were shut out from participating in today's public hearing despite following directions given to us. While we assume no ill-intent, the end outcome was the same, a silencing of the voice of the people. We are working on the ground to help solve the crisis of childcare. VIA partners have given countless hours of volunteer labor to address this expressed need in our community a reality. We have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into creating new childcare slots and leveraged thousands more from corporate partners. We take this work seriously. Fixing the crisis of childcare requires increasing access to high-quality, affordable care for families, increasing teacher recruitment and retention, and increasing the financial stability of childcare centers. Tax credit HB403 helps do all three. We created Valley Early Education Reimagined, a private-public partnership between civic sector organizations, area employers and the public sector, as an innovative model to launch and operate high-quality, state-licensed childcare centers that are financially sustainable. Through VEER, employers help pay for their workers’ childcare costs. By bringing in private sector funding, VEER is able to increase compensation for teachers and lower costs for families. It’s a win-win. But, we need this tax credit in order to expand the pool of employers who help fund childcare costs and increase overall private sector investment in childcare solutions. Like many communities in Virginia, most of our residents work in healthcare or public education. These employers are not eligible for the existing federal employer child care tax credit 45F. Even in our largest private sector industry, agriculture, ⅓ of poultry plants are ineligible because they do not have a tax liability. HB403 would incentivize our area’s largest employers, like Sentara hospital, to help shoulder childcare costs for Virginia families. For employers who are eligible for the federal 45F, HB403 enables employers to cover the true cost of care without increasing costs for families. Overall, this would bring in more federal dollars to Virginia and ease the burden on existing state programs like Subsidy. Increasing private sector investment is a key pathway to transforming the childcare crisis in Virginia. HB 403 in particular would have a significant impact because it casts the widest net, enabling more employers and more diverse types of employers to help shoulder the cost of childcare.

I stand in support of HB 403. A refundable tax credit for early childhood education expenses provides an avenue for all employers to provide a benefit to employees that supports not only early education but also workforce development and high quality centers. Coupled with the current federal 45F tax credit this moves the funding of early childhood education close to true cost of care and brings private funds to the industry, alleviating the strain on Subsidy. Thanks for supporting HB 403.

VEER is an innovative model to launch and operate high-quality, state-licensed early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers that are financially sustainable. Expanding ECEC centers requires increasing access for families, increasing teacher compensation , and increasing the Centers’ financial stability. Tax credit HB403 helps do all three. In the Valley, we see childcare as a workforce development tool. Through VEER, employers help pay for their workers’ childcare costs. By bringing in private sector funding, VEER becomes able to increase compensation for teachers and lower costs for families. This tax credit expands the pool of employers who can help fund childcare costs and increase overall private sector investment in childcare solutions It’s a win-win-win for families and their children, the ECEC centers and employers.

It would be an enlightened policy to encourage a business tax credit for child care: a win-win situation. Finding safe and affordable child care is perhaps the biggest impediment for working class women to engage in paid employment.

I’m in support of HB 403 to create a refundable employer childcare tax credit. Fixing the crisis of childcare requires increasing access to high-quality, affordable childcare for families, increasing teacher recruitment and retention, and increasing the financial stability of childcare centers. This tax credit helps do all three. Please vote YES for HB403. Thank you.