By Joselyn King
For The Intelligencer
Wheeling — West Virginia needs more support for childcare development programs before jobs and economic development can occur in the state, according to Secretary of State Kris Warner.
He explained he is not only the state’s chief election officer but also its chief business registrar. Over time, he has learned businesses cannot operate without employees, who cannot come to work if they cannot find someone qualified to care for their children.
Warner said issues surrounding the need for certified day care in West Virginia were first brought to his attention before this year’s legislative session.
He has since visited eight childcare providers to get an overview. On Thursday, Warner toured the Noah’s Ark daycare center on Wheeling Island.
He noted there are about 26,000 children on waitlists for childcare throughout West Virginia. When the number of grandparents and others caring for young children is added, the need is closer to 41,000, according to Warner.
“All of a sudden, it hit me. This is as much an economic development issue as it is a child development issue in the state,” Warner said. “I carried the message back to the legislature. If we want to have more businesses in West Virginia, we’ve got to have facilities to take care of all those kids on the waiting list.
“Think of how many more parents could be in the workforce if they had access to child care.”
He spoke about the passage this year of House Bill 4191 in the West Virginia Legislature. The measure bases state subsidies paid to providers on enrollment rather than actual attendance and expands tax credits for employers providing childcare.
The main issue before its passage was that providers were being paid based on attendance rather than enrollment. If a child enrolled with a childcare provider is sick and not attending, the provider still has to pay teachers and utility bills while keeping the child’s spot open. This created an economic strain on providers, according to Warner.
“The childcare industry doesn’t have a lobbyist,” he explained. “It is a matter of owners having to take a day off and leave their childcare facility to go talk with the legislature.
“We helped communicate how important this was for childcare owners, many of whom said they couldn’t operate another year without changes.”
Beth Hinebaugh, owner of Noah’s Ark, has been among childcare providers in West Virginia urging the Legislature to provide help. This led her to file as a Republican candidate for the District 5 seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates this year.
Hinebaugh agreed her facility might have been forced to close had HB 4191 not been approved.
“We are one of those centers that month to month has to make that decision,” she explained. “We want to make sure we stay open.
“If we close, where do these parents take their children? They can’t work and businesses struggle too if they don’t have employees.”
Hinebaugh said she has teachers with bachelor’s and master’s degrees who are being paid less than $12 an hour.
“They deserve to be paid so much more than that,” she said. “This is one of the most important jobs out there because we are helping raise someone’s child.
“This is also super important for our tax base. If parents cannot work, businesses cannot stay open. If we’re not here, there won’t be employees,” Hinebaugh said.
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