INDIANA – Despite calls for significant investment, Indiana lawmakers addressed the state’s dire child care shortage with several smaller legislative measures during the recent session.
A CNBC study ranked Indiana near the bottom nationally for child care access, with only 763 licensed centers for over 850,000 young children.
A 2024 study by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce found that over half of Hoosier parents miss work or class because they cannot find child care. Absenteeism and employee turnover caused by this struggle create an estimated $3.05 billion in losses for Hoosier employers each year.
While Senate Democrats pushed for full Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) funding, the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed several bills targeting specific issues instead. These include:
- House Bill 1253:  Streamlines licensing for multi-site centers and allows existing in-home centers licensed before July 1 to continue operating as class two structures, potentially preventing the closure of 43 facilities serving 800 children. It also removes the requirement that children in school-based care be employees’ children.
- Senate Bill 463: This bill offers tax credits to employers providing near or onsite child care and expands the Micro-Facility Pilot Program.
- House Bill 1248: Allocates CCDF funds for foster families with last-minute placements.
- House Bill 1102: Permits schools to contract with religiously affiliated, nonprofit pre-K sites.
Supporters, like Vanessa Green Sinders of the Indiana Chamber, acknowledge these bills as positive steps towards affordability and accessibility. Sam Snideman of the United Way of Central Indiana believes the broad nature of the issue hinders large-scale solutions but remains optimistic about future progress through continued incremental efforts.
This information is from TheStatehouseFile.com as part of the Statehouse Reporting Project, a collaborative effort by collegiate journalism programs operating in statehouses across the country.
