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Republican Gov. Jan Brewer
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Earl Holden
and his daughter Melody, 5, both of St. Johns, attend a
rally at the state Capitol in Phoenix to protest the
proposed increases to licensing fees for child-care
providers. |
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300 Protest Child Care Fee Hike
PHOENIX (Wire Services) October 28, 2009 — Hundreds of people appealed to Gov. Jan Brewer on Tuesday in an effort to prevent steep increases to child-care licensing fees that could raise the cost of care.
Parents and teachers joined child-care providers and after-school program administrators in a rally of about 300 people at the Capitol.
They asked Brewer to use some of her $185 million in discretionary federal stimulus dollars to delay the fee increases, which are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1.
The Department of Health Services announced this month that because of budget cuts, it would shift the full cost of regulating the industries it oversees to the industries themselves.
For the largest child-care centers, that means a three-year license will rise from a $150 flat fee to $13,442.
"Surely, if we can use those dollars
to repair the roof on the Coliseum, we can use them to keep the roof from caving
in on child care," said Dana Naimark, president of the Children's Action
Alliance, a non-profit advocacy group.
Brewer acted earlier this month to commit $1.7 million in stimulus dollars to
fix the Veterans Memorial Coliseum roof.
Representatives from child-care providers and after-school programs said they
would struggle to come up with the fees next year and risked being driven out of
business.
High unemployment and tightened budgets have left the state's
child-care facilities operating at only 42 percent of capacity, according to the
Arizona Child Care Association.
The recession has already caused Robert Orsi, co-owner of Sunrise Preschools, to
lay off 26 percent of his teachers and 60 percent of his corporate staff. Under
the new fee schedule, Orsi would owe the state an additional $160,000 next year
and $370,000 over the next three years.
"I really don't know where that $160,000 is going to come from," said Orsi,
whose business operates 28 facilities in the Valley. "You certainly can't charge
the parents more. (And) I really don't have any more people I can lay off."
Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman said the use of stimulus funding was "certainly
worth considering," as was using money from First Things First, the
voter-created fund that supports education and health programs for children.
A First Things First spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.
Following Tuesday's rally, DHS held a public hearing on the proposed fee
increases in the State Lab Auditorium.
No action will be taken until after the
public-comment period closes Monday, said Laura Oxley, a department spokeswoman.
Other groups speaking out against increased licensing fees Tuesday included
members of the Arizona Assisted Living Homes Association, which said thousands
of seniors could be left homeless if the fee increases take effect.
Owners of
assisted-living homes will see their fees nearly double.
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