NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A bill aims to expand access to childcare in Tennessee by expanding licensure exemptions, and Gov. Bill Lee said it would lead to “tens of thousands” of new daycare facilities in the state.
According to the TN Dept. of Human Services, the state has more than 2,000 licensed childcare facilities. However, similarly-populated states, like Ohio, have more than double that.
Speaker of the House, Rep. Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) said certain rules and regulations are partly to blame. He has talked to a number of people about the issue.
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“About how many people are trying to get it in, and how many people go to the meetings just to start up a daycare, and how many quit due to the process of how difficult it is,” Speaker Sexton said. “Then you talk to daycares who want to expand, and they can’t expand because of this, and you talk to businesses who want to offer it, but the risk and liability is too much.”
The proposed legislation, sponsored by the House and Senate majority leaders, would expand childcare licensing exemptions for places like gyms, churches, camps, Boys & Girls Clubs, and recreational and after-school programs.
Facilities would only be allowed to care for a limited number of children for limited hours per week, and some would need written approval before they begin.
“We want these facilities to be safe, and there is a regulatory role there, but if there are some unnecessary things that are preventing people from being able to provide childcare, we need to take a look at that,” Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) said.
Gov. Lee said in his State of the State address, the bill and other changes “will lead to tens of thousands of new daycare spots across rural and urban Tennessee.”
Reporters asked Republican lawmakers if that was realistic.
“I think it’s very doable,” Speaker Sexton said.
There are several other childcare-related bills working their way through the legislature, including one that would create a financial incentive for childcare workers based on longevity in the field, and another that would allow childcare agencies to use vacant or underutilized school buildings for their services.
