House Bill No. 5003, also known as Public Act No. 25-82, aims to improve early childhood care and education in the state by establishing an electronic portal by July 1, 2028. This portal will allow parents to access information about early childhood program availability, submit enrollment details, and apply for child care subsidies. The Office of Early Childhood is responsible for developing this portal, which will also support data collection and payment management for early childhood programs. Additionally, the bill mandates the implementation of a prospective payment system for the child care subsidy program by July 1, 2027, and includes provisions for data sharing agreements and studies on liability insurance and background checks for early childhood educators.

The bill introduces amendments to existing laws, including the repeal of certain requirements for licensed child care providers and the addition of new eligibility criteria for reimbursement, such as the type of business entity and the names of all officers and owners. It also allows for large family child care home endorsements, enabling providers to care for up to twelve children under specific conditions. A pilot program is established to provide expectant mothers in hospitals with information about child care services, focusing on low-income families. The bill requires the Commissioner of Early Childhood to compile and disseminate tailored documents to hospitals and providers by January 1, 2026, and to submit a report by June 1, 2028, analyzing the pilot program's effectiveness. The new legal language specifies the information to be included in the documents and the timeline for dissemination and reporting, with no deletions from current law noted.

Statutes affected:
Committee Bill: 10-511
KID Joint Favorable: 10-511
File No. 198: 10-511
ED Joint Favorable: 10-511
APP Joint Favorable: 10-511
Public Act No. 25-82: