This bill proposes the establishment of a new section in the North Dakota Century Code to create a child care workforce recruitment and retention program aimed at addressing workforce shortages in early childhood services. The program will provide monthly incentive payments to licensed early childhood services providers based on the number of children they are licensed to care for, with specific payment amounts designated for infants, toddlers, and school-aged children. Providers will be required to submit quarterly reports on their average enrollment to receive these payments, and the department has the authority to suspend payments if a provider's enrollment drops significantly.

Additionally, to qualify for these incentive payments, providers must not have received a corrective action order in the preceding three months. Each provider that receives payments will also be mandated to submit an annual report detailing how the funds were utilized to meet the salary and benefit needs of their child care workers. This initiative aims to enhance the stability and quality of child care services in North Dakota by supporting the workforce that provides these essential services.