Recently in my district a child care facility closed abruptly. I was reminded, by Miss Jodie, one of my children’s child care teachers that “children are our most important community members.”

Child care is an essential component of every community, impacting every generation in a family, regional employers, and the educational foundation of our children. When a child care provider unexpectedly closes, the lives of parents, teachers, and children are upended.
 
In addition, given the current shortage of child care providers in the Commonwealth, parents may be unable to find another provider with the capacity to care for their children. Those who depend on a child care facility need time to respond to closures and make new plans for child care. Closures put teachers out of work, put children into a place of instability, and impact the employment of parents who rely on child care.
 
In the near future, I will introduce legislation to require any licensed child care provider to notify both families and employees no later than 30 days before that facility may close. This rule, which exists in multiple other states, will ensure that families have adequate time to find new child care arrangements for their children as well as give teachers and administrators time to prepare for new employment.
 
Every community depends on access to reliable child care. Sudden closures of child care centers have ripple effects throughout entire communities, and this legislation would minimize that impact. Please join me in sponsoring this legislation.