While talking about the status of state income tax at last week’s town hall, Representative Jason Petrie also shared his thoughts concerning universal pre-k and the lack of childcare in the state.
Establishing universal pre-k is high on Governor Andy Beshear’s priority list and included funding for it in his proposed budget ahead of last year’s legislative session. Petrie says, of course, the state could take over the childcare industry, but he does not see it as a proper function of government.
Petrie says childcare is a market and finds it odd that it’s such a high priority, but there aren’t people willing to get in the business. However, he says it is appropriate for the government to support parents looking for childcare and a few bills have been proposed that would do just that.
Petrie says the state already has a program that supports the economically disadvantaged, but expanding childcare needs to be a market-driven solution.
Petrie also doesn’t support the establishment of universal pre-k through government intervention and says partial pre-k already costs the state $83 million a year. However, he does support the expansion of some form of early childhood education.
Petrie says early childhood education teachers in the public education system could work with private childcare organizations to provide early learning opportunities.
Petrie also says universal pre-k would not be an effective solution for parents who need childcare while they work.