| Please join me this Saturday, February 6th, at 10:00 a.m. for a virtual town hall on the latest events at the Capitol. Bring your questions and come ready to learn about the status of the vaccine rollout, the Legislature’s power grab from the Governor and local governments, attempts to cut the Medicaid expansion budget, the effort to constitutionally criminalize marijuana in Idaho, and more. As always, there is plenty to discuss. |
| While these issues are the most noteworthy at the moment, I want to focus on more than just the latest controversies. The legislative and executive branches spending their time on misguided policy proposals and fighting over control, but working families want to know how Idaho is going to help them live their best lives. They want classrooms with high-quality teachers; jobs that pay a living wage with benefits; clean streams, rivers and lakes for fishing and recreation; and, yes, a competent rollout of the Covid vaccine. So, in addition to addressing the latest events at the Capitol, I will also take a deep dive into an issue that deserves our attention and, if addressed, would improve the lives of Idaho’s working families. This Saturday we will focus on the need for quality and affordable childcare. Rural and urban residents, single and two-parent households, part and full-time employees all face the challenges of finding childcare that works for their families. The problems are so familiar and painful to those who live it that I suspect many of you could cite them without prompting. Wendy and I have been there. When Spencer and Drew were young, finding quality and affordable childcare was a challenge. I was lucky. Wendy was an educator by training, she knew what we needed, and for part of that time, we had grandparents available to provide back-up when those inevitable emergencies arose (thanks, mom and dad). It wasn’t easy or problem-free. Nothing is worse than lacking confidence in the provider or knowing your child isn’t happy at daycare. But for the most part, it worked well for us, which allowed Wendy and me to go back to school and focus on our careers. |
 From my time in the military, to our years earning our degrees with two children, childcare wasn’t always easy. |
| As a small business owner, I have watched my own employees go through the same struggles. When childcare is working for them, employees can focus on their jobs. But when childcare isn’t working right, it’s hard for employees to focus or even be at work. This isn’t just a problem that my business faces, it’s one faced by large corporations and small businesses throughout our State. I recently spoke with the President of the Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry (IACI), Alex LaBeau, who has made this issue a priority and recognized the vital intersection of childcare and business. IACI did a study called “Untapped Potential” specifically looking into how childcare impacts Idaho’s economy. Check out their report here. A quick look at their findings shows the major impact improving our State’s childcare system could have. According to their research, half of Idaho parents reported missing work due to childcare issues. In addition, 23% of parents enrolled in school or workforce training programs reported discontinuing because of childcare problems and over 90% of surveyed parents said they have to rely on family members for childcare. All of these gaps in our system make a real dent in our economy. “We estimate that there is an untapped potential of $479 million annually in Idaho due to childcare issues. This includes direct employer costs and lost state tax revenue. When parents face challenges securing adequate childcare or disruptions in their childcare provider arrangements, the impacts ripple throughout the community.” – Untapped Potential One of the organizations working to better our State’s childcare is the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC). I’ve had the chance to meet with the Executive Director of AEYC, Beth Oppenheimer. AEYC and IACI are working together to meet these challenges. As I mentioned, solving childcare challenges for Idaho’s working families solves the business community’s problem. I’ve invited Beth to visit with us at the upcoming town hall about these issues. Solving childcare challenges in Idaho will not be easy and the path is not entirely clear. But as a legislator, I will not overlook this issue because it is complicated or politically difficult to solve. If this problem is going to take time to solve, we need to get started now. Quality and affordable childcare made all the difference in my family’s life. I am committed to solving this problem for Idaho families so they can live their best lives. |
| Check out my previous newsletters here: Newsletter 3 – January 25, 2021 – The Ballot Is Stronger than the Bullet Newsletter2 – January 18, 2021 – Choosing Empathy Over Partisanship Newsletter 1 – January 11, 2021 – Fighting for our Democracy |
| Sincerely, J.R.James Ruchti jruchti@house.idaho.gov |