Iowa can substantially improve its child-care system by focusing on affordability, availability and quality. That's according to a five-year improvement plan released last week by the Child and Family Policy Center.

"Child care is fundamental to the well-being of Iowa's children and to the stability of our workforce," said Sheila Hansen, director of Every Child Counts, the advocacy initiative of CFPC.

Hansen testified last week before the Iowa's Joint Health and Human Services Budget Subcommittee that the major focus is three-fold: boosting the eligibility rate for child-care assistance, raising the rates paid to child-care providers under the child-care assistance program and strengthening quality initiatives, including expanded health and safety monitoring and a boost to the state's Quality Ratings System.

The five-year plan reflects the input of focus groups of child-care providers and parents across Iowa and a planning committee of representatives from nonprofit organizations involved with child care. In addition to CFPC, the plan was endorsed by the Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children, Iowa Head Start Association, Iowa Community Action Association, Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, Iowa Policy Project, Mid-Sioux Opportunity, Inc., United Ways of Iowa and Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa.

Read the plan.

Wendy Rickman, Administrator of Adult and Family Services at DHS, also testified. You can see her power point presentation on child care here.