Chair Yamamoto, Co-Chair McCann, members of the committee,

I am Jean Henscheid, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Idaho. I am pleased to add our full support to HB 636. The League stands firmly behind initiatives to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and equitability of government services. This bill accomplishes all three.

When scholars write the history of the 67th Idaho Legislature and the several preceding it they will likely note how often strengthening the role of parents and families was rooted in legislation. The proposed office is a sensible approach to supporting the complex, exhausting, exhilarating task of parenting. According to the National Institute for Early Education Research, at least 70 early care and education governance bills have been introduced in 30 states since 2022. Idaho is far from alone.

This office would address a substantial need to coordinate siloed state agencies with equally important private entities and to optimize alignment and delivery of services. The number of entities that work to support families is embedded, sometimes hidden, in nooks and crannies throughout the public and private sectors. This office would be key in bringing these services to parents.

The proposed office has the potential to eventually help decrease citizen dependence on other social services, attract skilled workers to Idaho, cut education remediation costs, increase post-secondary go-on and completion rates, reduce service redundancy, and create long-term public/private partnerships. The impact on the general fund is minimal when compared to the potential for long-term cost savings. A signature of this Legislature has been its focus on parents and families. HB 636 is fully aligned with this core aim. Thank you and I will stand for questions.

Submitted on February 29, 2024 to daho House Education Committee