The Joint Committee on Children and Families met this morning.
First, the committee heard about efforts to end childhood hunger in the state. In West Virginia, 1 in 8 people are struggling with hunger. The state is ranked 7th in food insecurity with 14.3 percent of the population being food insecure. It is a critical public health issue. Food banks play a significant role in combating hunger. Mobile pantries are conducted weekly. The 5-6 mobile pantries serve 100 to 600 families per event. Fresh foods, proteins, dairy, and shelf-stable meals are the focus of these pantries. The Mountaineer Food Bank has partnered with Baylor University for the Extra Mile Program which is a pilot program in Mercer County. It is now moving to Clay County. It allows for DoorDash to be utilized for food pantries. Backpack Food Programs provide students with food for weekends and breaks. Foodbanks partnered with the WV Department of Agriculture and the USDA to receive funding to purchase apples from orchids that were struggling with sales and provided apples to food banks across the state.
The committee heard a presentation on the cap in childcare centers in the state and the effects on manufacturers. Childcare is a business issue. Businesses providing childcare or assistance with childcare can improve employee focus, improve retention and recruitment, help with the work-life balance, reduce absenteeism, improve morale and loyalty, and have a more diverse workforce. It is especially important in manufacturing jobs, as many of the jobs are rotating shift work. With limited and expensive childcare options, it can be difficult for parents to maintain careers in manufacturing. In a state with a declining workforce, it requires everyone who can work to work. Several states have partnered with agencies for childcare. Programs looking at availability, location, and cost are needed. Tax credits for building new childcare facilities are great. Some states offer matching grants for the cost of daycares.
Toyota has on-site childcare development centers in Kentucky and Indiana. The size of the centers is important, as it needs to be large enough to meet the needs of the employees. Toyota also has two facilities in construction and two facilities in the process of starting construction. One of the facilities in the process is in West Virginia. It is a NEAR site childcare development center. It will serve 100 children and will be 24-hour center. The target for opening is the end of 2024.
Lastly, the committee heard about a project-based learning academy called Star Academy. The program was created to re-engage at-risk middle school students. It’s a four-pillar modern approach with a focus on a project-based core curriculum, an accelerated model, a multi-modal approach, and an environment. The academy is a school within a school. Each academy is 80 students with 20 students per core class. Students work in small groups to work on soft skills. Students can complete two grade levels in one school year. Modules are hands-on and facilitator-led. Being a school in a school, students can have lunch and participate in extracurriculars with their peers.
The curriculum is customized to state and local standards, careers, and businesses available to students, and district goals. The Academy has a library of 100+ career-aligned modules. Star Academy has a three-pronged partnership with unlimited professional development, educational support specialists, and personalized PR plans.
Star Academy has 20 years of data backed success. In several states, the Academy has increased graduation rates, reading fluency, and retention while decreasing absenteeism and discipline referrals. The cost is $1 million for three years. The funding source would determine who implements the program.
