In his State of the State address, the Governor foreshadowed support for childcare programs in his upcoming budget, specifically referencing changes to the Childcare Financial Assistance program to increase access to quality care and learning. That is one component of helping families with children. Other areas up for discussion this session include emergency compensation and recruitment tools for early childhood educators and funding a Child Care Financing Study. The Governor will also propose a tax relief package focused on retirees, middle-income families and young workers which may create room for discussion on a state-level Child Tax Credit, similar to the federal tax credit that recently expired. The initial proposal would be a $1,200 annual refundable tax credit for children under six with an estimated cost of $58.7 million. How this would be funded in the short-term or long-term has yet to be discussed but the House Committee on Ways and Means appeared poised to pursue this proposal.