BOCA minutes - member meeting May 19, 2025 at 1:00 PM

Location of Meeting: Virtual (GoToMeeting) https://transcripts.gotomeeting.com/#/s/a11c675b40806814cab58447b405abc67e03b2eba5ebf6d89ac1e89bdba60a01

In Attendance:

Board:
Amy Vogel Dr. Day Care
Haley Paige Coggeshall Club/Haven Middletown

Members:
Charlene Barbieri Little Learners Academy
North Smithfield Early Learning Center Danielle Harmon
Erin Van Durme The Children’s Workshop Foundation
Marissa Crawley North Smithfield ELC
Susan Racette Kindermotion
Becky Madden Acorn Academy, LLC

Guests:
Erin Cox LISC
Rick McAuliffe Mayforth Group

Agenda:

Welcome and introductions
Guest speaker: Erin Cox, Senior Program Officer, LISC Rhode Island
Local Initiatives Support Corporation updates
2025 Child Care Facilities Planning Grant Program
Guest speaker: Rick McAuliffe, Mayforth Group
Legislative updates
Member topics of discussion
Seeking BOCA board member nominations
Join BOCA – membership for 2025
Meetings in 2026 – maybe drop down? Discussion with BOCA members.
Next Meeting: June 23, 2025

Meeting Notes:

Guest speaker: Erin Cox, Senior Program Officer, LISC Rhode Island

Erin shared LISC Rhode Island slideshow, explaining information on LISC.

LISC helps child care centers meet building codes, develop space, understand childcare regulations

Provide access to capital and support.

Current grant program that is open: 2025 Child Care Facilities Planning Grant Program

Provides funding for architectural design services, site analysis, engineering studies, legal services, environmental survey and review.

Applications opened 5/1/25, awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Projects should be completed by 11/30/25, with possibility to apply for a one-year extension. This is funding for planning, not construction.

Eligible applicants:

Non-profit or for-profit
Providers with a commitment to early childhood care & education to low-income families with a public subsidy
Real estate developers, but they have to show a commitment to offering favorable long-term or lease-to-own scenarios.

Applicants must have an active https://sam.gov registration.

Online workshops/self assessments are available at http://training.rilisc.org (resource guides at the same website)

Guest speaker: Rick McAuliffe, Mayforth Group

Expecting about 5 weeks left of Session. General Assembly has obligation to pass the budget by June 30^th.

General Assembly went from dealing with the 250 million dollar deficit to roughly about a hundred and seventy million dollars. The two things that went up, people’s personal income tax and lottery spending went up. Sales tax revenue was down.

The House of Representatives and the United States Senate are working on a budget plan for the next five years, which will include numerous tax incentives and spending in two areas, both immigration enforcement and defense, but we’re going to see less money in every other department of agency.

There will be cuts to Medicaid.

Thursday – will be testifying on child care for child care providers pilot program.

3 main focuses: fingerprints, enforcement, and child care for child care providers.

Sharing article in the New York Times, talking about new administrations plans to strengthen families – more moms to stay at home and raise their children. They want to give more money to families, giving it to parents to stay home. Something to pay attention to.

Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/republicans-parents-babies-home.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Hk8.6LmQ.f_HG2WyljWqy&smid=url-share

Amy:

Seeking BOCA board members.

Suggestion: drop down meetings in 2026. Thoughts on less per year? Maybe move from 9 to 6 or 7 per year. Think about it, will discuss in June meeting (6/23).

Next meetings:

June 23, 2025
Skipping July & August
September 22, 2025
October 27, 2025
December 8, 2025