Analysis focuses on child care challenges in Clinton area

CLINTON, Iowa – “Child care is economic development.” That’s the message from an official with a child care business advocacy group who presented the results of a child care market analysis for the region on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 19, in the Grow Clinton office. “Child care is economic development. It’s just as important as infrastructure, […]

CLINTON, Iowa – “Child care is economic development.” That’s the message from an official with a child care business advocacy group who presented the results of a child care market analysis for the region on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 19, in the Grow Clinton office. “Child care is economic development. It’s just as important as infrastructure, housing and schools,” said Angie Rae Duncan, a senior business development specialist with the First Children’s Finance (FCF) group, which is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

She added that communities need high-quality child care to help keep existing businesses in place, help attract new businesses and keep employees on the job. Those links between child care and economic development were the centerpiece of Tuesday’s meeting to present the highlights of a child care market analysis of the Iowa communities of Clinton, Camanche and Andover. That analysis of the child care needs and challenges of the region was a collaborative effort between Grow Clinton and FCF. The Tuesday meeting attracted about 25 people, most from the business community and local child care businesses and organizations. Some of the key findings of that analysis report were: Many parents in the region are having problems finding quality child care options; child care centers are having problems finding enough employees; and many employers are having troubles hiring workers because of the lack of child care. “Child care is vital to the growth of our region. … We need to get creative and find solutions,” said Andy Sokolovich, president and CEO of Grow Clinton, during Tuesday’s meeting. After listening to the key findings of the child care analysis, he added the report would “not be sitting on a shelf, collecting dust.” He said the information would be used to help support child care businesses and perhaps attract more employees to the industry. “We need to help so (child care) employees don’t leave their jobs when McDonald’s raises their wages to $20 an hour,” he said. The Grow Clinton CEO also issued a “call to action” to the child care business leaders at the meeting. He said he wants those leaders to send him specific information about the challenges they face so he can pass on that data to elected officials and other decision makers in the community. Ms. Duncan also gave her own suggestions about how to use the child care data. They came down to these categories:

• Use the information to maintain what the communities already have. That is, get grants and other financial help to keep existing child care facilities in business.
• That help can also be used to “grow from within.” That is, help existing child care businesses expand.
• Go out and attempt to attract additional child care businesses to the region. 
• The report information can also be used to convince employers to help with their employees’ child care challenges. Several people at Tuesday’s meeting said most employers in the region do not want a child care facility on company grounds. “But there are creative ways employers can help parents,” Ms. Duncan added. They include helping parents pay for child care costs. She said in some communities, employers have donated land or funds to build a new child care facility to help their employees.

During Tuesday's meeting, Ms. Duncan outlined the seven key findings from the 82-page child care market analysis. Those key findings include:

• Many household incomes exceed the child care assistance eligibility threshold. The median annual income for families with children under the age of 18 in the Clinton area ranges from $60,564 to $96,602. To qualify for the Iowa Child Care Assistance program for a family of three, the incomes needs to be below $39,776.
• There is a significant difference between the average weekly fee charged by licensed child care centers and registered homes that do child care. For instance, the weekly fee for the care of infants and toddlers at licensed centers is about $200. That same fee for registered homes is about $52.
• Most parents want year-round care in a licensed center. The survey states that 62% of parents want child care arrangements in a center between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• There is a shortage of child care spaces in some age groups. The report estimates about 2,681 children are from families in the region that want to use an Iowa Department of Health and Human Services regulated child care setting. According to the Iowa HHS, there are 1,314 regulated spaces in the region. Also, regulated homes are down 253 spaces. However, Ms. Duncan added that she believes at least some of those homes are still in the child care business as unregulated homes, which is legal in Iowa.
• Many parents say child care challenges are impacting their jobs. Many parents have to leave work early or miss work because of child care issues.
• Employers are having problems hiring due to child care issues.
• Child care centers are having problems hiring employees. For instance, 100% of the child care providers surveyed said it was difficult or somewhat difficult finding employees. None of those in the survey said it was easy or somewhat easy.

See the complete analysis report here: Child Care Market Analysis-Clinton. Even with those challenges facing the child care industry, several people from the field who attended the Tuesday meeting said they have child care vacancies at their businesses. For instance, Shannon Sander-Welzien, executive director of the YWCA Clinton, said the YWCA has many openings in its child care programs. One reason for that is because the YWCA has been undergoing renovations and has not been heavily promoting those programs while the work is being done. Also, many members of the public don’t know about the programs. Ms. Sander-Welzien added that she was happy that Tuesday’s meeting helped get the word out about the challenges facing child care in the community. “Overall, it’s good that local legislators and Grow Clinton are interested in child care. … It’s a more optimistic time for us,” she added.