Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced $14 million in new grant awards that will expand, or in some cases create, new child care options across Iowa.
In a Monday, Jan. 6, news release Monday, the governor’s office said the grants are driven by the Child Care Business Incentive (CCBI) Grant, which provides financial support for projects by employers that require new infrastructure for building child care centers in their communities (either onsite or in partnership with local centers).
A total of 13 grants were announced and included expanded funding for some previous awardees of the Child Care Business Incentive Grant 1.0 (first awarded in 2022), as well as funding for new projects in a 2.0 version of the grant. The CCBI grants included:
- 1.0 Awardees (existing projects): A total of $3.6 million was awarded to four previous awardees. The funding will help create an additional 225 child care slots.
- 2.0 Awardees (new projects): A total of $10.4 million was awarded to nine new child care projects that will collectively create 649 child care slots.
Combined, the two sets of awarded projects are estimated to create nearly 875 new slots across the state. Visit here to learn more about the awardees.
Grants were awarded to existing projects in Ames, Dubuque, Dyersville and Waterloo; and to nine new projects in Carroll, Colfax, Dubuque, Decatur County, Garner, Glenwood, Iowa City, Leon, New Albin and Riceville.
“We cannot overstate the importance of child care to Iowa’s workforce and its future,” Ms. Reynolds said in the release. “Our strategy for retaining the best workers must include creative ways to meet their child care needs. Today’s awards represent Iowa’s commitment to that strategy, and I’m excited to see what these organizations do to provide solutions for their individual communities.”
Projects prioritized
There were no projects in the Quad Cities or surrounding counties receiving CCBI funding.
The state prioritized projects that include those located in high-demand areas for child care, those planning to increase capacity for additional slots, and businesses building onsite child care centers.
Grants can be used by employers to support the expansion or new construction of child care and/or daycare facilities for employees, with the employer as the provider or in partnership with a local child care provider.
The CCBI 1.0 projects and awards were:
- Allen Memorial Hospital Corp, Waterloo, $496,174. It partnered with Cedar Valley Kids to construct a new child care facility. With the additional funding, il can expand with another classroom adding 16 new child care slots to the 100 slots in the original plan. (Total award – previous and new – $2.5 million.)
- Danfoss Power Solutions (U.S.) Co., Ames, $1,636,500, (total award $3 million). The project will serve as a pilot location with hopes to become a scalable endeavor. It will benefit employees in seven surrounding communities. With the additional funding, the original 80 child care slots will expand to 164.
- Dubuque Childcare Collaborative, LLC., Dubuque, $2,154,800 (total award $3 million). The new Dubuque Industrial Center West Multi-Employer Childcare Center initially created 120 new child care slots for participating local employers. By partnering with nine local businesses, the center will utilize the new funding to renovate additional space to create another 100 child care slots.
- Dyersville Industries, Inc., Dyersville, $675,000 (total award amount $2,425,000). A consortium of 12 businesses with more than 1,000 employees, under the umbrella of Dyersville Industries, Inc., built an 8,000-square-foot center and created 131 slots for infants to preschool children. Partnering with Kid Project, a day care facility, the consortium will use the additional funding to support 25 new child care slots.
Nine grant awardees
The CCBI 2.0 grant new projects awardees are:
- Area Residential Care, Inc., Dubuque, $395,326. The ARC project will include the repurposing of an onsite location to provide 35 new child care slots and an outdoor, nature-inspired play space. ARC will partner with St. Mark Early Childhood to provide reliable child care for their employees.
- Colfax Economic Development Corporation, Colfax, $1,722,500. Located on the elementary school campus, once built, the Colfax Child Care Center will serve more than 100 children in Colfax and surrounding communities.
- Decatur County Hospital, Leon, $1,504,000. TThe hospital’s project will construct a new center and create 60 new child care slots. Through partnerships with Central Decatur Community School District and Funshine Learning Center, the facility will include six classrooms, a multi-purpose large motor room and a partially-covered outdoor space. Thirty spaces will be reserved for DCH employees. The project will seek to employ early childhood students from Graceland University, and Lamoni and Central Decatur Community School Districts.
- Glenwood Community School District, Glenwood, $1,443,235. The district’s project will partner with Kids Place Childcare Champions and renovate a portion of the Central Office building to create an educational environment and increase total capacity to 140 children. Partnering with Iowa Western Community College, the center will also provide valuable work study opportunities for college students.
- Hancock County Economic Development, Garner, $1,817,500. As a consortium award, the development organization will be the lead sponsor for the construction of a new child care facility that will add 71 additional slots to the current center. The facility will be located in a county with some of the highest child care demands in the state.
- New Albin Savings Bank, New Albin, $79,200. This new child care center, located in Lansing, will serve three towns in the Eastern Allamakee Community School District. With more than 100 new child care slots, the project will partner with the school district to utilize a portion of the middle school building. Formed in 2022, the Learning Tree Child Care Center will operate the renovated space.
- Riceville Community School District, Riceville, $1,100,000. The district will renovate and expand the current child care center to maintain current enrollment and increase the capacity to serve the needs of four surrounding communities. Partnering with Little Cats Daycare, the project will add an additional 22 slots to the center’s existing 100 child care slots.
- Reach For Your Potential, Inc., Iowa City – $927,100. The center will provide reliable and affordable child care for low and middle-income families in the area. It will strive to meet the needs of families who work non-traditional, or shift-based, hours. The renovated space will provide up to seven, age-specific classrooms, and an outdoor playground and green space.
- St. Anthony’s Regional Hospital and Nursing Home, Carroll, $1,500,000. With a workforce from six counties and the city’s largest employer, the hospital will construct a new, onsite child care facility to serve up to 107 children and expand the workforce by over 13 new, full-time employees. It will prioritize registration for employees.
“This child care grant is an outstanding example of how strong partnerships between employers and communities lead to innovative ideas to solving local child care issues,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development.
“We hope these awards inspire other employers to seek out new collaborations in their community as well as to think outside the box in developing workable child care solutions for their employees.”
For more information about the awards, visit workforce.iowa.gov/child-care-grants.
