–A new fund is being established through the Kossuth County Community Foundation in an effort to provide more childcare opportunities for area families. Tod Faris is the Director of the Kossuth/Palo Alto Economic Development Corporation and is part of the newly formed Kossuth Childcare Coalition. Faris tells KLGA News the first thing the group did was reach out to childcare centers across the county.
The coalition also met with area businesses to see what barriers they are facing as they attempt to bring in new workers.
Many area daycare providers could add more staff and increase capacity if they could afford to raise wages for their employees.
Kossuth Childcare Coalition is partnering with the Donald Tietz Charitable Foundation to establish the Kossuth Childcare Solutions Fund, as the Tietz Foundation has pledged a $50,000 match to get the project up and running.
Statistics from the state’s Childcare Connect website show there are 614 children aged 0-5 in Kossuth County and a total of 259 daycare spots available.
Faris says the group looked at a pilot program in Hamilton County, where funds were raised to help daycare providers increase wages paid to their workers and hire additional staff.
Gifts for this newly established fund can be directed through Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa in partnership with the Kossuth County Community Foundation and can be made online at www.cfneia.org/donations/kossuth-childcare-fund. For more information, you can contact Faris by calling 515-295-7979 or go to www.kossuthccf.org.
