–A local non-profit group aimed at expanding childcare access across Kossuth County is receiving state funding. The Algona Growth Alliance is the non-profit arm of the Algona Area Economic Development Corporation, and they are receiving funding through the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Empower Rural Iowa program. AMU General Manager John Bilsten is part of the group overseeing the Algona Growth Alliance, and he says they submitted a grant application this spring.
The study will be conducted First Children’s Finance, a national organization that partners with communities and childcare entrepreneurs to grow local supply and help systems create the conditions childcare businesses need to succeed. Bilsten says it will focus on a handful of issues.
With the grant funding secured, Bilsten says the study will be conducted soon.
The $20,000 grant is one of 15 handed out through the Empower Rural Iowa program, totaling $385,000, that will expand housing, strengthen childcare, and encourage community growth.
