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House GOP proposes $3 million for child care grants
House Republicans are proposing to more than double the amount of state money for so-called “challenge” grants to build or renovate space for child care centers. The grants have been available to businesses, non-profits and organizations that are retrofitting or building new child care facilities.
“I think that’s a really terrific investment and we’re seeing that in communities all across the state, the benefits of that,” says Representative Phil Thompson of Jefferson, a Republican.
House Republicans propose $3 million worth of these grants for the next state budgeting year. Representative Tracey Ehlert, a Democrat, is an early childhood instructor who has operated a child care center in Cedar Rapids. Ehlert said it’s exciting to have state grants for child care infrastructure, “but we’re still not doing anything to help our existing child cares that are already here and are strug
Child care task force launched; $13M in grants awarded to create more slots
BY BUSINESS RECORD STAFF Thursday, March 11, 2021 11:09 AM Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday signed Executive Order 8, launching a new child care task force to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the child care shortage in Iowa. The governor also announced awardees of two child care grant programs totaling more than $13 million, which she said will contribute to the creation of more than 4,000 new child care slots across Iowa.
“When we remove the obstacles to high-quality, affordable child care, our families can nurture their kids while maintaining maximum freedom to enter and remain in the workforce,” Reynolds said in a news release. “Today’s announcement will further our efforts to provide high-quality, affordable access to child care in every corner of the state.”
Two webinars are scheduled for this week to aid in understanding the application process for Future Ready Iowa’s Employer Innovation Fund and Child Care Challenge Fund. The first webinar, for the Employer Innovation Fund, will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at noon. The fund encourages employers, community leaders and others to develop their workforce through credit and non-credit education and training opportunities. The second, for the Child Care Challenge Fund, will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 27, also beginning at noon. This fund supports businesses, nonprofits and consortiums working on regional and community projects to establish local child care facilities and increase the availability of quality, affordable child care for working Iowans. Registration is required for both webinars and a link to do so can be found below. The application deadline for both funding opportunities is Feb. 12, 2021 through www.IowaGrants.gov.