For more than just the children: Allamakee County Child Care Solutions Fund working to address child care concerns in local area
by Lissa Blake
Most parents place their highest priority on finding someone they trust to care for their children while they work.
But in Iowa, statistics show that child care providers are one of the lowest-paid professions in the state, making it difficult to not only find the quality of child care desired by parents, but in many cases even the quantity of child care needed.
“We need to move the needle on this,” said Val Reinke, executive director, Allamakee County Economic Development, in regard to the availability, accessibility and affordability of child care.
Reinke explained that state and local initiatives, such as the Wage Enhancement Program (WEP), are really helping to attract and maintain qualified child care workers in the county, but much more needs to be done. She said in retaining Allamakee County families, access to child care is a “huge piece of the puzzle.”
The further impact of that lack of child care trickles down even further into the local economy, according to additional statistics. Data compiled by Iowa Child Care Resource and Referral claims that 63% of parents nationwide say that child care costs influence their careers. The Iowa Association of Business and Industry further notes that absences and employee turnover due to child care issues cost Iowa employers $781 million per year.
Recent efforts, including the formation of the Allamakee County Child Care Solutions Fund, are helping to address the issue of providing a living wage to child care providers. The fund supports long-term child care solutions, such as more livable wages for child care providers, financial support for building resilience in local child care businesses and implementation of child care projects as they are prioritized by local communities.
In the fall of 2023, using a combination of local donations and State of Iowa funds, the child care WEP was created within the Allamakee County Child Care Solutions Fund to attract and retain qualified child care workers. In its first year, the fund dispersed wage enhancement to 69 staff and bonuses to 13 in-home care providers in Allamakee.
LOCAL IMPACT
Kristy Turner, director of Postville Child Care Services, Inc., said, “Access to quality, early childcare is not just a family issue - it’s a critical factor for the economic health and vitality of our communities. The statistics speak for themselves.”
In a 2023 survey conducted by Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC), the average wage of child care employees was $12 per hour, 40 percent less than the medium employment range in the county. The survey also found that 71 percent of households with children under the age of six had all parents working outside the home.
In addition, Allamakee County is currently classified as a “childcare desert,” with a shortfall of over 1,700 childcare spaces for children from birth to the age of 12.
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