Beginning in 2023, a group of area businesses and organizations came together to address childcare concerns in Harvey County following the closure of the community's largest daycare facility. Through the Early Childhood Initiative, the Harvey County Childcare Task Force, in partnership with United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties, seeks to make strong and sustainable steps towards combating childcare issues in Harvey County.
We will work toward creating deep, meaningful change in the community. This change will serve to grow support for early childhood development and sustain quality care for years to come. The Task Force and United Way will bring together and develop strong relationships with community partners, community investors, local community programs, and local childcare providers.
We understand that we won't fix the childcare crisis in our community with a temporary initiative. Because of this, the initiative will consist of two parts to address the issues now and in the future. Through the Early Childhood Initiative Fund, we plan to increase wages across existing childcare centers in Harvey County. According to our centers, finding and retaining staff is difficult due in part of their ability to pay a living wage. Our hope through this initiative is to increase wages to make childcare a sustainable career path while keeping prices for care affordable for families in need. The alternative is raising prices for care to pay staff more which, in turn, makes care out-of-reach for those in our community seeking childcare. The ramifications of unaffordable childcare in Harvey County are huge; one of which is a decreased workforce due to parents staying home with children. In order to address this, wages must be increased for those to want to choose childcare as their future career and it to be a seen as a viable, living income.
Childcare centers will have the ability to apply for sustainability grants from United Way of Harvey and Marion Counties to be used to bridge the wage gap. The sustainability of this initiative will be addressed by an endowment fund, where money will be put away to draw from in the future.
children in Harvey County currently in need of child care.
total number of children under 6 years old.
brought into the Early Childhood Initiative Fund so far from grant, foundations, business and individuals.