LEE COUNTY - A six-month study looking at the challenges facing child care services in Lee County found 10 key findings, none of which seem to be surprising to child advocacy officials.
The survey was part of a First Children's Finance survey conducted in conjunction with Children First of Lee County, Lee County Child Abuse Prevention Council and with 50% of the funds provided by the Empower Rural Iowa Initiative created under Gov. Kim Reynolds' leadership.
Lee County received $10,000 as part of a Rural Child Care Market Study grant program. The funds were coupled with a $5,000 match from both Children First of Lee County and Lee County Child Abuse Prevention Council.
The survey results were pulled from 209 full surveys completed by parents with children, 15 employers and nine child care providers - six home based and three centers. Twelve future parents also completed surveys.
Angie Duncan, with First Children's Finance, said many other surveys were completed, but a good portion of them were not fully completed and were not included in the 10 key findings she spelled out at two different public sessions Wednesday in Donnellson.
"What we're going to look at is sort of the supply and demand of child care of Lee County, and then the next step is the solutions," Duncan said.
Now that we know the problem and have a picture - how do we go about solving that."
The first key finding was that 77% of the families in Lee County with children ages 0-5, have both parents in the workforce. That number increases to 80% for families with children 6-17.
The second finding was that the most preferred form of child care in the county is a regulated setting. 55% of parents prefer a licensed center, while the next most preferred was a Dept. of Human Services Registered Development Home with 15% of parents wanting that setting.
The survey also showed that less than half of parents are using the method of child care they preferred. Only 40% indicated their children are currently in a preferred child care setting. In that grouping the most common reason they gave was that providers weren't accepting enrollments.
Parents are also finding it difficult to locate child care. 77% of parents with children 0-5 and 64% of parents with children ages 5-12 looking for care in the past 12 months found it somewhat difficult or very difficult to find child care.
The other remaining key findings were that median family incomes were higher than assistance threshholds for assistance; parents indicated the child care is effecting their employment performance with 64% missing a day of work due to lack of child care and 58% having to leave work early.
Employers indicated child care is affecting productivity and attendance, and five employers who completed the survey were willing to appoint someone to sit on a child care board of directors at a child care program.
With regard to providers, seven said they would be wiling to expand, but staffing, funding and location were all issue preventing the expansions.
Ginger Knisely, Lee County's Children's First Director said she's looking forward to the strategy sessions that are also part of the market study that focus on actionable items moving forward.
Those session are open to anyone willing to participate in all five sessions taking place from 5 to 8 p.m.: Sept. 13, Sept. 27, Oct. 11, Oct. 25, and Nov. 8 at the Lee County Economic Development Center in Montrose. Food will be provided.
"I am excited to have new people joining in the conversation around child care and early childhood in general. I am hopeful that the facilitiated strategic planning session to come over the next two months will lead to some concrete strategies we can use as a community to improve the overall child care situation in Lee County."
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