State grant funding will create hundreds of child care spots in Eastern Iowa. Among recipients of the grants are TrueNorth and To the Rescue in Cedar Rapids. The Vinton-Shellsburg schools and West Liberty Foods also will receive funding.
The workforce shortage and child care go hand in hand, and businesses need to get involved, leaders say.
Starting Friday, Iowans will see reduced unemployment benefits. Child care providers will see relaxed regulations and third-party food delivery services will face fines for using a restaurant’s logo or menu without permission.
Measures include pharmacy benefits managers, child care costs
Republicans say the bill will create more child care opportunities; Democrats say it will burden low-income families with higher child care costs
Republicans say the bill will help address a shortage of child care workers; Democrats say it will not help, and could create dangerous scenarios with unsupervised teens monitoring multiple toddlers at day care centers
Also, state lawmakers passed child care staffing ratio changes
Senate Republicans passed legislation that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work unsupervised in child care facilities, and allow child care centers to operate with one worker to every seven 2-year-olds, and one worker to every 10 3-year-olds.
Recently arrived women are becoming state-licensed child care providers through the Catherine McAuley Center in Cedar Rapids.
Fields of Fun child care center opening in southwest Cedar Rapids in former Kids Inc. location, has capacity for 275 children, from infants to seventh-graders.
Rep. Joel Fry described the newly passed bill as part of the House GOP package to increase child care access and affordability, building off bills approved last year.
The Iowa House went two different directions Monday as it extended more local control to cities to deal with public nuisances, but took away local control from public and private schools, day care centers and colleges by prohibiting them from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations.
The Johnson County Empowerment/Early Childhood Iowa Area Board has funds available for programs that provide support to families with children age 0-5, and pregnant individuals. Anyone providing services to Johnson County families is eligible to apply, and a mandatory bidder’s conference is Thursday.
Jeff Cooling is the first candidate to announce in House 77, which includes much of Cedar Rapids from Sixteenth Avenue SW to the Linn-Johnson County line. Rep. Kirsten Running-Marquardt, D-Cedar Rapids, represents that area, but is not seeking re-election to the House.
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