Articles Tagged: child care

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.

Iowa, Colorado and New Jersey only recently opened their portals for pandemic aid, while some states that already accepted applications still haven't distributed funds.

To Alex Glenn, the director of human resources for Generation Next child development centers and preschools in Ventral Iowa, the best way to address what stakeholders have called a child care “crisis” is both simple and expensive. “I know this answer’s not going to appease a lot of people, but it’s money,” Glenn said.

A proposal increases the number of two-year-olds one care center staff member can watch.

The agreement with Champions will provide extended learning opportunities for Cedar Rapids students and families and will include before and after school programming, summer programming and wraparound services for preschool students.

Approaching her 28th and final year in the Iowa House, Mary Mascher promises to “continue to be as passionate about those issues that are important to me ... as I’ve been in the past.”

Staffing shortages and high costs are challenging parents and child care providers alike.