A childcare conversation event was held yesterday (Mon) at King’s Pointe Resort to talk about the shortage of childcare options in Storm Lake.
The event acted as a Storm Lake City Council work session. The City of Storm Lake recently secured a grant for a comprehensive market analysis of the local childcare situation. The study was conducted by First Children’s Finance. Angie Rae Duncan is the organization’s Business Development Manager, and said a couple of things especially stood out regarding childcare in Storm Lake…
Mayor Mike Porsch said the city council recently approved the purchase of over two acres of land for 190 thousand dollars to be used for the possible development of a childcare center…
Porsch said the land purchase will be finalized at the end of this month.
Council member Maggie Martinez sat on the local steering committee, and reminded everyone that this is a process…
Duncan said the next step is getting the local steering committee officially formed.
The are just over 23 hundred children in the Storm Lake area ages zero to 11. First Children’s Finance estimates 1,251 of those come from families that prefer and would likely use regulated childcare. According to Iowa HHS, there are 304 regulated childcare spaces locally, and only 32 are available year-round.
There are two goals from the strategic plan including engaging local employers and other community partners in childcare solutions, and the other goal is to increase the number of regulated childcare spaces available year-round in Storm Lake from 30 spaces to at least 166 by 2029.
