What we have been up to:
The2023 Iowa Child Care Workforce study identified several challenges the workforce faces. To build a more sustainable workforce, a statewide advisory committee developed five key recommendations informed by recent statewide research. These recommendations aim to improve the quality of child care in Iowa and provide better support to child care providers. To learn more, view the newly released Iowa Workforce Study 2023 Recommendation Brief.
The I2D2 team is happy to announce that the Cost to Provide Care Survey collection has begun. The purpose of the survey is to inform partners at Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services and Iowa Child Care Resource and Referrals (CCR&R) about the costs associated with providing quality care to Iowa's young children. Using data from this survey and existing administrative data, the I2D2 team generate estimates of cost to help inform federal requirements. If you are a provider interested in completing the survey please email ecipartners@iastate.edu.
A solution to helping families find child care is underway thanks to Iowa HHS and ECI,CCR&R, and other project stakeholders. A monthly data collection form launched in August and will continue each month to give child care providers the ability to report their current openings. Data on current openings will be used to inform families searching for child care of current availability and also allows state partners to understand the current state of child care supply and demand. Providers across Iowa are invited to learn more about this up and coming system in webinars hosted 1pm Tuesday, October 24th or 6:30pm on Tuesday, October 24th.
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