After funding loss, nonprofit group aims to boost early childhood education
Charitable organizations are stepping up to fill a gap in education funding resulting from political wrangling over early-childhood education in Idaho.
To solve the child care crisis, we need understanding. Now is the time to build it.
As one of the most critical services Americans depend on approached collapse during the pandemic, the child care industry finally began getting much-deserved attention. The system in the United States was severely flawed prior to the pandemic, with affordability and access challenges causing women to leave the workforce, fewer professionals entering the field and skyrocketing costs for families.
Can’t find child care in Boise area? Rates are up, centers are closing. What to know
The waiting list for children to enroll at Ten Mile Community Church Day Care in Meridian is too long for Lisa Martello, the director, to count. The day care center has been operating with a shortage of at least three staff members since 2020. The center is also tasked with meeting the growing demand for child care as the population grows. Child care providers throughout the Boise area say there are not enough day care centers to meet the demand.
Early Education Advocates and Partners Gather for Early Learning Day at the Capitol
On Wednesday, February 23, early education organizations from across the state gathered in the Idaho Statehouse for Early Learning Day, an event organized by the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC), to share the work being done to enhance early childhood education within their communities.
Idaho's children and their families deserve real leadership from our legislators
By Beth Oppenheimer | Opinion on Idaho Statesman
Last year, Idaho was the recipient a $6 million annual grant for three years with a focus to improve Idaho’s early childhood education system. This grant was a follow-on to a previously successfully administered grant that allowed local communities to set up their own strategic plans related to early learning. U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch were strong proponents of the grant because it would have directly benefitted Idaho communities.
Treasure Valley parents struggling to secure child care amid daycare staffing shortages
Struggling to find affordable child care? You're not alone.
Finding and securing child care in the Treasure Valley is a lot easier said than done. Many parents are on year-long waitlists, in part, due to staffing shortages.
Read the entire article on KIVI Channel 6.
Federal Aid is Propping Up Child Care. It Isn't a Long Term Fix.
By Sophie Quinton | Updated January 12, 2022 | Stateline Pew Trusts
Photo: Elaine Thompson | Associated Press
Federal COVID-19 relief dollars for child care providers will continue to flow through the states this year, cheered by both Republican and Democratic governors who say parents need affordable child care to get back to work.
But child care providers and advocates warn that the federal money, which expires in 2024, won’t solve the industry’s fundamental, long-term challenge: how to provide quality services and pay workers a competitive wage while keeping prices affordable.
Boise explores changes to childcare worker licensing to relieve worker shortage
By Margaret Carmel - BoiseDev Sr Reporter
Boise is hoping to bring a little relief to the struggling childcare industry.
This fall, the city council gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to a series of three proposals to relieve some of the regulatory hoops childcare workers have jump through to get licensed in city limits. These suggestions were proposed by a childcare task force made up of local business leaders, childcare providers and industry experts convened by Mayor Lauren McLean earlier this year.
The changes include the possibility of a temporary license that would allow childcare workers who have passed local and state background checks to start work while they are waiting on their federal check to clear. The task force also suggested waiving fees for new and renewed licenses and covering the cost of required CPR training for childcare workers.
Lee Pesky Learning Center Receives Funding to Continue Early Childhood Programming
Read the entire article on the Idaho Press.
Lee Pesky Learning Center (LPLC) recently received support in the amount of $600,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to increase high quality childcare through training and coaching early childcare providers using research-based best practices to support whole child development.
Build Back Better Act Could Provide Universal Pre-K to Idaho
Eric Tegethoff, Public News Service