Des Moines, Iowa — Governor Reynolds is releasing a report developed by a task force she asked to examine the shortages in child care options for Iowa parents.
The governor says the recommendations are geared toward infrastructure rather than employee pay. Reynolds says the State of Iowa will immediately support a web-based platform that lets child care providers share services, like human resources and group purchasing.
The governor made her comments during a news conference staged in a child care center in Carlisle. The governor’s office has not yet released a copy of the child care task force report. Reynolds also announced today (Wednesday) she is directing another 200 million dollars in federal pandemic relief money to help child care centers around the state shore up budgets, and the money might be used to cover salaries. Reynolds promises other action in the upcoming Iowa legislative session.
The state provides direct assistance to low-income parents to cover child care costs. While the state is administering some programs to encourage child care as a profession, Reynolds says she is reluctant for the state to provide stipends to child care centers that directly cover employee wages.
The child care center in Carlisle Reynolds visited on Wednesday opened during the pandemic and the center’s owner says the government grant she received was a huge help as construction costs were significantly higher than what she had anticipated.
