Natalie Krebs
/
Iowa Public Radio
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Thursday that offers child care assistance to child care workers regardless of their income, making a pilot program that started in 2023 permanent.
Courtesy of Community Action of Eastern Iowa
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The bill, proposed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and amended by lawmakers, would use $16 million of existing child care funding for new partnerships that provide a full day of care to 4-year-olds in preschool, among several other changes. -
Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed several child care policies during her Condition of the State address Tuesday night. But she is not calling on lawmakers to expand free full-day preschool, as education leaders have asked.
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Gov. Kim Reynolds is awarding new grants for businesses to expand child care access for their employees. Johnson County is also expanding a program that provides additional help for families that receive child care assistance from the state.
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A pilot program that combined public funds with private donations in ten Iowa communities increased child care capacity without raising prices for families, according to a report released Tuesday by the Iowa Women’s Foundation and the Common Sense Institute.
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State officials announced a new website Thursday with the goal of making it easier for Iowans to find child care. -
Sixteen- and 17-year-olds would be allowed to care for infants and toddlers at child care centers without direct supervision under a bill that advanced Tuesday in the Iowa House of Representatives.
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More Iowans could qualify for government-funded help with paying for child care under a bill awaiting the governor’s signature. -
Johnson County and Iowa City are putting American Rescue Plan dollars to work on the child care crisis by paying workers more. -
The child care gap across the country is more than 30%, meaning the need for quality child care far outweighs the supply — and it's worse in rural areas.
