LaunchPad Releases Strategy For Expanding High-Quality Childcare Services
WINONA LAKE — The demand for more affordable childcare is moving beyond the idea of finding enough good babysitters.
In a Wednesday, Nov. 13 gathering that celebrated the one-year anniversary of LaunchPad, a coalition that was assembled by the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce to improve childcare services in Kosciusko County, attendees heard a series of proposals to be implemented over the next five years.
But words like childcare and babysitters were barely uttered in the hour-long gathering.
“We’re trying to move away from calling it childcare because I think there is a stigma that childcare is just a kid sitting there and nothing’s really happening,” said Amanda Lopez, who runs Transform Consulting Group and provided a series of proposals for Launchpad. “If you were to go and visit these high-quality centers, you would see there is a curriculum and there’s a planned schedule.”
In fact, LaunchPad seeks to strengthen the climate of early learning in Kosciusko County by focusing on the realization that children, from birth to age five, are in a key time period for brain development.
LaunchPad unveiled five strategies to meet its goals during a luncheon Wednesday at the Russell Center at CE National in Winona Lake. Those include:
- Improve family and community education
- increase accessibility to childcare by building capacity
- increase affordability for families
- grow early learning workforce and improve retention
- advocate for policy change
In terms of increasing accessibility, the group will seek to build a network of cohesive programs, increase the number of high-quality programs and expand choices available to families.
As for affordability, LaunchPad will seek to establish childcare and early learning tuition scholarship programs for families and will explore the feasibility of establishing an innovative funding model.
To increase the number of people working in the industry, the group would like to develop partnerships with high school career centers and Ivy Tech. Also being considered is a scholarship program for early learning professionals and a financial stipend for new hires.
Another goal is to advocate for policy change.
Rob Parker, executive director of the Chamber, thanked the coalition for their work. He also said he and others are endeavoring to make childcare concerns a core issue with regional planning groups.
The need for improved childcare is a national issue, especially in rural areas where there are no availble services.
The largest segment of childcare services in the county was described as “off the grid,” meaning the use of babysitters and services that are not licensed.
“There are children today that you would be horrified if you saw where they are spending their day. They are cold. They’re not getting enough food, and they’re not getting enough stimulation,” said Darren Bickel, president of United Way of Kosciusko County.
“We’ve got to do better and we’ve got to do better now. Childcare is so intricate in the business community,” he said.
According to a press release from the chamber, businesses and organizations that have financially supported the first year of operations were recognized. Those include Bowen Center, Dekko Foundation, Depuy Synthes, Chamber of Commerce, Kosciusko Community Foundation, Lake City Bank, Maple Leaf Farms, Mutual Bank, Parkview Health, YMCA, PNC Bank, Silveus Insurance Group, United Way, and Zimmer Biomet.
Individuals supporting LaunchPad include: Cindy Barnett (DePuy Synthes), Darren Bickel (United Way), Jenny Buehler (Head Start), Lesa Cassell (Bright Point), Kearstin Criswell (Grace College), Kevin Deardorff (Lake City Bank), Allyn Decker (Ivy Tech), Shannon Gage (Early Childhood Alliance), Jefferson Hankins (PNC Bank), Alice Hitchcock (Lake City Bank), Cynthia Kumfer (Ivy Tech), Tara Kumichel (Ivy Tech), Beth Lovelady (Growing Kids), Matt Moyer (PNC Bank), Stephanie Overbey (Kosciusko Community Foundation), Rob Parker (Chamber of Commerce), Jeri Purdy (Silveus Insurance Group), Emily Romine (Zimmer Biomet), Kaci Scheve (MutualBank), Kimberly Schroeder (Dekko Foundation), Cheryl Shepherd (Bowen Center), Andrea Sullivan (Parkview Health), Jim Swanson (YMCA), and Staci Young (City of Warsaw).