Jones County Economic Development recently undertook a countywide childcare study with help from the consultants at Levi Architecture.  The goal of the study was to see about the current needs of childcare in the community, especially in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to get some suggestions and solutions on how to address the challenges moving forward.

Two surveys were produced and distributed with the help of an advisory group.  This advisory group consisted of local childcare providers: A center, a registered in-home, and a non-registered in-home; representatives from the Childcare Resource & Referral team, Early Childhood Iowa, and Jones County Economic Development.  These surveys were distributed to local families with the help of the local school districts and to employers.  

Once the data was collected, the consultants reached out to the businesses and the childcare providers in the region to get more information and qualitative data to add to the quantitative already collected.  Public meetings were held to discuss the issue and hear feedback from the communities as a whole.  This information was put into the final report along with state data for Jones County.  

The attached report shows all of the data collected with analyses and a few suggestions on how to move forward.  The report has been shared with local stakeholders, including local governments, school districts, and organizations.  The goal is to get the information spread as widely as possible for more community input and to find more partners to help alleviate the issues we face in childcare in Jones County.

Our team is here to help in any way that we can.  From understanding more about business impacts to helping find childcare employees during this time to working with families to find childcare options, Jones County Economic Development is your partner during these times!

Reach out to Derek Lumsden, Executive Director, at 319-480-7446 or director@jonescountydevelopment.com