Available Child Care is an urgent need in the Forest City area, as in many other places. We all know someone who has been affected by the struggle of Daycare in the region. Forest City is no exception. To address this issue The City of Forest City and Forest City Economic Development (FCED) have contracted with First Children’s Finance (FCF) to complete a Childcare Market Study.
The study will include research and analysis on the needs of local families and children,
the current supply of regulated childcare, parents’ current and preferred childcare,
effects on employers caused by lack of childcare, and childcare providers’ challenges
operating during COVID. The report will include the key findings of the research and
analysis; the county’s childcare gap; and a recommendation on the number and type of
childcare spots that would be reasonable to meet the needs.
The research being conducted by FCF includes a survey of parents that live or work in
Forest City to learn about their childcare preferences, along with childcare challenges
they may be facing.
The survey for parents can be accessed online from October 24th with the deadline now
extended to November 18th, 2022, at:
(English)-https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ForestCityParent
(Spanish)- https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PadredeForestCity
In addition, local employers and childcare providers will also be contacted to participate
in surveys to provide insight into the current childcare supply and how it is affecting
them.
“With the current shortage of employees in the workforce, daycare demands are bigger
than ever. Not only are there fewer workers applying for open positions, but there
are fewer qualified daycare providers. Therefore, even when there are good candidates
for open positions, they are not able to find daycare.” ~Holly Brink, LNHA Administrator
at Good Samaritan Society Forest City IA.
If you have questions or would like more information about this project, contact Beth
Bilyeu or Shawn Keeper with FCED at [email protected] or 641-585-5560
