Karen Newman
Clay County Commissioners granted a request for approval of $81,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to increase capacity and retention for Family Child Care (FCC) and Child Foster Care (CFC) in Clay County from May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2024. Director of Social Services Rhonda Porter, Supervisor Jessica Mickelson, and Licensor Julie Klier represented the Social Services Department.
Covid-19 negatively impacted Clay County childcare availability due to essential supply shortages, the influx of information provided by DHS and MDH, complex quarantine guidelines, daycares closing, and staffing shortages due to the lack of fingerprint and background check resources. Currently, there are about 135 childcare providers in Clay County. Rhonda Porter added that since 2015, 60 providers have been lost.
Porter explained that the funding request, previously approved by the ARPA committee, targets recruitment, retention, and training. She said that home childcare is a local, state, and national issue with critical needs for infant care and nontraditional hours childcare. She said, “We know this [funding request] does not address all the issues that are out there. These were the items that were low-hanging and right at the top of our list of things that we could achieve pretty quickly.”
Jessica Mickelson explained the ten initiatives covered under the ARPA funding proposal.
1. $10,000 to increase recruitment through digital media campaigns and other outlets, utilizing Off the Wall Advertising and other marketing agencies to promote FCC in Clay County.
2. $5,000 to develop a mentor program which would pay up to five currently licensed providers $500/year to mentor newly licensed childcare providers for up to two years.
3. $15,000 to provide a $250 bonus to current providers who refer a new applicant who obtains licensure and maintains an active FCC or CFC license for one year.
4. $15,500 to reimburse all current FCC providers’ and new applicants’ licensing fees for two years effective May 1, 2022. Newly licensed FCC and CFC providers will receive a fire extinguisher. Current fees are $50 for new applicants and $100 to relicense. Providers will pay the fees to the county and, subsequently, will be reimbursed.
5. $10,000 for up to sixteen hours of paid training for two years to all FCC providers.
6. $6,000 to incentivize providers to hold a class B1 license. A B1 license is a special license for infant and toddler care which allows increased capacity of that age group. Total capacity in these homes is five children, three of which can be infants or toddlers. ARPA funds would pay a provider up to $500 to apply for and maintain a B1 license.
7. $6,000 to improve the orientation process by offering incentives such as food and/or gift cards for attendance.
8. $0 to reinstall the after-hours drop box in the vestibule of the Family Service Center. Providers who are open in the evening cannot get paperwork returned during office hours and are concerned about information being lost or stolen.
9. $7,500 to compensate current providers to hold spots for foster care children in their daycares, specifically children who have been recently removed from their parental homes. The funding requests proposes paying currently licensed childcare providers $10/day to hold spots for foster care children with the intention that they accept them when needed.
10. $6,000 to provide an incentive for FCC providers operating during nontraditional hours.
Commissioner Jenna Kahly shared that a Clay County childcare center operator recently informed her, “I’m at the end of my rope.” Kahly added, “There are some really good things in here and I’m going to support it, but I am also disappointed that there is nothing in here for childcare centers. When we want to efficiently increase capacity, a childcare center can do that much more quickly than a family childcare setting. They are a piece of the puzzle as well and should not be ignored. I understand that they are licensed by the state and family childcare is licensed by the county.”
Kahly continued, “They are business owners. We’ve offered business relief to a variety of businesses, and I feel they should be included as well. Their workers need training. They need fire extinguishers. They could benefit from incentives. I hope that we can look at ways that we can assist [childcare centers] as well, as a part of…the most critical industry.”
Rhonda Porter responded, “You’re absolutely right. Childcare centers are a need as well. We did talk a little bit about childcare centers and, I think, perhaps it might be a little different discussion on how we might be able to support them with different licensing and training requirements and some of the outreach and recruitment that the state does. How would we work with the state on recruitment? I think that is a piece that we can revisit and look at how they may or may not fit into some of the areas that we listed here.”
Commissioner Kevin Campbell added, “We need to be responsible and be able to act on things that are within our ability to license in Clay County. We don’t license centers. That doesn’t mean they are not needed and that we should not support them but that is a different conversation.”