Governor to hold virtual child care task force Thursday

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced two virtual town hall meetings to support and inform the Child Care Task Force.

On March 10, Governor Reynolds signed Executive Order 8 launching a new Child Care Task Force to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the child care shortage and barriers to child care in Iowa. Fairfield Economic Development Association Executive Director Joshua Laraby was among those selected to the task force.

As part of this effort, the task force wants to hear directly from parents and child care providers.

“No comprehensive strategy to address child care would be complete without direct input from parents and child care providers,” said Gov. Reynolds. “These Virtual Town Hall meetings will ensure the Task Force receives valuable insight into the current state of child care in Iowa and ways to improve it from those who know it best.”

The first virtual town hall meeting will be held on May 6 from 6–8 p.m. for parents with children in child care.

The second virtual town hall meeting will be held on June 1 from 6–8 p.m. for child care providers.

If you are interested in participating, send an email to Ryan.Capps@governor.iowa.gov with your name, affiliation (if any), and which town hall you are requesting to participate in. On the day of your respective town hall, you will receive a link to the meeting and sign in information. Speaking slots are limited, and dependent on the number of requests, presenters will be limited to three to five minutes in order to accommodate as many presenters as possible.

For more information about the Child Care Task Force, visit: https://www.futurereadyiowa.gov/childcare-taskforce