Mt. Pleasant, HHCC officials address childcare needs, set community meeting

BY BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

It?s a conversation a long time in the making, but Mt. Pleasant is finally having an open discussion to assess the need for professional community childcare within city limits.

With a list of panelists and a time for open discussion, Healthy Henry County Communities (HHCC), Community Partnerships for Protecting Children and the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance will host a community conversation about childcare needs in Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 5:30 p.m., in the Mt. Pleasant Middle School library.

?What we are really hoping for is to get some real solutions out of this, and just get the conversation going,? said HHCC coordinator, Kelly Carr. Carr announced the upcoming meeting to the HHCC board on Feb. 2, during the board?s regular meeting.

Panelists for the open conversation will consist of representatives from the Iowa Department of Human Services, Child Care Resource and Referral, and the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance.

According to HHCC?s Directory of Community Services, there are only two community childcare centers in Henry County, including Early Head Start/Head Start, in Mt. Pleasant, and the New London Community Child Care Center. Within the City of Mt. Pleasant, there are also a number of day cares and preschools associated with local churches and religious organizations.

?Come prepared to talk about childcare needs in the community. Anyone that is interested in possibly opening a center or being a provider is welcome to come as well,? Carr said.

In addition, current and/or former child care providers, as well as employers who have struggled to retain and gain employees due to lack of child care in the area are encouraged to attend.

Besides discussion of childcare needs, the board also took time to review a few financial matters. Since the board?s last meeting, the board received several thousand dollars of grant money including a $2,500 grant from the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation to use for healthy eating and living initiatives; $200 from the Pennebaker Foundation; and $1,000 from the William M. and Donna J. Hoaglin Foundation. In addition, the board reported that roughly $1,000 was raised from a January fundraiser campaign.

In other news, the HHCC board heard wellness program reports from the communities of Winfield, Wayland and New London. In the cities of Winfield and Wayland, mobile grocery programs were a subject of conversation. Recently, the city of Winfield has implemented a mobile grocery program on Thursdays with the support of Mt. Pleasant?s Hy-Vee.

According to city officials, the mobile grocery program has been a success with roughly 6 to 10 orders placed per week. And with the success of Winfield?s program, the City of Wayland is looking into the possibility of starting its own program.

Within the City of New London, community building is being placed as a top priority with more outdoor summer programs in the works for New London residents. According to reports, activities such as outdoor movie nights and community-wide park activities are being coordinated for the summer months.

Before wrapping up the business portion of the meeting, Carr also announced that the executive committee has accepted Sara Titus? resignation from the board. Titus requested to resign from the board due to scheduling conflicts.

The next HHCC meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 1, at 1 p.m., at Henry County Health Center?s Health Education Center.