Secretary of Ag visits Fairfield child care center

FAIRFIELD — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig visited a child care center in Fairfield on Thursday, as part of his 99-county tour. The stop represented a departure from his usual trips to farms, grain elevators and other ag-centric locations.

Naig said the trip to the Cambridge Little Achievers Childcare Center in Fairfield sought to gather info on an increasingly pertinent issue for rural farming communities.

“I can distinctly remember a group of cattlemen, we were standing around a grill at a cattleman’s event … we spent almost the entire time talking about the lack of day care in their community,” Naig said at another event later in the day. “So I thought, ‘I need to go see where a good model is happening.’”

It’s an issue that continues to plague many communities in the Hawkeye state. A report from the Common Sense Institute in November found Iowa was 118,000-242,000 slots short of adequately meeting the demand for child care, despite slow progress combating the shortage since 2018. Cost is also a major obstacle, with researchers saying child care usually required about 113% of the average mother’s income in the state.

Naig said he was eager to look into Fairfield’s facility as a blueprint for others, since it received a sizable state grant.

“It effects farmers and ag businesses, and it’s a workforce challenge,” he said. “I’d heard so much about how this was a model, and a community effort that had been successful, and I just really appreciated the chance to hear about some of how that came together, maybe some advice for others.”

Those at center said they were delighted by the visit as well.

“We truly enjoyed sharing our story and discussing how the Fairfield community came together to create such an amazing opportunity for so many families in rural Southeast Iowa,” said a post on the Cambridge Little Achievers’ Facebook page.

Cambridge Little Achievers opened in January 2023. As of last summer, the child care center boasted an enrollment of 182 children, almost reaching its capacity of 185.

Cambridge Little Achievers serves children from ages 6 weeks to 12 years, who are spread across its 12 rooms. The center employs 47 staff members.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com