The Lincoln County Dream Up! Team has been working together to focus on identifying and implementing child care solutions for Lincoln County. As the year winds down, they are excited to share their work and accomplishments as they wrap up the Child Care Supply-Building Grant.
Lincoln County was selected by the Department of Children and Families for the 2022 fall cohort, and the Lincoln County Board through resolution approved acceptance of this grant. Over the last 12 months, agencies throughout Lincoln County have come together to assess Lincoln County child care capacity, the economic impact to the county due to child care shortages, and efforts to support current and aspiring child care providers.
On Nov. 10, the team was able to showcase their efforts to the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Emilie Amundson, who toured Trinity Childcare and heard from the team members about the successes of community collaborative efforts, barriers to building the childcare supply, and future hopes.
Through the support of this grant, Lincoln County Dream Up! was able to:
Provide $41,000 in retention and sustainability grants to current Lincoln County providers. These funds helped obtain quality and safe equipment that providers otherwise couldn’t afford, provided staff bonuses, purchased large motor skills equipment (tricycles) and outdoor playground toys, and met other essential needs.
Partner with Trinity Childcare to support training needs of staff to meet regulations to support obtaining licensure. This will allow greater access to those who receive WI Shares, the state child care assistance.
Support both Tomahawk and Merrill Schools who are working toward providing high school students curriculum where students can receive college credit and training towards Early Childhood Education.
Collaborate with the Chambers of Commerce in Merrill and Tomahawk to provide educational outreach to multiple non-profit organizations and businesses to support increasing childcare capacity. This included sharing information from a locally conducted survey.
Support the Lincoln County Health Department in providing a Community Baby Shower that provided care packages and access to community resources that address childcare, child safety, and healthy development.
Partner with Langlade County Dream Up! Team to develop marketing and support our shared childcare resource agency, Childcaring Inc., which now hosts a landing page for the teams.
Childcaring.org provides information regarding how to become regulated, funding available to support the process of becoming regulated, information for people looking for childcare, and more.
While the grant is wrapping up, the Lincoln County Dream Up! Team will continue to work with the community to support current and aspiring providers. Visit Childcaring.org/dreamup for continued information on the Lincoln County Dream Up efforts.