State of child care in Lincoln County changes for the better

(Davenport, Wash., August 24, 2016.) It has been a year and a half since the Lincoln County Economic Development Council and WSU Extension hosted a forum to address childcare issues. The impetus for the forum was a survey of local companies on the impact that child care has on their business. The results of that survey and the large turnout at the forum confirmed what we’d been hearing – a lack of childcare services in Lincoln County was having a negative effect on our families and our businesses.

Fast forward to summer 2016. Odessa now has a state-licensed, in-home childcare center, Kinder Haus, and Sprague is served by a newly licensed in-home provider, Grandma Inga’s Daycare. Wilbur’s Golden Rule Childcare Center & Preschool is open and growing, providing both child care and jobs. Davenport lost long-time provider Sharon Lucky to retirement, but Sharon’s assistant is now licensed and has opened an in-home center of her own, Daystar Childcare. Sinclair Childcare, another licensed in-home center in Davenport, opened last August and a third new in-home childcare center plans to open in early September. All three of the new centers in Davenport were full before they opened.

Lincoln County school districts are providing additional solutions. Almira School District provides pre-Kindergarten for four year olds and the Odessa School District provides a preschool opportunity three days a week at the elementary school. Both the Creston and Sprague School Districts provide preschool programs for three and four year olds at their elementary schools, and the Harrington School District provides full-day pre-Kindergarten and half-day preschool for ages three and four. Harrington School District anticipates adding for-fee daycare services next fall if a Capital Improvement Bond is passed in February.

The Reardan School District is partnering with the YMCA to offer a new after-school program for children in Kindergarten through third grade, and the Davenport School District is also working on an after-school program. Both Reardan and Davenport School Districts continue to offer Washington’s Early Childhood Education & Assistance Program (ECEAP), a state-funded program for children three and four years of age. Davenport also has the Growing Gorillas Cooperative Preschool offering two- and three-day classes for children three years and up.

The number of childcare options has certainly grown since the forum, and we anticipate they will continue to grow as new in-home providers are granted approval to expand their numbers and schools embrace opportunities to provide pre- and after-school care solutions. All in all, the news is good, but we recognize that services can be tricky to find. If you are a parent, provider, or employer who wants to receive news regarding local child care, send your email address to Margie@LincolnEDC.org. We will add you to our listserv and do our best to keep you informed.

Press release provided by Margie Hall, executive director of the Lincoln County Economic Development Council.