
City:
Carthage
Status:
Active
Category:
Vibrant Place
Contact:
Torie Soriano
email:
Child Care
We need help with:
- We are looking for individuals who have expertise in providing childcare services. We can use your insights to guide our community strategy.
- Are you aware of child care-related grants that the community can pursue? Contact us!
- We need help promoting the Spanish survey.

WHY IS THE PROJECT IMPORTANT
The lack of access to childcare can prevent families, especially women, from achieving their personal economic potential. It also constrains the supply of workers that are critical for the growth of the local economy. The GRO Carthage team is investigating opportunities on how more childcare support options can be established in the community.
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OVERALL PROJECT GOAL
- Gather data to help the foundations and the community make better decisions regarding developing accessible and affordable child care. (Dudley grant is due in November 2022)
- Use gathered data to make a plan. Find ways to support childcare facilities currently operating and/or discuss the option of creating a new facility.
- Gather survey responses from approximately 500 households who can share their local childcare needs.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO- DATE
- The team compiled a list of local businesses and child care centers to see how many were open and how many children attended.
- The team has begun conducting surveys to gather data that will be used to create a viable and targeted plan.
- With this childcare survey, we will apply for grant money to support the expansion of child care in Carthage.
- The team is having ongoing discussions with Children’s Haven, the Department of Social Services, The Alliance of Southwest Missouri, and local daycare facility owners.
- The team met with members at Grace Church and are finding ways to connect their efforts for the expansion of childcare in Carthage.
- 181 surveys have been collected thus far. The goal is to collect 500 surveys.
- The Diversity and Inclusion team will be putting together a Spanish version of the childcare survey for the Hispanic community in Carthage.
- Team evaluating ways to promote the survey via the Sheriff office.
- The GRO Team has collected over 200 surveys!
- GRO Leader Torie Soriano attended a very well-received meeting with Fairview Christian Church with this data to discuss the next steps. She also reached out to other churches in the community that has attempted childcare facilities.
- After this, the team came together with more knowledge and potential funding for better supporting child care in Carthage. Two speakers came to discuss efforts for childcare with the GRO Team. Casey Hanson, Director of Outreach and Engagement with Kids Win Missouri, and Heather Star, a Childcare provider in Carthage.
- After listening to Casey Hansen and Heather Star, the team discussed the next steps. The next step for the team regarding childcare will be to gather all childcare providers within Carthage to ask them about the cost of their operations. This meeting will be at the start of November.
- The team will now also focus on childcare as a business and consider how we might approach this.
- The team hopes we can speak to Munna Agarwal at the next meeting about our suggested plan.
- We would like to invite local childcare owners and entrepreneurs to work on a 4-6 month program where we guide them on how to improve/expand/start their daycare center.
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GOALS FOR 2021

MAJOR WINS TO- DATE

NEXT 4 WEEKS PLAN

People Working On The Project
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