A program to support women-owned daycares is expanding into the Peoria-area.
The Women’s Business Development Center’s Childcare Business Program offers childcare businesses tools and training. It’s available for new and existing businesses.
“Our proven no cost programming helps to strengthen and grow existing childcare businesses to support more families with their childcare needs,” said Blanca Berthier, managing director for Entrepreneurial Services. “Through this expansion of our child care business programs, we're working to end child care deserts across the country and of course, here in Illinois, and remove barriers for Illinois workforce.”
The program is available for daycare centers and home daycares. Training includes how to start a daycare, marketing, operational efficiency and financial management.
Yvonne Villalpando, director of the Childcare Business Program, said the expansion is being funded in part by a $500,000 grant from the federal government.
“These programs also offer network opportunities and growth goals, which provide more opportunities for new and existing Child Care businesses to grow their bottom lines and increase profits,” she said.
The Women’s Business Development Center will operate out of the Distillery Labs in downtown Peoria. Jeffrey Inman, director of Workforce Solutions at the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, said expanding childcare improves the Peoria economy.
“In our region, nearly 70% of kids that are under the age of six don't have a child care slot that they can get available to them,” he said. “And our economy has a lot of health care and a lot of manufacturing jobs, and when you look at second or third shift, that availability goes up to about 100% of kids under six don't have a slot.”
He said that exacerbates the pay gap, as women are three times more likely to leave the workforce to take care of kids than men. Inman said improving access by just 25% could grow the workforce by as much as 5,500.
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said she knows first-hand the difficulties daycare owners face because her daughter owned a daycare for 14 years. She said this program will benefit entrepreneurs by helping them navigate the training and certificates needed to become accredited by the Department of Children and Family Services.
Ali said increasing the number of affordable childcare spots in Peoria is essential.
“There was a policy change that was made at one point that changed the threshold of eligibility for families to be eligible for subsidy in child care, and that change meant that a lot of those previously eligible parents were no longer eligible for the subsidy,” she said. “And so they had to either stay at home or they had to, you know, almost go broke trying to pay for child care. But it impacted the businesses.”
Programs are offered in English and Spanish. Anyone looking to sign up can go to their website.
