Child Care Business Incentive Grant Program

Expansion

  • Physical Space and Facilities

Iowa

In 2021, through Executive Order 8, Governor Kim Reynolds created the Child Care Task Force in response to the state’s child care shortage; the Child Care Business Incentive Grant Program was created as part of the task force’s work. The grant program helps employers offer or expand on-site child care. In September 2022, $26.6 million was awarded for 23 projects and 1,786 new child care slots; in January 2023, another $443,234 was awarded for 5 projects and 77 new child care slots. Federal American Rescue Plan Act funds are being used for this grant program.

Sources:

State of Iowa. (n.d.). Child Care Grants.
State of Iowa. (2021). Governor’s Child Care Task Force Report.
Office of the Governor of Iowa Kim Reynolds. (2022). Gov. Reynolds announces $25M Child Care Business Incentive Grant Program.

Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:

High-quality, affordable early education and care supports children’s healthy development and allows families to work, engage in their own educational pursuits, and/or participate in other aspects of community life. To support children and families in these instrumental ways, research suggests there is a need to expand the availability of early education opportunities across the mixed-delivery system.

Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:

  • Families rely on a range of formal (e.g., Head Start, center-based care, public pre-K) and more informal (e.g., home-based, relative care) early education settings; when choosing a setting for their child, families balance many logistical constraints and personal preferences.
  • But for many families – and especially low- and middle-income families – early education choices remain tightly constrained due to issues of affordability and supply.
Learn More About ELS@H Findings

Learn more about Iowa

Context matters. Visit the Iowa profile page to learn more about its demographics, political landscape, early education programs, early education workforce, and funding sources and streams.

Learn More About Iowa
  • The state population is 3,200,517
  • The percentage of children under 6 with all available parents in the workforce is 74%
  • The rural percentage is 36.8%