(Part 3 of a three-part series.)
Addressing the early childhood education challenges facing families and providers in the Wood River Valley requires money.
The United States is a major outlier among wealthier nations, spending on average $500 per year per toddler, while other rich nations spend an average of $14,000 per year, according to a 2021 study by The Hamilton Project at The Brookings Institution, a nonprofit think tank.
(Part 2 of a three-part series.)
The need for affordable and high-quality early childhood education options in the Wood River Valley isn’t critical just for working parents or rapidly-developing young brains; it is a requisite for the entire community’s economic and societal health, according to local and national experts.
From a developmental perspective, a mountain of research shows that having fundamental language and social emotional skills before entering kindergarten can set the trajectory for the rest of a child’s life.
(Part 1 of a three-part series.)
When the Hailey house that the Sweet Clover School called home for eight years was listed for sale last winter, director Stormi Kilcher immediately began looking for a new space but found viable options few and far between.
To date, she still has not found any attainable spaces, and all the families whose children attended Sweet Clover were forced to make other arrangements for the care and education of their pre-school-aged kids.
In case you haven’t heard, the state of child care in Idaho is in a precarious state. If you’re a working parent of a young child, there’s a good chance you’ve struggled to find affordable, reliable child care. If you’re a child care provider, it’s likely you struggle to hire and retain the staff to operate at a capacity that keeps your business solvent. We simply don’t have enough child care openings to accommodate every family who needs care. This affects workforce participation — placing financial strain on working parents — and limiting the pool of candidates.
In case you haven’t heard, the state of child care in Idaho is in a precarious state. If you’re a working parent of a young child, there’s a good chance you’ve struggled to find affordable, reliable child care. If you’re a child care provider, it’s likely you struggle to hire and retain the staff to operate at a capacity that keeps your business solvent. We simply don’t have enough child care openings to accommodate every family who needs care.
Kindergarten and first-grade scores in 2022 showed significant improvement from 2019. However, Idaho's scores in second and third grade dropped from three years ago.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
The Wood River Women’s Foundation has taken the next step with its early learning initiative with the appointment of Kathryn Ivers as the project director of the Wood River Early Learning Collaborative.
One of Ivers’ first tasks was to form an Advisory Council to steer the creation of an early education community for all young children in Blaine County, especially those from underserved families.
The City of Boise is partnering with three different nonprofits to distribute federal COVID-19 relief funds to community members in need.
NAMPA, Idaho — Working parents face an array of challenges in order to meet both the demands of their employer and their children -- but what if more workplaces offered on-site child care? Some industry experts say that could be a solution toward keeping working parents satisfied - and employed - long-term.
BOISE, Idaho — Childcare is one of the biggest expenses for parents – a necessity that costs many families more and more every year.
Marina Ebrahimpour is a mom of three. Not only are Ebrahimpour and her husband trying to find affordable childcare, they are also trying to find quality childcare.
