BEATRICE – Having childcare services available is a workforce issue…..locally, in Nebraska and nationwide.
With that in mind…..Gage Area Growth Enterprise, known as NGage, is sponsoring an upcoming event with the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation to connect with childcare providers.


"More people are working, and employers need more workers. If we can't provide adequate childcare capacity to meet family's demands, we can't put people to work...which makes our businesses suffer. It's kind of a cyclical problem. I'm a mom of four kids and it was a struggle for me to find care. I had to drive to a town twenty miles away when we first moved here to find care for my children, to be able to work."


Rachel Kreikemeier is Executive Director of NGage, which is putting on a gallery walk event September 8th, at the Southeast Community College Academic Excellence Center. Childcare providers can meet with experts to discuss issues and concerns….such as training, licensing and capacity.


"We're hoping we can get as many providers in the county out to this event to really voice their opinion. This is their opportunity to be heard by the state, by the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation as well as local leaders."


NGage is making use of a $75,000 Nebraska Children and Families Foundation grant to address childcare issues in Gage County. Kreikemeier says there’s been early interest among childcare providers regarding steps or projects that could improve capacity of childcare services in the area.  "The licensing guidelines and things like that...and how to to make that next step from an in-home one or an in-home two...or a two, to a center. If we could drum up some interest, or even non-licensed members becoming licensed to take on more children...we really want to see what the interest is out there. This gallery walk is an opportunity for the providers to learn directly from the people from the state what that looks like and how to get that accomplished....which could increase not only quality but capacity in the county."


Kreikemeier says NGage hopes to use the $75,000 and leverage it with other private support, and perhaps a future grant…..to improve childcare capacity in the area.  The gallery walk event is September 8th at SCC’s Academic Excellence Center, with a dinner provided by NGage and the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation. The event is from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. It’s also a continuing education opportunity.


"Two CEUs to any childcare provider attending, so like daycare centers, their entire staff could come. We really want to promote that anybody in childcare interested in childcare, even if not licensed....you don't have to be worried. There's no strings attached...we're not trying to get anybody in trouble. We just want to gauge truly who is doing childcare in the county and what we can do to help them get to the next level...help them increase capacity or help get them to become licensed by the state."


The $75,000 in grant funds must be committed by the end of next April.