Labette County sits nestled in Southeastern Kansas and is host to large industries and small towns. With these large industries that bring in a multitude of commuters to the area daily, child care has become an increasingly emergent issue for the county.
Residents of Labette County include Kandy, a coalition leader, Travis and Katrina, the parents of three children who utilize child care in the county, and Kim, a veteran provider with 37 years in the child care career under her belt. All three of these community members agree: The availability of child care is severely lacking in their area, and the gap between families who need child care and the availability of the few providers in Labette County must be bridged quickly.
Community Voices: The Struggles of Parents and Providers
For parents like Travis and Katrina, the lack of easily available child care often leaves both parents and providers “feeling trapped” by their circumstances. They have had the unfortunate experience of “feeling distraught” by the small availability of infant slots, particularly. Kim, who has a long waitlist for her services, shared that she often feels “disconnected” as a provider, and that there are a great number of needs that simply aren’t being met for her and other providers she knows. This discouragement on the ends of both parents and providers is detrimental to the overall wellbeing of their community.
Potential solutions run abundantly, however. Kandy, Travis, Katrina, and Kim all had suggestions for how their county might better address the needs of both parents and providers, helping to bridge the gap between the two. Travis and Katrina shared that, while they have used Child Care Aware of Kansas’ online resources, it would be helpful for parents to have a wider array of resources, so that they can make more informed decisions with the support of multiple sources of knowledge.
Expanding Infant and Toddler Slots with Additional Staffing and Training
Kandy expressed that an increase in infant and toddler slots would be helpful, and to achieve that, there must be additional staffing of existing child care facilities, as well as high-quality training of providers. Kim agreed, explaining that more support and training is an absolute necessity, as well as a simplified subsidy process for parents, wage bonuses and health insurance for providers, grants, continuing COVID support, and mental health support.
Clearly, there are a great number of needs, but Labette County has community members who truly care about their plot in the Kansas garden, and want to tend to it accordingly.
Conclusion: Strengthening Labette County Through Child Care Initiatives
The plans for Labette County are not simply dreams. Kandy shared that there will soon be a new infant nursery in her child care center, and that they plan to expand their services so that more infants, toddlers, and their families will have consistent access to safe, high-quality child care. Kim confirmed this desire to provide excellent, readily available care, saying, “We’re supposed to take care of each other.”
The care that providers like Kim give to children like those of Travis and Katrina extends beyond little ones, however. This care strengthens parents, their employers, and ultimately, the economic and social wellbeing of Labette County as a whole.
