Will The Circle Be Unbroken: Introducing the Keokuk County Childcare Network
– Levi Lyle, Keota, Iowa
Do you ever get a song or an idea in your head that just seems to go round and round?
For Seth Milledge, Keota Elementary School Principal, this loop is the desire to establish childcare in the community, where in 2022 he had just arrived. “My wife and I have young children and were looking for childcare options in the community because we wanted to live, work, and access childcare for our kids right here in Keota,” says Milledge.
At the same time, Sigourney resident Gary Iosbaker was seeking answers to the same questions. He and his wife Christie were confronted by a tragedy no one ever imagines, the loss of their daughter. With this loss, Gary and Christie became caretakers for their daughter Megan’s two sons.
Gary Iosbaker has been the Executive Director for Keokuk County Economic Development since 2022. Iosbaker explains, “We are blessed in our personal circumstances to have the resources to help raise our grandchildren, but one of the realizations I came to through dealing with the unexpected things life throws at you is that community childcare is as fundamental to building a resilient community as any core infrastructure (think roads, bridges, water, and utilities). Only caring for children by comparison is more important, it’s not even close.”
In 2022, a concerted effort began to find the answers which both communities were asking. Why are there so few registered daycares in the 580 square miles of Keokuk County?
Kevin Hatfield, Sigourney Schools Superintendent and Lisa Brenneman, Superintendent of Keota Schools have been a key part of helping guide the community conversations around childcare. Brenneman says, “Financial assistance options to help families afford the cost of daycare, making high-quality care more accessible, is fundamental to serving our community. To receive subsidies and grants from the state, there needs to be a standard of care and transparency.” Hatfield adds, “Registered centers are required to follow strict regulatory compliance for safety standards and background checks, as well as, guidelines related to health, sanitation, emergency preparedness, and the physical safety of the premises.”
In 2024, a non-profit was formed and named Keokuk County Childcare Network (KCCN). Iosbaker explains, the number one goal of KCCN is to provide quality childcare as a professional service. We will attract and retain high quality, professional staff. Thirdly, KCCN strives to serve all of Keokuk County.
We are following a model for how this has been successfully implemented in other communities. There are many resources available to support this effort which have helped us design a three-tier plan.
1. Collaborative approach to share a director and other resources between two main sites, located in Sigourney and Keota. This helps meet criteria required for state appropriations (including the minimum number of children).
2. Physical independence of our two locations and support for registered in-home daycare providers both existing and new.
3. High quality services through the many benefits of collaboration including offering higher wages for employees; increased appeal for funding from grants; and greater cost efficiency in licensing, certifications, and trainings.
A major outcome of this three-tier plan is self-sustainable revenue for the business in an 18 to 24 month timeframe from startup.
The two main locations for KCCN are 909 East Jackson Street, Sigourney and 500 N. Ellis Street, Keota Elementary School.
In the coming weeks, more information about the planned August 2024 opening will be made available to the public. The KCCN board made up of residents in our two communities looks forward to helping establish excellent childcare. Communities are like a circle that never breaks; they hold together through time, resilience, and unity, much like the timeless melody of ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken.’