New initiative to increase childcare opportunities across JOCO

SHAWNEE, Kan. – A new initiative in Johnson County Is taking on the challenges surrounding childcare. The Women’s Business Center and County are aiming to help providers and parents through the program, in turn helping the community.

The Kansas City Women’s Business Center said the Johnson County Child Care Recovery Initiative has helped create more than a thousand spots across Johnson Co. for kids who need child care.

“I think childcare is everybody’s business,” Dir. Of Client Services Judy Bumpus said.

She said the goal of this initiative is to strengthen small business providers, assist current providers wanting to expand and train others who want to become licensed providers.

“After COVID, the amount of licensed spaces dropped tremendously for children, “Owner of Dandelion and Mud Puddles Child Development Center Carrie Carter said.

“So, parents are having a hard time finding quality care.”

Carter said an expansion grant through the program helped Dandelions and Mud Puddles grow.

She’s one of more than a dozen providers to receive a grant, according to Bumpus. Carter said they added 37 new spots and are now caring for more than 200 kids.

“It kind of makes me cry a little bit, this has been a dream come true for a long time,” Carter said.

“We leased a space for 14 years and so when we were actually able to get this rolling and it happened to fall at a time when the need was high. So, we were able to fill those spots pretty quickly, once our doors opened over here.”

Bumpus knows the challenges providers and parents are facing from affordability to staffing shortages, she said it’s a balance. Bumpus’ team is partnering with a temp agency to help providers, in turn, helping families.

“So, providers in Johnson County can get temporary help through that agency,” Bumpus said.

“And the agency is all certified and everything is in place.”

They also teach three classes over four weeks, covering topics like marketing, business and finance. Since the initiative’s inception in September, she said 120 providers have gone through the classes. Bumpus’ team has put in more than 4,800 hours of individual counseling. They’ve also helped create 1097 new spaces for children who need child care.

“Childcare drives our economy. If we don’t have child care, people don’t work,” Bumpus said.

“I mean, I worked with one woman that just left her job because she needed infant care and she couldn’t get infant care.”

The $3,000 course is free to everyone who lives in Johnson Co. Bumpus said they’re also in the process of translating the curriculum into Spanish.

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