Marathon County committee approves funding to address child care provider shortage

Damakant Jayshi

Marathon County’s Extension, Education and Economic Development Committee on Thursday approved a transfer $200,000 of ARPA funds to pay for a child care training program to address the shortage of qualified professionals in the county.

The service provider will facilitate the foundational training for individuals wishing to become trained early childhood professionals. The committee recommended an amendment in the 2024 budget for the transfer to the Human Resources, Finance and Property Committee.

While the draft of the agreement shared with EEED Committee members names Childcaring, Inc. as the agency with which the county will sign the contract for the program, it appears that the service provider is yet to be finalized.

Marathon County Administrator Lance Leonhard told this newspaper that the service contract contained in the committee packet is meant simply as a draft document for illustrative purposes of what may result should the Board of Supervisors approve the budget amendment for the proposed program.

Leonhard did clarify that this would be a sole source procurement situation, because Childcaring is “the sole entity that exists with the ability to oversee the program.” But, he said, he would need to confirm that with corporation counsel to ensure that the county is complying with its procurement requirements before entering into any service contract.

The draft agreement also refers to the sole source contract provision. Since Childcaring has “demonstrated ability” to provide unique services at a high level of competence, the county “has determined that CHILDCARING is the one source that can supply and provide the services.” It goes on to say that the county has “identified CHILDCARING as the sole source for the services procured by this contract.”

A final decision rests with the county’s Board of Supervisors.

Of the amount paid to the agency, $50,000 will cover the cost of foundational training for 30 individuals under the Child Care Foundational Training Scholarship Program. The rest is an incentive for participating employers.

“We would be targeting potential or new employees of existing group child care centers or new family child care providers,” Childcaring’s Executive Director Kelly Borchardt told this newspaper. “People who wouldn’t have already completed the foundational training.”

The incentive component offers a $5,000 stipend to employers for each person who graduates from the foundational training program. Employers must also guarantee job placement for those who complete the training.

“We want to ensure that each participant is placed within a Marathon County child care program,” Borchardt said, while explaining what job placement guarantee means.

There’s one more condition that must be met: Participants who leave the child care profession within two years of completing the training must reimburse the cost of their initial training to Childcaring, Inc. According to Borchardt, a single course typically costs between $100-$150.

Replying to questions from EEED Committee members on Thursday, Leonhard confirmed the training requirement, even though the money comes through ARPA. That will help ensure the program is sustainable, he said. Any reimbursements can be redeployed to provide similar training to other participants.

The draft does not specify what happens if employers fire participants during the two-year period. “These are details that will need to be negotiated with Marathon County,” the executive director of Childcaring, Inc. said.

Briefing the EEED Committee on Thursday, Leonhard said the draft of the agreement will be fine-tuned in discussion with Childcaring’s Borchardt. Leonhard told Wausau Pilot that that work is “relative to the contract for the oversight of the program that the committee envisioned funding.”

The training has four components totaling 180 hours, including infant and toddler care and family child care.

The service contract with the child care agency will begin from Nov. 1 and last until Dec. 31, 2026.

These dates are important because all funds through the American Rescue Plan Act need to be allocated by the end of 2024 and expended by Dec. 31, 2026. Childcaring, Inc. will have to return any unspent amount to the county, according to the agreement.

According to the agreement document, the goal of the Child Care Foundational Training Scholarship Program is to increase the number of qualified child care professionals in Marathon County so that more additional child care spots will be created. This will enable individuals and families to seek and maintain employment.