Program helps those in home child care business
Published 7:00 pm Wednesday, October 11, 2017
A new state-approved, 10-month-long mentorship program on Grays Harbor is currently recruiting individuals interested in starting an in-home child care provider business. The mentorship program is designed to help new family child care providers meet licensing requirements, pay startup costs and launch their business.
“This innovative program has the potential to greatly increase the availability of child care in Grays Harbor,” said Dru Garson, CEO of Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. “The recent addition of new businesses and employees to the area over the past few years, coupled with several other factors, has placed us in a severe child care predicament. This mentorship program can present us with a great opportunity to train a significant number of new child care providers within Grays Harbor.”
According to program sponsor, The Imagine Institute, “Imagine U is a new relationship-based mentorship program designed to increase the number of licensed family child care providers who can care for children in Washington State. Imagine U pairs experienced and talented licensed child care providers with those interested in becoming licensed, and offers both the mentor and intern supports to help them grow professionally.”
When asked why she became an Imagine U mentor, Montesano family home child care provider Tracy Dawson replied, “We have a child care problem in Grays Harbor. Child care providers hear stories of parents unable to return to work, foster parents unable to care for foster children, and employers struggling to fill vacancies or make shifts due to lack of child care. We average double-digit waiting lists.”
Dawson continued, “Coaching, on-the-job training, technical assistance, and roughly $9,000 in stipends will help each new provider start their business. This program will go a long way to increase access to high-quality child care in our community.”
Individuals can apply and learn more at imaginewa.org/become-an-intern or contact local mentor-coordinator Tracy Dawson at tracystikes@hotmail.com or 360-249-8058.
