Adams County CAREs Sees Progress in First Year

QUINCY (WGEM) – Progress is being made in the effort to grow the childcare field in Adams County.

Adams County CAREs (Childcare Advancement and Recruitment Effort) has been running for over a year.

The Community Foundation CEO Catherine Meckes said Adams County CAREs has been working to increase the number of childcare workers by giving out scholarships, sign-on bonuses and offering internships.

Meckes said so far they have given out 32 different scholarships to John Wood Community College students pursuing a degree in early childhood education. They’ve also given out 15 sign-on bonuses to individuals entering the childcare field for the first time and their first intern will begin at Blessing’s Early Learning Center this summer.

By offering these opportunities to individuals, Meckes said she hopes to encourage people to enter the childcare field.

“Childcare is such an important field,” Meckes said. “These caregivers are dedicated, they are important, they are literally growing our next generation and so we just feel it’s vitally important to invest in them and to encourage them and to show that we are here to support them.”

Meckes said only around 50% of perceived childcare needs can be met by licensed capacity in Adams County. In 2018, that number was 64%.

The number of childcare providers in Adams County has decreased and so have the number of available slots for children who need childcare.

Meckes said the goal of Adams County CAREs is to get numbers back to where they were. They hope to bring in more childcare providers and make 250 more slots available for children.

Without good childcare, Meckes said children won’t get the care they need to grow.

“You’re being nurtured, your brain is being engaged, you’re building connections, learning how to interact with other kids and those skills, those developments are going to carry our young people through the rest of their lives and that’s all better for our community,” Meckes said.

Those interested in a scholarship, internship or sign-on bonus can find out more on the Adams County CAREs website.

The Adams County CAREs team is run by a group of local organizations. Those are listed below:

The Community Foundation
Moorman Foundation
Tracy Family Foundation
Great River Economic Development Foundation
Tri-State Development
Blessing Health System
John Wood Community College
West Central Child Care Connection
Adams County, Illinois