Local organizations to spotlight childcare accessibility

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WILMINGTON — Members of the Clinton County Workforce Collaborative and Clinton County Community Action gathered earlier this month to address the major challenges of the workforce in Clinton County regarding childcare.

In the summer of 2021, the Workforce Collaborative developed the Barriers to Work working group in order to explore solutions to challenges faced by Clinton County workers regarding transportation, housing, childcare, and broadband access. Since then, the working group has narrowed its focus to individual projects, and this spring convened a Childcare Roundtable to bring together childcare providers, training and education providers, and employers to think creatively about ways to address the critical shortage of quality, affordable childcare for the Clinton County workforce.

Through this collaboration, the Childcare Roundtable members discussed the importance of easily accessible information about what childcare services are available in Clinton County, according to a news release. As a result, the group will be launching a public awareness campaign, beginning with a brochure to highlight the agencies that offer childcare services. The campaign will kick off with the distribution of the brochure to participants of the Clinton County Job & Community Resource Fair held at the Expo Center at the Clinton County Fairgrounds in Wilmington on May 3 from 4 to 7 p.m.

“I love working with the Workforce Collaborative group for our county,” said Teresa Borden, director of education services at Clinton County Community Action. “Working together to promote childcare and workforce availability for families and individuals in our area goes hand in hand. This group is passionate about improving and promoting available opportunities and resources for our citizens to promote individual, family, and county personal and economic stability.”

In addition to the printed brochure, the public awareness campaign will also ensure that information about childcare options in Clinton County is easily accessible online through a variety of platforms. As a project of the Barriers to Work working group, the campaign would not be possible without stewardship from the Clinton County Workforce Collaborative Steering Committee, the knowledgeable advice from Clinton County Community Action, and the commitment from all members of the Workforce Collaborative, according to a news release.

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