GREAT UPDATE! š§š
It’s been just over a year since we visited with Kassidy Gardnerāa young Jackson County woman just starting her own childcare center in the rural area she grew up in.
Kassidy cares for 11 kids at Evergreen Learning Academy in Northfield and is looking to hire another teacher in the new year in order to enroll more children. The organization that helped her get startedāthe Jackson County Childcare Networkāis a group of business leaders who recognized that they have a role to play in supporting their employees who have childcare needs.
Just before the pandemic, a random chat in the lobby of a Jackson County credit union led two managersāone the CEO of that credit union, and the other the general manager of a local electric utilityāto the shared realization that their employees were struggling with childcare.
They started gathering with other business leaders to discuss the problem further, and to put ideas into action. The result was a non-profit, business-led task force called the Jackson County Child Care Network (JCCCN). Today, it includes people from all walks of life, all kinds of organizations, and from across the entire county.
JCCCN is recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families as a successful example of businesses helping to find solutions in one of the stateās childcare deserts.
This year, the group was focused on finding existing space and converting them to places that childcare providers can use.
āļø/š„ Salina Heller
