News : Iowa unveils first-of-its-kind-in-the-nation child care availability website

Governor Kim Reynolds unveiled a new, first-of-its kind-in-the-nation, website called Iowa Child Care Connect (childcareconnect.iowa.gov) to help Iowans more easily find child care availability near their homes, where they attend school or near parents and caretakers work places.

"Using Iowa's Child Care Connect, Iowa parents will be able to locate any open child care spots in their neighborhood or along their route to work-- almost in real time," said Governor Reynolds. "This new innovative solution is just one way we are meeting the critical child care needs of working families in our state. Iowa Child Care Connect is a game changer and I am so proud of all the partnership and work that has gone into its creation."

Iowa HHS, in partnership with Iowa State University and Resultant, a data and technology consulting firm, developed the Iowa Child Care Connect website platform with a focus on child care availability mapping for Iowans. This project is one of the recommendations brought by the Governor's Child Care Task Force.

"As a working mom of young children, I understand firsthand and know the challenges of what working parents face in finding available and affordable child care," said Kelly Garcia, director of Iowa HHS. "We are thrilled to provide this new, easy-to-use tool that will meet working Iowa parents right where they are and expand accessibility to open child care slots."

Iowa Child Care Connect was intentionally created with the flexibility to adapt and change for the needs of Iowans, leading to a sustainable, long-term solution. This platform was built using a well-known mapping system that has the capability to calculate trip times in both miles and minutes. Leveraging this technology allows Iowans to identify child care vacancies on their way to work, while also factoring in other potential stops they make along the way.

Parents or other caretakers searching for openings are able to filter vacancies by specific criteria such as type of child care setting, age ranges, hours of operation, rating level and Child Care Assistance availability.

Iowa Child Care Connect can also serve as a valuable and essential tool in emergency situations. First responders will be able to use the child care search information to make sure all children in a specific area are safe and accounted for during an emergency.

In addition to Iowa Child Care Connect, Iowa is leading the nation in launching public dashboards with data showing near-real-time and historical data of child care vacancies, supply, and demand which can be filtered by local, regional or statewide data. Iowa HHS will use the data to understand supply and demand trends and local officials, employers and other entities can utilize the data to help plan for future child care needs in their communities or other planning efforts.