Officials with The Sam’s Club Giving Program say they’ve awarded a $500,000 grant to First Children’s Finance to provide finance and management assistance to child care businesses in Iowa and Minnesota. In Western Iowa the new Guided Growth project will focus on child care growth and quality by offering community facilitation, child care provider training, and comprehensive business assistance to help child care providers grow and improve their business quality, viability and sustainability, which leads to high-quality child care and education for all young children and families.

The program launches this month with a series of kick off events. The purpose of the events is to get local child care providers, community members and business leaders together to inform them of the opportunity.

The kick off events hosted by First Children’s Finance, Sam’s Giving Program, and Child Care Resource & Referral will be held:
• Tuesday August 19 in Clarinda
• Wednesday August 20 in Council Bluffs and Harlan
• Wednesday August 27 in Sioux City
• Thursday August 28 in Spencer and Fort Dodge

For more information on the Guided Growth project and specific times and locations for the kick off events, visit www.firstchildrensfinance.org/guidedgrowth or contact Angie Rae Duncan with First Children’s Finance at 515-229-5064.