(Des Moines, Iowa) — A press release Tuesday, from the office of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, said the Governor reaffirmed her commitment to strengthening Iowa’s child care system by launching a new Statewide Solutions Fund, extending the successful Child Care Assistance pilot program that supports child care workers, and introducing a Continuum of Care grant to encourage preschool and child care partnerships to provide a full day of care for 4-year-olds.  Reynolds said “When individuals, businesses, and government all work together to solve a problem, Iowans benefit. Nowhere is this more evident than in child care. Programs like the Child Care Assistance pilot and the Statewide Solutions Fund will continue to increase our childcare workforce and capacity. And, the Early Childhood Continuum of Care grant will help give working parents what they need—a full day continuum of care for their children.”

To address gaps in full-day care, Iowa HHS is releasing a Request for Proposal for the Early Childhood Continuum of Care grant. Grants of up to $300,000 over three years will support partnerships between Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP) sites and licensed child care centers to offer seamless, full-day care for 4-year-olds.  Iowa Department of Education Director Director McKenzie Snow said “This first-of-its-kind grant opportunity supports partnerships between high-quality preschool and child care programs, providing a full day of care that meets the needs of children and working families. We know that about 90 percent of a child’s brain develops by age 5, and Iowa’s new Continuum of Care grant will expand family access to high-quality early childhood options that lay the foundation for learner success in school and beyond.”

Additional funding will help support a strong early child care talent pipeline, further supporting working families with young children. Iowa HHS Director Kelly Garcia said “These investments in early childhood initiatives are critical to support working parents and prepare young kids for school. Additionally, each day we entrust our child care workforce and provider partners with caring for our children – these programs demonstrate our commitment to recognizing and honoring their very important role.”

More information on this grant is available here.