Paths For Child Care Program: Exciting Success of Paths For Child Care Program in Enhancing the Child Care Job Sector
The Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area Board is excited to announce the exciting success of the Paths For Child Care program. This initiative has supported the local child care industry by enhancing recruitment, retention, and overall capacity.
The Paths For Child Care program directly benefited providers by offering substantial financial assistance. It allows child care providers to receive reimbursement for the first six weeks of their new hires' employment and provides leadership upskilling for current staff. Support includes crucial expenses such as on-the-job training, new hire costs for First Aid/CPR training, mandatory background check fingerprinting, and pre-service training. This financial aid has been instrumental in alleviating the financial strain on providers and facilitating the employment of new professionals, providing much-needed relief and support.
Franchise owner Amy Humphrey, from our partner provider, Children’s Lighthouse in Cedar Park, TX, is pleased with the program's results. “The Recruiting for Retention program has been incredibly valuable for our school! It has allowed us to recruit new staff at competitive rates in a time where rising labor expenses have made that increasingly difficult otherwise. The monetary reimbursement we have received has also allowed us to staff at a rate where we can dedicate more time to training our employees, which increases our quality overall. I feel so fortunate to have participated in the program and so grateful for the positive impact on our school,” said Humphrey.
Owner/Director Tristen Boatright of Happy Trails Learning Center in Liberty Hill, TX, is grateful for the program and how this resource helps her early learning center set aside funds for classroom improvements.
"We were absolutely blessed to work with the Wage Reimbursement Program! We have been able to put some money aside and hope to purchase some storage cabinets and other things for our center to help our teachers in their classrooms! The program was such a breeze from the paperwork to fill out to receiving the reimbursed wages. We are thankful for the Workforce and all they do for our center,” said Boatright.
Through the program's concerted efforts, 58 new early-learning professionals were successfully recruited across 29 centers in the Rural Capital Area. Ninety-three early learning professionals have completed a total of 1,395 training hours. The program has also efficiently allocated $174,082 in expenses to support onboarding new staff and leadership upskilling, significantly contributing to the expansion of the childcare job sector.
Workforce Solutions is excited to share the success of the Paths for Child Care program. Its impact on our early learning programs has contributed to the growth of our local workforce, impacted the employers' economic standing, and supported high-quality care and education of Texas children.
TOPICS: Child Care Services
