Daycare

The availability of quality daycare facilities directly relates to the ability to attract and retain works and families.

Daycare is a building block for sustainable economic development that many communities struggle with in northwest Iowa. Fortunately, in Lyon County, residents and the business community realize the importance of daycare to a healthy and growing community and economy.

In Lyon County, 74 percent of families with children ages 0 to 5 years old have all parents in the workforce. That makes daycare — center-based or in-home — essential to attracting future residents, and retaining our workforce.

Recently, Rock Rapids and its businesses and residents invested $2.5 million in the Rock Rapids Kids Club, a licensed daycare center with capacity for 166 children. The 11,500 square foot, state-of-the-art daycare opened its doors in June 2016. The cities of Larchwood and Inwood each have smaller licensed daycare centers, but there is still a need for daycare.

Lyon County communities have been able to quantify daycare needs with the assistance of First Children's Finance, a specialist in daycare market studies. The George and Little Rock communities are currently planning for their daycare needs and have conducted a daycare market study as their foundation.

Lyon County sees daycare as a building block and essential to community growth.