Child care business course coming to Skagit County

Skagit Valley Herald - 4/13/2023

Apr. 12—The Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship is interested in helping more people get involved in the child care field.

The center will offer a Childcare Business Accelerator course beginning Tuesday. The course will take place over Zoom from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. There is Spanish-speaking support available.

According to a 2019 report from Child Care Aware of Northwest Washington and the Opportunity Council, there were 7,423 children under the age of 5 in Skagit County and 4,952 of those children had both parents working full time.

At the time of the report there were 2,126 licensed child care slots available, leaving more than half of children in the county without the option of a licensed child care facility.

Those statistics led Marisa Herrera, director of human resources and engagement for the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship, to refer to Skagit County as a child care desert.

Participants in the Childcare Business Accelerator course will learn how to apply basic business concepts to their goals, be paired with mentors for networking and community building, and receive ongoing counseling after the course to help navigate the challenges that come with running a licensed child care business.

"What we want to be able to do is tee them up through this program to help them start on their path," Herrera said. "For us, licensed child care is at a critical point ... what we need is people who are interested in starting a child care business because there is such a need here."

Those who finish the course will receive $500 in startup capital. If they satisfy the licensing requirements, they will have the opportunity to secure $10,000 in grant funding to start their child care business.

Herrera said she hopes individuals will take part in the course, even if they decide afterward that running a child care business is not for them.

"What do you have to lose?" she said. "At the worst you spend a month with us and you get $500."

Herrera said she is looking for 10 applicants for the course, and that those who belong to groups that typically have less access to resources will be prioritized.

Registration is being taken at cie-nw.org/skagit-childcare-apply through Monday. For more information, contact Herrera at marisa.herrera@cie-nw.org.

Racquel Muncy can be reached at rmuncy@skagitpublishing.com, 360-416-2139, Twitter: @Racquel_SVH

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