The University of Idaho’s Idaho Center on Disabilities and Human Development has received a $14.6 million contract from the federal Child Care Development Fund, on Friday, Sept. 18.
The contract will be used to continue the work done by IdahoSTARS, including providing provider management of state childcare licensing, the Idaho Child Care Program, and referrals, as well as early childhood positive behavior intervention and support, according to the IdahoSTARS website.
As mentioned in an UI press release, IdahoSTARS will be partnering with the Margaret Ritche School of Family and Consumer Sciences, to conduct a statewide childcare needs assessment in partnership with assistant professor of human development and family studies, Sarah Deming. Deming is also the lead researcher for the assessment.
“The goal is to get a clear, current picture of childcare across the state from two perspectives. From families, we want to hear what kind of care they need, where they’re having trouble finding or affording it, and how childcare challenges affect their work and family life,” Deming said, in an Argonaut email interview.
IdahoSTARS also functions as a training access portal for childcare providers in the state, as well as a search engine for families to access care providers for their children.
“From childcare providers, we want to learn what it takes to keep their programs running, what gets in the way of serving more children, like staffing, costs, or space, and what supports would help them grow,” said Deming.
The data that will be used by the assessment will be gathered though surveys, and interviews, in both English and Spanish. This survey will be available to parents and childcare providers statewide, though those surveys will have different focuses. The parent survey asks about the kinds of care families use, need, what that care costs, and its ease of access. The provider survey focuses on capacity, staffing, and challenges faced by these programs in the state. Participants will be invited to the survey, so the link will not be shared publicly.
When asked about the goals for the project, Deming said, “The results are meant to help guide where state investments in childcare should go, and to give lawmakers and communities solid data on what childcare looks like for Idaho families.”
The assessment team is currently hiring student research assistants to help develop surveys, interview questions, collect data and analyze the results of the survey. Students wanting to get involved with the IdahoSTARS statewide childcare needs assessment can contact Deming at [email protected].
Josie Adjanohoun can be reached at [email protected]