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United Way asks county for $40,000 to shore up early-childcare wages; reports slot and wage gains
Summary
United Way of Salina Area requested $40,000 from Saline County for its early-childcare initiative to help raise childcare worker pay and expand capacity. The organization reported new slots created through grants and ongoing efforts to build an endowment for long-term sustainability.
United Way representatives told Saline County commissioners April 29 they seek a $40,000 county commitment to support the early-childcare initiative, which aims to raise wages for childcare staff and expand local child-care capacity.
Christina Small, United Way executive director, said county data indicate a continued shortage of childcare slots for working families. Small said the initiative has used grant funding to create new childcare capacity and to subsidize wage increases for participating nonprofit centers; she said the program's initial grant cycle enabled participating centers to raise staff pay by an average of about $2 per hour but that target wages of $15 (teacher assistants) and $18 (lead teachers) per hour have not yet been reached.
United Way reported establishing an endowment exceeding $550,000 and said it channels 10% of donations to that fund for long-term stability. For 2026 the organization requested $40,000 from the county and said it solicited the city of Salina for $50,000 as part of a broader funding mix.
Small said the initiative reported new childcare capacity and that infant slots — typically the hardest to fill — were part of the added capacity. She acknowledged it is difficult to directly attribute economic outcomes (new residents or hires) to marketing and childcare investments, but said website and engagement metrics could be shared to demonstrate outreach activity.
Ending: Commissioners heard the funding request and supporting data; no final county funding decision was recorded in the meeting (the request will be considered in the county budget process).
