Parenting Place reports restored child‑care capacity and $100,010 in stipends

Kaylee Nix, childcare development coordinator at the Parenting Place, told the La Crosse Economic and Community Development Commission on Dec. 17 that city-supported grants and programs have reopened child‑care capacity and distributed financial support to existing providers.

“The main takeaways from the report were that we reestablished 51 new childcare slots,” Nix said, adding that the program distributed $100,010 in recruitment and retention stipends and that three programs opened with startup grants. Nix said a back‑to‑capacity grant round reopened 37 previously empty slots and five classrooms, contributing to a total reopening of about 136 slots and filling 25 rooms that had been operating at reduced capacity.

Nix identified workforce shortages as the biggest ongoing challenge for sustaining expanded capacity. She described a mentorship program that pairs center staff and assistants, employer outreach efforts — including a luncheon series — and a business‑support marketing campaign that reached more than 200 local firms. The Parenting Place is running a community survey through January 2026 to collect employer input; staff said survey results will be compiled and published after the deadline.

Commissioners asked about stipend amounts per mentor/mentee; Nix said staff would provide specific per‑participant figures after the meeting. Commissioner Gina Miller and others praised the program’s regional interest: Miller said state partners and the Department of Children and Families have been watching La Crosse’s model.

The update was informational only; no commission action was required. The commission’s next steps include reviewing the published survey data and tracking outcomes from the next mentorship round, which staff said will open after January 2026.