Stanislaus 2030, in collaboration with Nurture, recently released their comprehensive report and implementation plan for addressing the ‘child care desert’ impacting Stanislaus County.

Titled “From Child Care Desert to Oasis: Stanislaus County Home Child Care Business Expansion Analysis, Insights and Implementation Plan,” the Report marks what officials have termed a significant milestone in the effort to address the critical shortage of licensed child care in Stanislaus County and its impact on families and employers.

The Report, formally unveiled on Friday, April 12, details a 10-year plan to close the supply gap, improve child care entrepreneur job quality, and enable greater labor force participation among parents. The launch culminates nearly a year of in-depth study and pilot learnings. The Report contains a thorough examination of Stanislaus County’s child care landscape, including identifying high-need, low-income Zip Codes with the most acute needs. It goes on to make the case for broad and shared responsibility for addressing the County’s shortage of child care.

Home-based child care entrepreneurship quickly emerged as a promising solution within a challenging landscape, officials added. Stanislaus 2030 and Nurture convened with a collaborative working group to align resources, uncover gaps, and accelerate action around these findings.

“The only way to address a problem of this magnitude is through intentional partnerships,” said Amanda Hughes, Stanislaus 2030 Executive Director. “Many hands make light work, and we’ve identified a path forward that links services to advance childcare entrepreneurship, including resource and referral, small business development, workforce development, safety net programs, and education.”

Stanislaus County Chief Executive Officer Jody Hayes anticipates the study and its implementation will have far-reaching benefits.

“This is the some of the best work we’ve seen in our County in years. We are only at the pilot stage, and there are already 17 new entrepreneurs in business providing care for almost 150 children each day in our community. We believe childcare is a core economic development issue, and we’re thrilled to see a tangible solution emerge through Stanislaus 2030.”

Stanislaus 2030 and Nurture plan to work to enact their 10-year implementation plan alongside government and community partners to turn the region into a child care oasis where parents can find care and caregivers earn a good living. With a $1 million annual investment, over the next decade the partnership will:

● Incubate 1,000 new home child care businesses

● Expand 500 existing child care businesses

● Create 12,000 permanent, licensed child care spaces

● Generate $408 million in annual economic impact