There is a need for child care in Manitowoc County.
During an episode of WOMT’s Be My Guest Program, Colleen Homb with the Lakeshore Community Action Program (CAP) explained that data from the Census.gov and the Wisconsin Department of Children and Family Services showed 3,180 children under 5 with parents who are working need some type of Child Care service.
However, Homb says there are only so many slots available.
“We have slots for 754 of them,” she stated. “Which means that we have 2,426 kiddos ages five and under that need slots.”
The data from September of last year also shows that 46% of zip codes in Manitowoc County are considered childcare deserts.
They don’t include townships but most cities, villages, and towns.
Homb also says the cost of Child Care isn’t much better than the need. On average it’s about $881 a month.
Homb noted, “That’s going to go up if you’re talking about younger kiddos. Infants are particularly expensive.”
Homb also explained that it’s also tough on Manitowoc County Child Care workers, which only get paid $10 an hour on average.
There is some good news in all this.
Homb says there are groups coming together to try and find a solution to the problem.
Throughout Manitowoc County, there are over 10,600 children under age six.
She also says anyone can contact Lakeshore CAP at 920-682-3737 for some help.
They also offer a home visiting program for families expecting kids.
