County earmarks $400K for child care programs

Nick Taylor, Effingham Daily News, Ill.
·4 min read

Aug. 23—EFFINGHAM — The Effingham County Board has earmarked $400,000 in federal funds to help address child care needs.

The president and CEO of the Effingham Regional Growth Alliance, Courtney Yockey, who represented the Child Care Research Committee at a recent meeting, explained to the board the committee is currently under a lot of pressure to get the funding it needs to get its programs up and running.

"We've received a lot of attention in working with this," Yockey said. "A lot of people are watching us."

Among those keeping a close eye on the committee is a group at the University of Illinois, which plans to study the impact the proposed programs will have on Effingham County.

The committee sought $400,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for three programs:

—$150,000 will go toward a Gap Scholarship program that would provide financial relief to families who are not eligible for the Illinois Child Care Assistance Program due to income level, but still lack access to affordable child care. Through this program, families families will receive $200 a month to help them pay for child care if they meet the necessary requirements. According to Yockey, 118 families in Effingham County fall into this category.

—Another $150,000 has been put aside for an expansion and retention program aimed at increasing and maintaining staff numbers and services.

—The final $100,000 will go toward further educating staff in order to improve the scope and quality of the county's child care services.

"We want to give the providers tools to be able to not only get out of a slump but to be sustainable," Yockey said.

Effingham County Board member John Perry voiced his concern regarding the amount of money being requested by the Child Care Research Committee before voting on the proposal. Perry said the county might need some of the $400,000 to repair or replace some of the county's older buildings.

"I'm not opposed to it. I just don't know if it's the right amount," Perry said. "At some point, they're going to have to build a new jail."

Effingham County Board member Norbert Soltwedel defended the earmarking of the funds, arguing that the board would be giving the committee the chance to get its programs off the ground by setting aside much-needed ARPA funds.

"If it doesn't catch on, it's not going to continue," Soltwedel said.

Yockey referenced other counties that have used ARPA funding to finance programs similar to those proposed by the Effingham County Child Care Research Committee.

"Crawford County just last week approved $500,000 out of their ARPA funds to go toward the plans that they're working on for child care," Yockey said.

Despite reluctance from some members, the board voted to earmark the requested $400,000 in ARPA funds.

The board also approved the allocation of $35,058 in ARPA funds to go to the Effingham County Museum. The president of the museum, Delaine Donaldson, requested funding from the ARPA Committee earlier this month to pay for a more efficient record keeping system but mostly to improve the overall quality of the museum. Donaldson hopes the funding will allow Effingham to stand out and attract more visitors.

Additionally, the board authorized the allocation of ARPA funding toward masonry repairs to the county office building and the county jail. Sheriff Paul Kuhns requested the funding to complete repairs, but had previously explained at the Effingham County Tax and Finance Committee meeting earlier this month that the county saved some money on bricks for the buildings because they were able to find some that already matched the others.

In other matters, the board:

—Approved a resolution honoring Troy Davis on his retirement after 36 years of service with the Effingham County Sheriff's Office.

—Approved a resolution honoring Eric Higgs on his retirement after 27 years of service with the Effingham County Sheriff's Office.

—Approved the appointment of John L. Probst to the Island Grove Drainage District from Sept. 6, 2022, to Sept. 1, 2025.

—Approved the appointment of Larry Probst to the Lucas Township Drainage District from Sept. 6, 2022, to Sept. 1, 2025.

—Approved the appointment of Kevin Miller to the South Island Drainage District from Sept. 6, 2022, to Sept. 1, 2025.

—Approved the appointment of Jim Westendorf to the St. Francis Township Drainage District from Sept. 6, 2022, to Sept. 1, 2025.

—Approved a petition for bridge aid in Bishop Township.

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.