The most recent community needs study conducted by the Stackpole Hall Foundation identified the lack of quality, affordable childcare as having a significant adverse effect on the quality of life and on the viability of the workforce in Elk County. In response, the County has begun a Strategic Child Care Planning process, bringing together local leaders, child care providers, employers, and parents/caregivers to better understand the issue.
A critical step is gathering accurate, local information about child care needs, gaps, and challenges. This survey is designed to identify barriers to operating and expanding child care facilities (both home and center-based), understand workforce challenges, including recruitment, retention, and compensation, assess capacity and gaps in the types of services available to families, identify supports that providers need, and inform future County, system, and funding decisions.
This questionnaire can be completed in about 15 minutes, and all information collected is confidential and will be aggregated with other respondents' responses. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Karen Grimm-Thomas at 717-405-6645 or kargri@pakeys.org.