Mills County Childcare Projects, SWITCH Receive Women's Fund Grants

The Community Foundation for Western Iowa announced Monday that the Women’s Fund of Southwest Iowa’s latest grant cycle has awarded $100,000 in project funding to nine organizations, including three in Mills County. Grants to these organizations will support programming and projects that are focused on improving the quality of life and well-being of women and children in southwest Iowa.

“The Women’s Fund of Southwest Iowa continues to create impact that will benefit the lives of women in our region for generations to come,” said Donna Dostal, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa. “These opportunities for impact are only possible because of the generosity of our community members. Folks know that when we invest in women and their families, our communities thrive..”

The following projects were awarded funds.

• East Mills Child Care Solutions received a $10,000 grant to support their building fund for the Lakin Foundation Child Development Center in Malvern. The Lakin Foundation Child Development Center will be a state-of-the-art facility with optimal teacher-to-child ratios and the highest level of care possible. The current design includes 12 standard classrooms, outdoor classrooms, and a multipurpose play area which will serve up to 150 children.

• Family Crisis Centers received a $10,000 grant to support Family Crisis Centers Homicide and Other Violent Crimes Program. Family Crisis Centers Homicide and Other Violent Crimes (HOVC) advocates offer emotional support and comprehensive wrap-around services. They attend law enforcement interviews, court hearings, trials, and parole hearings with victims and their families, preparing them by explaining what to expect and providing emotional support through their physical presence.

• Kids Place Community Childcare received a $20,000 grant to support construction costs of their Kids Place Child Care Champions project. The Glenwood Community School District, in partnership with Kids Place Childcare Champions, will utilize the funds raised for the construction of a dedicated childcare space within the district offices building, with completion scheduled for 2025. The construction of this new facility is a proactive response to the pressing childcare shortage in Mills County. By securing the necessary funding and leveraging community partnerships, Glenwood Community School District and Kids Place Childcare Champions are working to ensure that families have access to reliable, high-quality childcare, which is essential for the economic stability and well-being of the region.

• MICAH House Corporation received a $10,000 grant to support Childcare for Women in Shelter. The Child Development Center opened in July. Two-thirds of the 70 spaces are set aside for children of families within the emergency shelter. The other one-third will be available for residents as space allows.

• New Visions Homeless Services received a $10,000 grant to support their Women First Initiative. The goal of all New Visions Homeless Services programming is to move individuals into stable and sustainable housing while working to reduce or prevent incidents of homelessness in the community.

• Southwest Iowa Technical Career Hub (SWITCH) in Mills County received a $10,000 grant for their SWITCH and Soulful Synergy STEM Women’s Project. SWITCH is partnering with Soulful Synergy to design and deliver a unique STEM program created specifically for Southwest Iowa community members and students. Utilizing Soulful Synergy’s experience recruiting, designing, and delivering clean energy programs, they will create a STEM program focusing on the technology that will be used today and in the future - including solar, wind, energy storage (batteries), HVAC, and electric vehicles. These topics all focus on decarbonization and electrification, preparing individuals for immediate and future opportunities. Training will involve classroom lessons paired with interactive, hands-on ‘Learning Labs’ that allow participants to demonstrate the material they just learned.

• Stanton Child Resource Center received a $10,000 grant for their Educational/Developmental Play project. To elevate the standard of classrooms and toys, Stanton Child Resource Center aims to offer options that actively foster cognitive development, social-emotional awareness, and motor skill advancement.

• Vision Atlantic received a $10,000 grant for the Lakin Foundation Child Development Center of Atlantic. The goal for the Vision Atlantic childcare initiative is to build a new child development center that will accommodate up to 300 children and address the shortfall of childcare in the area.

• YMCA of Greater Omaha was awarded a $10,000 grant for their Healthy Living Center: Preventative Health and Social Connections for Women Aging in Place.