Opportunity Council’s Center for Retention & Expansion of Child Care (C-RECC) has facilitated a partnership between a child care provider and an employer in a new Skagit County pilot project made possible by pandemic relief funds allocated by the Skagit County Commissioners.
C-RECC is working with Escuela el Jardín, a child care center set to open in Mt. Vernon later this year, and local agricultural business Bay Baby Produce to create employer-supported child care solutions benefiting both businesses and the local economy.
With this partnership, Bay Baby Produce will initially support Escuela el Jardín financially in exchange for at least ten child care slots being reserved for the Bay Baby workforce each year. Any child care slots that aren’t utilized by Bay Baby Produce families will be opened to the community.
C-RECC is also awarding Escuela el Jardín $75,000 in pandemic relief funding to support the purchase of classroom materials and renovations required for licensing. Escuela el Jardín is expected to add 80 child care slots overall.
“The lack of childcare opportunities in Skagit County is a constant stressor for new parents in our community,” said Skagit County Commissioner Lisa Janicki. “I am so thankful to the Opportunity Council and our Population Health Trust for helping to coordinate these partnerships with employers in Skagit to create new and accessible childcare options.”
Sandra Lopez Rodriguez, marketing and recruitment coordinator for C-RECC, said she is elated about the project and what it means for future potential projects.
“Escuela el Jardín reserving spots for families working at Bay Baby Produce will guarantee that more of our local kids have access to quality care,” Lopez Rodriguez said. “I believe this is going to be a great pilot project that hopefully inspires more businesses to seek child care solutions for their employees.”
The pilot project brings together groups from several sectors and is the first partnership of its kind in Skagit County.
“This project is an example of the positive impact that can occur when government, local non-profits, small businesses and the community work together to solve complicated problems,” said Thomas Boucher, Skagit County Population Health Trust member and community development officer for North Coast Credit Union.
Lopez Rodriguez said the project will bring holistic support to families, including a resource center onsite at Escuela el Jardín to help families meet basic needs – plus culturally responsive care from a staff team speaking the heart languages of many local families, such as Spanish and indigenous languages Mixteco and Triqui. Even the hours of operation are intentional.
“The lack of child care that aligns with working hours is often a huge barrier for Skagit County families working in agriculture,” said Lopez Rodriguez. “Escuela el Jardín will offer extended hours in accordance with local farm cycles to accommodate these families.”
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C-RECC, a program of Opportunity Council, works to boost the economy and support children and families by increasing child care capacity across Northwest Washington. To learn more about becoming a child care provider, supporting employees and their families through childcare, or partnerships like this one, reach out to C-RECC at .
