Women’s Fund Will Address Childcare Shortage With $100k Grant

The Women’s Fund of Door County announced Monday that it received a third, $100,000 grant award from the Ford Foundation. The Women’s Fund of Door County will use the funds to create long-term solutions for the peninsula’s ongoing childcare shortage.

“The challenges associated with cost and availability of childcare will require unique problem-solving and collaboration and we are excited to continue the granting we have been doing over the past two years,” said Annika Paulsen, chair of the Childcare Committee for the Women’s Fund of Door County.

According to the United Way of Door County, the average cost of home- based childcare in Door County is $800 per child per month, while a childcare center costs $1,000 per child per month. As a result, a single income of $30,000 could use 40% of their income for the care of one

child.

Of the approximate 1,000 children under the 5 years old in Door County, there are 288 spots available at a licensed or certified provider, according to the United Way. Approximately of those 50 children receive care from family members, which leaves 662 children with childcare of an unknown quality.