Town of Jackson commits to childcare

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Following up on a commitment to prioritize childcare and early childhood education (ECE), the Jackson Town Council announced a handy resource page has been added to its website.

Accessing care for the youngest members of our community can be particularly challenging and overwhelming at times. To simplify the process and support guardians and parents, the town has created a resource page about childcare on its website.

Staff connected with the Department of Family Services (DFS), which licenses early childhood education providers, to create a list of ECE/childcare providers in our area. The list is available on the town’s site as a comprehensive overview of providers for parents and guardians to easily access. It will be updated annually.

“Helping people find information and supporting accessible options for early childhood education and childcare is a win-win for our community. The town is also planning to offer childcare during public meetings when they happen in-person again,” said Mayor Hailey Morton Levinson. “As a mother of three, I am proud to help expand the possibilities for when and where care for young children is provided.”

In addition, town staff heard from numerous ECE providers about challenges related to finding substitute teachers. Staff determined that DFS is working on a macro update to its database, which will simplify and streamline the process for substitutes in the long term.

In the meantime, the town has outlined DFS’ current process for qualifying substitutes including the reality that subs qualified by one provider do not have to meet all requirements immediately to begin work at another. These details and more are also available online.