Child Care Works
The Cerro Gordo County Child Care Works mission is to ensure every child has access to reliable child care to help them grow, learn and develop in a healthy environment.
A Child Care Workforce Initiative
Reliable child care is essential for families, employers, and a strong regional economy.
Child Care Works was established in 2023 to address the growing child care shortage in Cerro Gordo County. What began as an effort to understand why families were struggling to find care quickly uncovered a larger workforce challenge: local child care centers had room to serve more children, but not enough employees to staff those classrooms.
Child care providers, employers, educators, and community partners came together to identify solutions. Today, Child Care Works is focused on strengthening and retaining the child care workforce, developing a pipeline of future professionals, advocating for sustainable solutions, and supporting the long-term stability of local providers.
Our Impact
Wage Supplement Program | January 2024 – June 2026
In January 2024, Child Care Works launched an innovative $2/hour wage supplement for eligible child care employees. The goal was simple: improve compensation so providers could recruit and retain more employees, open additional classrooms, and serve more families.
The strategy worked.
From January 2024 through June 2026:
- 156 additional child care slots were filled
- Child care center employment increased 25%
- The number of children on waiting lists decreased 58%
- 294 children remained on waiting lists at the conclusion of the program
Just as importantly, the Wage Supplement created lasting change. When the program concluded in June 2026, every participating center was able to absorb most of the $2/hour increase into its own wage structure, creating a sustainable improvement in compensation beyond the life of the program.
The Wage Supplement was never intended to be the final solution. It demonstrated what was possible when the business community, child care providers, government, and community partners worked together, while giving Child Care Works valuable information to shape its next phase.
Stay & Grow
Investing in the People Who Make Child Care Possible
Building on the success and lessons of the Wage Supplement Program, Child Care Works has transitioned to Stay & Grow, a more sustainable retention strategy designed to keep experienced child care professionals in the field, reward longevity, and encourage continued investment in quality.
Stay & Grow provides targeted retention incentives for both child care center employees and child development home providers.
Child Care Center Employees
Eligible employees at participating child care centers receive a semi-annual retention bonus based on their years of service.
Employees receive $100 for each year of service, up to $500 per bonus period and $1,000 annually.
By rewarding longevity, Stay & Grow is designed to reduce turnover, retain experienced professionals, and provide greater stability for children, families, and providers.
Participating centers must be quality-rated and provide year-round care for children from birth through age five.
Child Development Homes
Stay & Grow also recognizes the critical role child development homes, commonly known as in-home providers, play in our regional child care system.
Eligible providers who maintain ChildCareNet certification receive a $500 annual bonus, while providers who complete ChildCareNet 3.1 training and maintain certification receive a $1,000 annual bonus.
These incentives encourage providers to remain in the field while continuing to invest in quality.
Building the Child Care Workforce
Child Care Ready
Solving the child care workforce challenge also requires building the next generation of professionals.
Child Care Works partners developed Child Care Ready to prepare high school students and adults for employment in child care by helping them complete important prerequisites, including background checks, mandatory reporter training, CPR certification, and other required coursework.
Participants finish the program prepared to enter the workforce, removing barriers for both prospective employees and child care providers.
Mason City High School completed its third Child Care Ready class in 2026, and Child Care Works is working to expand the program to additional school districts throughout the region.
Advocating for a Stronger Child Care System
Child Care Works advocates at the local, state, and federal levels for policies that strengthen the child care workforce and improve the sustainability of the industry.
Priorities include increasing compensation, improving access to employee benefits, strengthening career pathways, and removing barriers that prevent people from entering or remaining in the profession.
One important policy success was the codification of Child Care Assistance eligibility for employees of licensed child care centers, helping ensure the people who care for our community’s children can access affordable child care for their own families.
Child Care Works will continue bringing the voices of providers, families, and employers into conversations about the future of child care.
Businesses Are Part of the Solution
Child care is workforce infrastructure.
When employees cannot find reliable child care, businesses feel the impact through absenteeism, turnover, recruitment challenges, and employees who are unable to enter or remain in the workforce.
Business investment helped launch Child Care Works and continues to make this work possible. Today, employer support helps sustain Stay & Grow and demonstrates a shared commitment to the professionals who make it possible for thousands of parents to participate in our regional workforce.
Participating businesses also receive priority waitlist benefits at participating child care centers.
Annual Investment Levels
Child Care Works Champion | $25,000+
25 priority waitlist slots, logo recognition on marketing materials, and recognition in media interviews
Child Care Works Investor | $10,000
15 priority waitlist slots and logo recognition on marketing materials
Child Care Works Supporter | $5,000
10 priority waitlist slots and logo recognition on marketing materials
Child Care Works Friend | $1,000
5 priority waitlist slots and name recognition on marketing materials
Download the Child Care Works Employer Commitment Form
Child Care Works Partners
Child Care Works is a collaborative effort supported by organizations working together to strengthen child care and the regional workforce:
- CG Public Health
- Charlie Brown Preschool & Child Care
- Child Care Resource & Referral
- Greater Mason City Chamber of Commerce
- Iowa Women’s Foundation
- Mason City Community School District
- Mason City Family YMCA
- North Iowa Area Community College
- North Iowa Corridor EDC
Stay & Grow is also supported by a grant from the North Iowa Children’s Alliance and continued investment from the business community.
Learn More
Child Care Works is administered by the Mason City Chamber Foundation.
Colleen Frein, Administrator
9 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401