Childcare Boot Camp Begins March 2

Through instruction, guest speakers and coaching, the Childcare Boot Camp is designed to help new childcare business owners in Green County chart their course to success. It equally benefits existing childcare business owners looking to improve or grow. Virtual classes (available in Spanish) will be held Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm, starting March 2. Classes are free.

Start and Grow Your Business

You have a dream to own a thriving, successful business. With our Childcare Boot Camp, you’ll have the knowledge, tools and resources to make your dream a reality. Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for a while, we’ll show you how you can grow your childcare business. You’ll learn how to advance along each step of the way, learning key insights into your industry. By the conclusion of the course, you’ll have a viable business plan and the essential business skills you’ll need for the future. (Additional courses may be required for licensing.)

What you will get:

  • Weekly classes focusing on essential topics
  • Individual planning with professional business consultants
  • Networking with presenters and classmates

Childcare Boot Camp’s unique format offers participants three key features:

  • Evening classes meet weekly for eight weeks.
  • Individual business planning, with the help of childcare business consultants, results in a high-quality business plan.
  • Networking with presenters and classmates allows participants an opportunity to share and grow.

Information You Need

The Childcare Boot Camp covers a wide variety of topics, giving you a solid foundation in all aspects of running your childcare business. We bring together specialists in a broad array of pertinent subject areas to present relevant, timely information in their respective fields.

Safety Saturday Held May 1

Safety Saturday is a daylong workshop that will provide the education needed for a person to work in a childcare facility. Training will include:

  • First Aid
  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training (CPR)
  • Training on Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
  • Training on Preventing Abusive Head Trauma
  • Review of licensing rules and regulations

 Childcare Bootcamp plus Safety Saturday (plus one-on-one business coaching) will get an entrepreneur a long way toward their childcare license. To earn their license, they will also need technical college credits, a background check and health screening.

To keep momentum with our entrepreneurs, we will provide one-on-one business consulting for entrepreneurs (without required coursework) who graduate from Boot Camp class and want to provide legal, unregulated childcare as a bridge to their licensing. (In Wisconsin, an entrepreneur can provide legal, unregulated care if they are providing care for three children or fewer.)

 Space in these classes is limited. If space is available, participants from counties neighboring Green County will be offered an opportunity to register. Sign up now at https://greencountydevelopment.com/ or call 608.328.9452.

Childcare As A Workforce Priority Is Topic Of GCDC’s Executive Leadership Breakfast

Virtual Event Set For Dec. 2

MONROE – Childcare is essential for our families, our workforce, and our community. Access to high quality childcare and enriching experiences and interactions are critical for our children for their academic, social and emotional development. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on childcare services in our communities.

Quality childcare as a workforce priority will be the topic of Green County Development Corporation’s (GCDC) annual Executive Leadership Breakfast. This year’s Executive Leadership Breakfast, set for 7:45 to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2, will be virtual, with participants joining via a Zoom link. The featured speaker will be Rob Grunewald, economist with the Community Development Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. The event is free and open to the public.

Why does childcare matter? The link among access to childcare, parental employment, and overall economic growth is becoming more apparent all the time. Businesses rely on their employees, and their employees rely on access to childcare. When problems with childcare arise, parents must scramble to find alternative options  ¾ or miss work to care for their children.

For Green County parents, that can translate to working fewer hours, taking a pay cut, or leaving their jobs altogether. Likewise, our business community is harmed by their employees’ childcare challenges. Nationally, the cost of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue due to the childcare crisis totals an estimated $57 billion each year.

GCDC and the United Way of Green County have teamed up to address critical childcare needs. They are encouraging businesses to offer financial assistance to help provide support and resources to childcare providers in Green County. More information on this initiative will be shared at the Executive Leadership Breakfast event and is available online at greencountyedc.com.

While there is no cost to participate, pre-registration for the Executive Leadership Breakfast is requested. Send name and e-mail to gcdc@tds.net. Log-in information will be sent a week prior to the event.

GCDC, a multi-jurisdictional economic development corporation, was formed to bring professional economic development expertise to its member communities to create a competitive advantage to spur job creation and new investments. The organization is building the economic future of Green County communities and businesses through public-private partnerships. For more information, visit GCDC at online at www.greencountyedc.com.

Green County is Poised to Tackle One of Our Biggest Issues: Childcare

By Cara Carper

Executive Director, Green County Development Corporation

Now, more than ever, we are better together. These words are truer now than ever before. Green County is an amazing community and we have always found ways to come together and support each other. The current pandemic has required us to take a hard look at the entire community, assess the needs, develop an action plan, and most importantly, work to take action on the things that are most important. The time is now, and the need is childcare!

We know that childcare is essential for our families, our workforce, and our community. We also know that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on childcare services in our communities. We know that access to high quality childcare and enriching experiences and interactions are critical for our children, not only for academic development, but for social and emotional development as well.

There is growing awareness of the links among access to childcare, parental employment, and overall economic growth. Businesses rely on employees, and employees rely on childcare. When problems with childcare arise, parents must scramble to find alternative options – or miss work to care for their children. For Green County parents, that insecurity can mean working fewer hours, taking a pay cut, or leaving their jobs altogether. Meanwhile, our businesses lose money annually because of their employees’ childcare challenges. Nationally, the cost of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue due to the childcare crisis totals an estimated $57 billion each year.

That is why working together to address our childcare needs is so critical right now.  It is important that we work to address our current needs and work toward solutions to help sustain and improve our services.

To help address the significant need in Green County for high quality childcare services, United Way of Green County and Green County Development Corporation have teamed up to:

  • Support our licensed childcare providers to help them stay in business and make their businesses stronger.
  • Provide support and resources to help unregulated providers become licensed, if they choose to.
  • Increase the number of licensed childcare facilities in Green County by helping people who want to start their own childcare business build a strong, sustainable business (providing business planning resources, mentors and funding to get started).
  • Increase the quality of services by providing resources and support for existing childcare providers by funding things like professional development and training and looking at collaborative ways to expand early childhood services.
  • Provide funding for technology needs, protective and sanitization materials, and other classroom supplies.
  • Provide incentives and bonus compensation for hiring and retaining highly qualified childcare providers.

We need your help!

If you are able to donate financially, we have established a fund with the sole purpose of providing additional resources and support to childcare providers in Green County. The fund is designed to expand local capacity to address the significant childcare needs in Green County and to do so as collaboratively and efficiently as possible. If you are able to donate supplies, a list of needs will be located on the United Way of Green County website.

If we want to ensure our future workforce, now is the time to take steps to grow quality childcare in Green County. By working collaboratively to address community issues, we can do what no one person or organization can do alone. Together we can make our community stronger!

To donate:

  1. Text CARE4KIDS to 91999
  2. Donate through the United Way of Green County website at org
  3. Send checks with CHILDCARE written on the subject line to:
    United Way of Green County

P.O. Box 511

Monroe, WI  53566

If you have questions, please contact: Teresa Keehn at United Way of Green County at (608) 325-7747 or unitedway@pecbell.com, or Cara Carper at GCDC at (608) 328-9452 or cara.gcdc@tds.net.

Teresa Keehn | Executive Director                               Cara Carper  | Executive Director

United Way of Green County, Inc.                                Green County Development Corporation

1717 10th Street | Monroe, WI  53566                        1016 16th Avenue | Monroe, WI  53566

(608) 325-7747 | unitedway@pecbell.com                 (608) 328-9452 | cara.gcdc@tds.net

 

GCDC Board of Directors

Green County Development Corporation

Board of Directors

Effective Jan. 1, 2020

 

Nikki Matley – GCDC President
Thrivent Financial
902 17th Avenue
Monroe, WI  53566
Phone: 608.325.8100
Email: Nicole.matley@thrivent.com
At Large Rep.
 

Matt Urban – GCDC Past President
Blackhawk Technical College – Monroe Campus
204 4th Avenue
Monroe, WI 53566
Phone: 608.329.8202
Email:  murban@blackhawk.edu
At Large Rep.
 

Joe Hunter – GCDC Vice President
VP of Operations and Human Resources, Colony Brands, Inc.
1112 7th Avenue
Monroe, WI   53566
Phone: 608.328.8404
Email: hunter@sccompanies.com
Corporate Investor

Richard Thoman – GCDC Treasurer
County Board Supervisor/Owner, AmericInn
419 4th Avenue
Monroe, WI  53566
Phone:  608.293.6870
Email: RThomanMBC@gmail.com
Green County Rep.
 

Mike Sanders – GCDC Secretary
CEO, Monroe Clinic (retired)
515 22nd Ave
Monroe, WI  53566
Phone:   608.324.1263
Email:  mike.sanders@monroeclinic.org
Corporate Investor
 

John Bernstein
City of Brodhead
707 9th Street
Brodhead, WI  53520
Phone:  608-897-8131
Email:  jebbhead@gmail.com
Brodhead Rep.

 

Michael Boyce
Alderperson, City of Monroe
1110 18th Avenue
Monroe, WI  53566
Phone:  414.303.3322
Email: michaelaboyce@gmail.com
Monroe Rep.
 

Luke Buholzer
VP of Sales, Klondike Cheese Company
W7839 WI-81
Monroe, WI 53566
Phone:  608.325.3021
Email:  luke@klondikecheese.com
Corporate Investor
 

Drake Daily
Administrator, Village of New Glarus
319 2nd Street
New Glarus, WI   53574
Phone: 608.527.5971
Email: administrator@newglarusvillage.com
New Glarus Rep.
 

Jesse Duff
Project Engineer, Fehr Graham-Engineering & Environmental
1107 16th Avenue
Monroe, WI  53566
Phone:  608.329.6400
Email:  jduff@fehr-graham.com
Corporate Investor
 

Craig Fuchs
Controller, Orchid Monroe
350 21st Street
Monroe, WI 53566
Phone:  608.329.3416
Email:  cfuchs@orchidmonroe.com
Corporate Investor
 

April Fuhr
Monticello, WI  53570
Phone: 608.558.0367
Email: aprilfuhr@gmail.com
Monticello Rep.
 
 

Erik Huschitt
CEO & GM, Badger State Ethanol
820 W. 17th Street
Monroe, WI  53566
Phone:  608.325.9015
Email:  ehuschitt@badgerstateethanol.com
Corporate Investor
 

Linda Kuhlman
Administrator, Village of Brooklyn
210 Commercial Street
Brooklyn, WI 53521
Phone: 608.455.4201, ext. 2
Email: clerk@brooklynwi.gov
Brooklyn Rep.
 

Beth Luchsinger
County Board Supervisor
318 9th Ave
New Glarus, WI 53574
Phone: 608.527.2089
Email: Beth.Luchsinger@yahoo.com
Green County Rep.
 

John McNeil
Operational Sales Director, Big Radio
W4765 Radio Lane
Monroe, WI  53566
Phone:  608.325.2161 or 608.325.2191
Email:  mac@bigradio.fm
Corporate Investor

 

David Mosher
Mosher & associates
1118 17th Avenue, PO Box 707
Monroe, WI  53566
Phone: 608.325-2111
Email: dave@MosherInsurance.com
At Large Rep.

 

Tom Ninneman
President & CEO, Monroe Truck Equipment
1051 W 7th Street
Monroe, WI   53566
Phone: 608.329.8183
Email: tninneman@monroetruck.com
Corporate Investor
 

Mike Olson
President & CEO, Bank of Brodhead
806 E. Exchange Street
Brodhead, WI   53520
Phone: 608.897.2121
Email: mjolson@bankofbrodhead.com
Corporate Investor
 

Dr. Tracy Pierner
President, Blackhawk Technical College
6004 S. County Road G
Janesville, WI  53566
Phone:  608.757.7772
Email:  OfficeofthePresident@blackhawk.edu
At Large Rep.
 

Joan Rufenacht
County Board Supervisor
923 4th Street
Monroe, WI   53566
Phone: 608.325.9455
Email: jrufenacht@greencountywi.org
Green County Rep.
 

Ron Schaaf
President & CEO, Bank of New Glarus and Sugar River Bank Branches
501 1st Street   PO Box 129
New Glarus, WI  53574
Phone:  608.424.2096
Email: rschaaf@bankofnewglarus.com
Corporate Investor
 

Doug Sutter
Co-owner, Keller, Inc.
711 Lois Drive
Sun Prairie, WI  53590
Phone:  608.455.2563
Email:  dsutter@kellerbuids.com
At Large Rep.
 

Brian Wilson
Administrator, Village of Belleville
24 W. Main Street
Belleville, WI 53508
Phone:  (608) 424-3341
Email: info@villageofbelleville.com
Belleville Rep.