Accomplishments Extension increases child care availability. Extension helped establish seven child care centers and 85 child care home businesses serving more than 1,100 children. Extension helped more than 220 organizations design and implement plans to meet child care needs of families. Extension assists employers and communities in meeting child care needs. With assistance from the Iowa Department of Economic Development, Extension distributed more than 2,000 copies of Child Care Options for Employers and 3,000 copies of Child Care Action Manual for Communities .
Extension increases child care quality.
Extension education helped 4,570 child care providers meet state training requirements. Extension increases child care professionals' knowledge and skills. Extension increases parents' knowledge and skills in parenting. More than 130 child care centers and Head Start programs maintain Families in the Know display racks of ISU Extension publications. It is estimated that 16,400 families access ISU Extension informa-tion and expertise through the 35,000 publications available at these sites.