Feb. 19—Effingham County is considering allocating funds to assist CEFS Economic Opportunity Corp. as it prepares to increase its child care capacity amid the county’s child care shortage.

On Tuesday, Feb. 20, the Effingham County Board is scheduled to vote on a request from the Effingham County Child Care Research Committee to reallocate $40,359 to CEFS to help it cover the cost of adding a new outdoor playground area to the CEFS Head Start building in Effingham. These funds were initially allocated for the Child Care Research Committee’s Increased Capacity Program.

The Effingham County Tax and Finance Committee voted Thursday to bring the matter to the county board for final review. Committee members Elizabeth Huston and Chris Keller were absent.

“I think this is an excellent opportunity to increase the number of child care slots here in Effingham County,” said Effingham Regional Growth Alliance President and CEO Courtney Yockey, who also serves as the chairman of the Effingham County Child Care Research Committee. “The proposed outdoor playground space consists of poured-in-place rubber surfacing, fencing and a shade structure. CEFS is working with a few playground contractors for preliminary pricing.”

According to Yockey, the Illinois State Board of Education is awarding CEFS a $375,000 Early Childhood Block Grant.

“Through this grant, CEFS will make available 28 licensed child care slots for children in the 0-3 age range,” Yockey said. “These slots will be available year round at no cost for the most at need population in Effingham County.”

Intended for these spots are young children in families that are facing financial, social or development challenges, and applicants who are employed or attending school are preferred.

Effingham County Tax and Finance Committee Chairman Norbert Soltwedel asked about the timeline for implementing services for the families filling the additional child care slots.

“We are in the process of trying to find staff to be able to start this program,” Child Care Research Committee member Connie Jerden said. “For the first year we have some leeway to be able to implement, but we really need to at least provide services no later than the end of June.”

Effingham County Board Chairman and committee member Josh Douthit asked if CEFS has filled all of the positions necessary to compensate for the increase in child care slots.

“We’ll get something going,” CEFS CEO Kevin Bushur said. “There is just a lack of people going into early childhood right now,”

Soltwedel, who also serves on the Child Care Research Committee, spoke in support of the request to reallocate the funds for the playground space, and he noted that it’s “very difficult” to find child care for children in the 0-2 age range.

“We have discussed this and feel this is really a step forward,” Soltwedel said regarding the Child Care Research Committee. “I feel like this is one of the better things we’ve been able to accomplish because it’s still in that 0-2, and it’s enabling people to go to work. That’s what we’re trying to do is fill the workforce in this county.”

The committee ultimately agreed to recommend that the county board approve the reallocation of the funds on the condition that CEFS is able to move forward with services for children filling the new child care slots.

In other matters being sent to the county board for final approval, the committee:

—Recommended the approval of $247,800 of the county’s earmarked American Rescue Plan Act funds for Global Technical Systems for fire department radios.

—Recommended the approval of $3,000 of the county’s earmarked American Rescue Plan Act funds for the purchase of tablets for county board members.

—Recommended the approval of $5,000 of the county’s hotel/motel funds for the Effingham County Fair.

—Recommended the approval of $11,370 of the county’s earmarked American Rescue Plan Act funds for the Effingham Highway Department for TREC Trail maintenance.

—Recommended the approval of the release of $8,953 in county funds earmarked for the Effingham Farm Bureau back into the county’s American Rescue Plan Act fund.

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.