SPRINGFIELD — With new companies coming to Springfield and adding jobs, there is a push to make sure there is enough childcare to meet the area’s needs.
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Mimi’s House of Littles opened in Springfield three years ago. The childcare center is meeting a growing need as the community prepares for growth.
“Working parents would have an opportunity to have their preschoolers where they could get their preschool education before they go into kindergarten, where they didn’t have to worry about those half-day programs that are out there,” owner Amy Board explained.
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State Representative Bernie Willis (R-Springfield) called the childcare issue a “crisis in a lot of areas,” including Springfield.
Willis has been focused on economic development in the city.
“[What] we’re starting to see now is the fruit that has actually come from all of the planning and all the things that have been put in place,” Willis said.
Electra announced a nearly $1 billion investment earlier this year, making Springfield their headquarters along with a manufacturing facility and nearly 2,000 jobs.
Just down the road from Mimi’s House of Littles, there are hundreds of homes being built that will soon be full of new families.
“How do we take care of the people that are going to then be going to do those new jobs?” Willis said. “And how then can those people make sure that they have a trusted place like this, where they can bring their children?”
As shown on News Center 7 at 6:00, Willis said that, through new grants and licensing processes, the state can help support more childcare preschools like Mimi’s House of Littles to help meet the demand already in Springfield.
“I think the state has to continue to figure out how we best invest in the places that are ready to start up,” Willis said.
As the community around Mimi’s House of Littles starts to grow, Board said they’re ready to grow as well.
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