A Closer Look: Sheri Penney, employer engagement director, Iowa Women’s Foundation By Emily Kestel Hometown: Lives in Osage, originally from Williamsburg Family: Husband Chris; twin 10-year old boys, Hayden and Holden; daughter Caroline, 8 Education: Kirkwood Community College, bachelor’s in elementary education from University of Iowa Hobbies: Teaching fitness classes, Read more…
By Emily Kestel, Fearless editor In 2021, Gov. Kim Reynolds created the Child Care Task Force to address Iowa’s child care crisis. Its 18 members were tasked with developing comprehensive recommendations that would be used as “a foundation for potential action by the Governor, legislature, communities and employers to reduce Read more…
By Emily Kestel, Fearless editor Editor’s note: This is the second and final part of a series on the issue of child care in the state. Part one introduced the current workforce shortage in the child care industry and what’s currently being done to address the lack of available slots Read more…
By Emily Kestel, Fearless editor Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a two-part series that looks at issues with child care in Iowa, which experts believe to be a big factor affecting local and national economies. Part one introduces the current workforce shortage in the industry and what’s Read more…
By Emily Blobaum, Fearless editor On July 15, more than 36 million families across the U.S. began receiving the first round of child tax credit payments. We spoke with nonprofit leaders and one Iowa family on what the credit will mean for middle- and low-income households in the state. Background Read more…
By Emily Blobaum, Fearless contributing editor The Young Women’s Resource Center offers a variety of free services and programs geared toward young moms, among other focus areas. One of the services matches the young moms with doulas to navigate the process of becoming a mom. Doulas are nonmedical professionals who Read more…
By Emily Barske, Business Record editor As the 2021 Iowa legislative session kicked off last week, the first four bills introduced in Iowa’s House of Representatives involved child care reform. That was before midday on Jan. 12, just the second day of the session, and before Gov. Kim Reynolds would also Read more…
Story and photos by Emily Blobaum There is a serious child care crisis in rural Iowa. There’s the issue of availability. Nearly a quarter of Iowa’s population lives in a child care desert, which is an area where the demand for child care far exceeds the availability of providers and Read more…
By Beth Shelton, CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa I glanced out the small, square windows, the red flickering lights splashing across the front of my home. I could see the worried faces of my children peeking out our beveled glass door. I was struggling to breathe, my lungs Read more…
Photos and story by Emily Blobaum When you think about the topic of paternity leave, your mind probably doesn’t immediately go to Disney Pixar movies. Or maybe it does. When I asked Ben Keenan, an HR consultant at Principal Financial Group, why he took paternity leave, he asked me if Read more…