The Childcare Commission was formed to oversee the rules and regulations of the City of Coeur d’ Alene regarding licensed childcare in-home and facilities. The Commission was formed to ensure the City meets the need of both parents and providers within the City limits to promote a safe and healthy environment for childcare with ongoing education required for providers.

The Childcare commission consists of 9 voting members, which are appointed for a four year term. Meetings are held monthly on the fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the City Hall Conference room 6. All meetings are open to the public for information please call the Deputy City Clerk at 769-2229 to confirm meeting times and dates. Click the "Agendas" link on the left of the screen to view the current Childcare Commission agenda.

The Commission consists of:

1. 1 representative from Head Start
2. 1 representative from North Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (NIAEYC)
3. 1 representative from the Family Child Care Association
4. 1 representative from a Center Child Care
5. 1 representative from Department of Health and Welfare
6. 1 representative from Panhandle Health District
7. 4 City representatives who have been, or currently are, consumers of Childcare or a childcare operator, one of which may be a high school member (14-18 years of age) attending high school within the 271 Coeur d' Alene School District.

Current Commissioners are:

Iris Siegler, Chairman
Susie Freligh
Kim Torgerson
Samantha Tuskan
Jolie Wenglikowski
Vacant, Student Representative

Duties of the Childcare Commission

1. Make recommendations to the City Council for licensing criteria that promote safety and health needs in both home care providers and facility providers.
2. Incorporate recommendations that fall within City and State guidelines.
3. Determine selection criteria for providers that wish to apply for the Mayors’ Excellence in Quality Childcare Award.
4. Receive applications, review, and make recommendation to the Mayor for Award recipients.
5. Receive public comments and hold meetings, on issues arising from implementation and enforcement of licensing criteria.
6. Distribute educational and items of public interest regarding Childcare via the City website.

Resources - Education Classes

• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Childcare Resources
• For information about Idaho STARS approved training, visit their website at http://www.idahostars.org/, or the Idaho Training Clearinghouse website at http://www.idahotc.com/.
• CPR/First Aid Training Centers
• ALERT CPR, (208) 664-0839, http://www.ezytrainingsolutions.org/ 
• American Red Cross, (800) 853-2570, http://www.redcross.org/
• Workforce Training Center, (208) 769-3333, http://www.nic.edu/
• CPRCentral, (208) 620-1949, CPR4work.com
• The Child Care Resource Center has a Lending Library available to child care providers.  Training DVD's are available (for IdahoSTARS approved training hours!), curriculum books, education books on various child development topics, themed curriculum tubs and much more!  Please visit the Panhandle Health District's website for a catalog of items:  http://panhandlehealthdistrict.org/child-care. Providers are able to check out materials for one month at a time and the fee is $20.00 per year.  The Lending Library is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 
• Child Care Training.org- Online courses - Idaho STARS approved.
• Child Care Lounge
• Care Courses
• ClassesOnline4U
• "Building Blocks for Literacy" training. Visit http://www.idahotc.com/ to register for training.
• Panhandle Health District - www.panhandlehealthdistrict.org - childcare resources information
• Idaho Stars - www.idahostars.org - training and safe sleep information
• Public Safety Playground Handbook - /files/Municipal_Services/playground_safety_guide.pdf
• Choose Safe Places For Early Child Care and Education - /files/Municipal_Services/Property_Checklist.pdf
• Free on-line training webinars https://www.naeyc.org/events/trainings-webinars/recorded-webinars  
  

City of CdA Announces Small Business Relief Fund Grant Program

The City of Coeur d’Alene announces that it has reserved $340,000 in CARES Act funding for Small Business Relief Grants.  The grant program is available to businesses and organizations (including non-profits and licensed in-home childcare providers) registered with the State of Idaho and located within the City of Coeur d’Alene jurisdictional boundaries.

In the first round of the grant allocation, eligible expenses for businesses will be focused on keeping kids healthy and making Coeur d’Alene safer for residents and visitors.  Examples of eligible uses of Small Business Relief Fund grants include COVID-19 related expenditures to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), furniture, fixtures, and equipment necessary to continue business operations in light of the coronavirus, and youth services (daycare/childcare for newborns to school-ages kids and health-related activities for youth to continue or expand operations in light of the coronavirus).

For a complete list of eligible grant fund uses and to complete a grant application, visit the City of Coeur d’Alene Small Business Relief Funds webpage, at https://cdaid.org/small-business-relief-fund. 

Applications for the first round of grant allocations are due by October 8, 2020, by 5 p.m.  Applications can be submitted after October 8, but please note that the funding focus may shift.  Any updates to the grant program will be noted on the City’s website and social media posts.  For more information, contact Stephanie Padilla (208) 769-2221, or spadilla@cdaid.org.