The Child Care Commission was formed to oversee the rules and regulations of the City of Coeur d’ Alene regarding licensed childcare homes 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 12 voting members, which are appointed for a four year term. The Commission meets monthly, usually on the fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Customer Service Center at City Hall. The meetings are open to the public. Please call 769-2229 to confirm meeting times and dates. Please click the "Agendas" link on the left to view the current Child Care 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)

Current Commissioners are:

Iris Siegler, Chairman
Susie Freligh
Kim Torgerson
Samantha Tuskan
Chris and Andy Bjurstrom
Kathleen Shriner
Jolie Wenglikowski

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 City website.

Resources/Continuing Education Classes

• 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