By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Child Care Task Force of Ellis County is asking Ellis County residents to complete a survey on child care by April 15.
A link can be found on the Chamber in Hays website or the Ellis County Child Care Task Force's Facebook page.
During a strategic planning session in January, the task force decided to try to better understand the county's child care needs as new centers have opened.
"We really wanted to become internally focused on what we do to support providers," Sarah Wasinger, task force facilitator, said. "The word professional kept coming up and helping you guys and gals be elevated and seen as professionals."
The task force sees child care providers as important in cultivating the community's next generation of workforce, Wasinger said.
The introductory question will take you to different subsections of the survey. The task force is looking for responses from
• Parents, guardians or caregivers
• Child care providers
• Businesses/employers
• Residents interested in supporting child care initiatives
Parents and guardians will be asked about their child care needs.
Wasinger said the survey is also self-serving because the task force is seeking how to better serve child care providers in the community.
"We need to know what you all need," Wasinger said at a recent task force meeting.