08/31/2026
Last week, the McPherson County Community Foundation, in partnership with childcare zone grant recipients in Harvey, Marion, and Rice counties, hosted the region’s first Child Care Business Summit.
The event, held Tuesday Aug. 25 at the McPherson Community Center, brought together more than 25 civic and business leaders from across the four-county region to discuss the growing connection between child care availability, workforce participation, business growth, and the long-term sustainability of rural communities.
The summit was designed to help local businesses and industry leaders better understand the role they can play in creating sustainable child care solutions. The program featured leaders from each of the four participating counties, representatives from Child Care Aware of Kansas, financial professionals, and workforce experts from the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas.
Betsy Davis, Director of Community Services for the McPherson County Community Foundation, opened the event by setting the stage for the day’s discussion. She highlighted why access to reliable, affordable, and high-quality child care is increasingly important not only for families, but also for businesses and communities seeking to grow.
Keith Lawing of the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas then walked attendees through current regional labor market trends and the impact that limited child care access can have on workforce participation.
Lawing shared a particularly striking concern for the long-term sustainability of the regional workforce: despite continued growth in available jobs, none of the participating counties, including McPherson County, are currently experiencing growth in its overall population.
Put simply, if current trends continue, the region will become increasingly dependent on the attraction of new residents from outside the area simply to maintain the existing workforce, let alone fill new jobs created through future growth.
Lawing also highlighted examples from communities and industries where employers have taken an active role in addressing child care challenges. These efforts have not only benefited employees and the broader community but have also served as valuable recruitment and retention tools.
“How are we going to support the business and industry if we have a shrinking population and we have people who could work that are out of the workforce.” Lawing said.
One potential entry point for businesses, Lawing explained, is offering a child care stipend or other child care assistance as part of an employee benefits package. Such benefits can help employees access and afford care while making local employers more competitive in recruiting and retaining workers.
Amanda Poyser of Child Care Aware of Kansas followed with an overview of the resources available to help businesses and industry leaders better understand and engage with the child care sector. Poyser also discussed available tax credits and federal incentives that may help employers establish child care-related benefits or invest in solutions that support working families.
John Trowbridge, a CPA with AGH, provided a closer look at those tax credits and incentives. He explained how recent changes to the programs have made them more attractive than they have been in the past.
Trowbridge noted that while some of the available tax credit programs operate on a first-come, first-served basis, the State of Kansas has never fully utilized all available funding. This presents a potential opportunity for businesses interested in exploring how these programs could support their employees and workforce needs.
The summit concluded with leaders from regional child care coalitions and task forces sharing updates on the work already underway in their respective communities. Participants also committed to continuing the conversation and exploring ways to engage employers throughout the region in developing sustainable, locally driven child care solutions.
Maria Pressnall, HR Director at The Bradbury Co., shared that her office has already taken steps to help their employees with local daycare costs.
“We have one daycare here in Moundridge and some home providers, so having incoming spots for our employees have always been an issue.” Pressnall said, “We do subsidize our employees and their daycare costs for the local daycare provider.”
“Daycare decisions play into the decision whether someone can take a job, ideally we have people moving in that need daycare solutions.” Pressnall said, “Anything that makes the community a more desirable place to work benefits our business as well.”
The McPherson County Community Foundation and the McPherson County Child Care Task Force remain committed to supporting a future in which high-quality child care is both available and affordable for families in McPherson County.
Over the years, the Foundation and its partners have worked to identify needs, secure funding, and provide financial support and other resources to licensed child care providers throughout the county. That work continues as local leaders look for new ways to strengthen the child care system and support both families and employers.
Missed the summit but interested in supporting local child care or learning more about how your business can get involved?
Contact Betsy Davis, Director of Community Services for the McPherson County Community Foundation, at [email protected].
