Nearly one-quarter of Iowans live in a “child care desert” while the annual cost of child care can be higher than public university tuition. More than 930 licensed child care and in-home centers have closed during the pandemic, and estimates say Iowa could lose half its child care slots to COVID-19. Sheila Hansen, at the Child and Family Policy Center in Des Moines, says some providers closed because they’re afraid of the virus.

Governor Kim Reynolds announced child care as a priority during her Condition of the State speech in January and a flurry of child care bills were making their way through the legislature until the session was suspended in mid-March due to COVID-19.