The City of West Liberty will be the first in the nation to enter into a partnership with the Department of Defense and Wee Care.
In this partnership, the city would be responsible to provide childcare funding for any active U.S. National Guard or Iowa Reserve members within 100 miles of the city.
WeeCare is the largest childcare network in the United States, according to its website. This is the other partner the city would work with to help service members find childcare.
“This is an exciting project,” West Liberty Mayor Ethan Anderson said during the city council meeting Tuesday, Aug. 1. “The first city in the nation to have a partnership like this.”
Anderson asked city councilmember Dana Dominguez to speak a little bit more about the agreements the city would be signing at the Pentagon.
“There’s two agreements,” Dominguez said. “One would be with the company that the Department of Defense is providing the funds for, which is WeeCare.”
The city already approved the agreement with WeeCare, she added. In this agreement, the city would be responsible to provide childcare funding for any active U.S. National Guard or Iowa Reserve members within 100 miles of the city.
“It’s a pretty neat program,” Anderson said.”
Dominguez agreed with Anderson’s statement. A group of representatives from the City of West Liberty will be traveling to Washington D.C. to sign the agreement at the Pentagon Aug. 17.
The resolution to approve the agreement with the Department of Defense was approved by the city council unanimously Aug. 1.
Another resolution to reimburse Geertz, Dominguez and Anderson for their travel expenses to Washington D.C. for the signing ceremony was approved unanimously.
WeLead Executive Director Ken Brooks was also invited to travel with the group from the city as the economic developer for the signing ceremony.