A fair aimed to help parents and children will be coming to Idaho Falls 

IDAHO FALLS — Finding good child care can be a difficult task for working parents, but one event this weekend is aiming to make it a bit easier.

The East Idaho Childcare Fair will be on Saturday, April 26, at the College of Eastern Idaho cafeteria from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

It Takes a Village in Idaho — a local support group for moms — is partnering up with CEI and IdahoSTARS for the event. 

“I was reached out to by the College of Eastern Idaho and IdahoSTARS and they said, ‘We’ve seen the events that you put on and we hear from a lot of families especially at the College of Eastern Idaho.’ A lot of their students struggle to attend class, stay in class, and not drop out because of child care,” said Anastassia Rogers, who created It Takes a Village in Idaho. “It’s like the number one cited reason for students dropping out.”

Rogers added that it’s not just college students who face this issue.

“I’ve heard from the recruiters at the Idaho National Laboratory that the number one deterrent from people joining the workforce at INL is a lack of child care options in our area,” she said. 

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The event is open to the community, and the entire family is welcome to attend. Flip & Twist will provide entertainment for young kids, and there will be free drinks and snacks. 

Twenty-one different programs will be in attendance including Koala Kids Academy, Hope Lutheran Early Childhood, Little Wonders Preschool and more.  

“This is a common issue that everyone deals with so I really appreciate the College of Eastern Idaho recognizing the needs, stepping up to address the need, and connecting with local resources to do it,” Rogers said.

It Takes a Village in Idaho has also put on the East Idaho Preschool Fair for the last four years and a Special Needs Fair for the previous two years.