Opening Speech — Little Eagles Childcare Grand Opening / Ribbon Cutting Speech

Announcement copy

Photos from the Keokuk County Childcare Network – Little Eagles Childcare open house and ribbon cutting on January 14!

KCCN board members and staff were joined by KCED Board members to celebrate this exciting milestone for our community. 🎉✂️

We’re proud to support the growth of quality childcare in Keokuk County!

The speech

Good evening, and welcome. Thank you all for being here to celebrate a truly historic moment for Keota and Keokuk County – the opening of Little Eagles Childcare, the very first KCCN childcare center!

Not long ago, many of us were standing in rooms like this talking about a problem that felt overwhelming. For families in our community, childcare wasn’t just difficult—it was a serious burden. And that burden came down to three things: affordability, reliability, and accessibility.

Families asked themselves hard questions:

Can we realistically afford childcare?
Can we depend on it so we can go to work every day?
And perhaps most discouraging of all – is there even childcare available close to home?

For families in Keota and across Keokuk County, the honest answer used to be no!

At one point, more than 500 children under the age of five had zero licensed childcare options to serve them in Keokuk County. We were living in the most severe childcare desert in the entire state of Iowa.

That reality didn’t just impact parents – it affected our workforce, our schools, our businesses, and the future of our communities.

Those numbers told a clear story. But tonight, this childcare center tells a new one.

Little Eagles Childcare represents the moment our community decided to make a change – and that our families were worth investing in.

This did not happen by accident, and it certainly did not happen alone.

First, I want to thank the Keota School Board. Your willingness to see this vision through – to ask “why not?” instead of “why?” – made all the difference. You understood that strong schools depend on strong families, and strong families depend on reliable childcare. Your leadership, support, and belief in this project helped turn an idea into a reality.

To our individual, business, and grant donors – thank you. This center stands because of your generosity. You invested not just dollars, but trust. You believed in the families of Keota. You believed in working parents. You believed in the future of this community. Every contribution, large or small, played a role in opening these doors, and we are deeply grateful.

I also want to recognize the many partners, volunteers, and advocates who worked behind the scenes – planning, problem-solving, and pushing forward even when the path wasn’t easy. This was worthwhile community work in the truest sense of the word.

And of course, thank you to the Keokuk County Childcare Network for leading this effort and keeping the focus where it belongs – on high-quality, affordable, licensed childcare that truly meets the needs of families. I’d be remiss not to shout out the quality leadership from KCCN Board President Gary Iosbaker. His drive, ideas, and thoroughness has led us to this evening!

Could not have done it without our donors.

OVER $127,000 RAISED!!

Tonight is about more than the opening of a childcare center. It’s about hope. It’s about momentum. It’s about saying that Keota is a place where families can live, work, and raise children with confidence.

Little Eagles Childcare is the first step – but it won’t be the last. Together, we are laying the foundation for a stronger workforce, thriving schools, and a community that is moving forward throughout Keokuk County.

Thank you for believing in this vision.

Thank you for supporting our families.

And thank you for being part of this milestone moment for Keota and Keokuk County.