Strengthening the Village Childcare Project finds success in empowering Refugee and Immigrant Women to open family childcare businesses

Strengthening the Village Childcare Project finds success in empowering Refugee and Immigrant Women to open family childcare businesses

Like many cities, Louisville families face challenges in locating and paying for childcare. A local city-led initiative is helping to fill in these gaps by growing the childcare infrastructure and supporting new women-led businesses.

The “Strengthening the Village: Family Child Care Homes & Career Pathways Support for Immigrant & Refugee Women Project” is a partnership between the Mayor’s Office for Women, the Office for Immigrant Affairs, the Office of Early Childhood, Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C) and See Forward Ministries. It focuses on two key priorities for Mayor Greenberg’s administration: economic development and quality early child learning. The project began with a 2023 Dollarwise Innovation Grant from the U.S. Conference of Mayors that was awarded to eight projects nationwide to expand economic mobility and intergenerational wealth for residents.    

Since 2023, the initiative has recruited, trained and provide wraparound coaching and support to a cohort of immigrant and refugee women to open family childcare homes and pursue related career pathways. The project focuses on removing language barriers, conducting outreach and building trust with immigrant and refugee communities and improving coordination between non-profit and government agencies.

So far, 18 women from Cuba and the Democratic Republic of Congo have opened family childcare homes as a result of the collaborative effort. Four more women from Rwanda are in the process of opening certified family childcare homes, resulting in a total of 22 new childcare businesses. The homes have passed through state requirements to be certified or registered family childcare businesses so that they can receive federal childcare subsidies. Each family childcare home is able to provide childcare for between 6 and 10 children. 

In the past, language barriers and lack of relationships often prevented immigrant and refugee women from successfully opening child-care homes. Funding from this grant and the Mayor’s Office for Women has helped to remove these barriers and forge new relationships between refugee serving agencies, government and non-profits working on childcare.

“By working together, we helped to empower the families to foster independence, and self-sufficiency, reduce social isolation, and contribute to the Louisville workforce," said Community Coordinated Child Care's Family Child Care Specialist Trish Kite-Hannon. "I only hope to continue to support and mentor the community to help provide safe, reliable child care options." 

Many of the women were not previously engaged in the workforce, so opening up their own businesses has meant new sources of family income and being more empowered in their new country.  

“I think the expression “it takes a village” really sums up this work,” shared Eunice Mukaz, Program Manager of See Forward Ministries. “We are strengthening the village, one woman at a time.”

In 2025, the project aims to expand to new communities and involve new agencies.  As Gretchen Hunt, director of the Mayor’s Office for Women explains: “We are now more certain than ever that investing in women results in great returns for the community. We are excited to replicate this model across the city.” 

For more information about the project or how to open a family childcare business, the public can contact Gretchen Hunt with the Mayor’s Office for Women at 502-574-3536 or Trish Kite-Hannon of Community Coordinated Child Care at (502) 636-1358.