Waterloo mayor proclaims May 8 Provider Appreciation Day; local childcare leaders urge continued support

Mayor Dave Bose presented a proclamation on May 8, 2026, declaring Provider Appreciation Day in Waterloo and thanked local child care providers for their role in supporting families and the local economy. "Waterloo recognizes that child care has been and continues to be a lifeline for families, communities, and the economy," Bose said as he read the proclamation.

Amanda Benson, director of Hawkeye Child Development Center at the adult learning center in downtown Waterloo, said she was speaking not only for her center but "as the community as well," describing the center's work to "create welcoming environments for all the children that we can take into our center" and to partner with families.

Esther Moyer Volcha of Child Care Resource and Referral of Northeast Iowa thanked providers on behalf of CCR across the state and in Waterloo and urged continued cooperation between the organization and the city. "You are the thread that our community needs and the only way that we survive," she said.

Sarah Bolen, a representative of Child Care Resource and Referral, offered the group's appreciation to providers and called them "the drivers behind the quality" of local child care.

The proclamation, read by Mayor Bose, cites Child Care Aware of America and local resource organizations and asks citizens to recognize the work of child care providers; it names May 8, 2026, as Provider Appreciation Day in Waterloo. No formal vote or further council action was recorded during the presentation. The attendees exchanged thanks and the meeting proceeded after the presentation.