BOISE, ID (CBS2) — Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said the opening of Micron’s new Early Learning Center in Boise is just the first step in a long process to address child care needs in the Treasure Valley, but stressed it is an important first step.
“There is so much more we can do in this community to follow (Micron’s) lead and create a child care facility like this,” McLean said. “It’s only been two years since President Biden signed the Chips and Science Act, and in that time so much has happened in this community to increase opportunity.”
At a ceremonial opening event today, August 15, 2024, McLean, along with Idaho Governor Brad Little, expressed his hope that the center would become a model for local child care.
“This is the right thing to do because we are competing for the best engineers, families and workers,” Little said. “This will be critical in developing world-class semiconductors.”
The day-to-day operations will be managed by the YMCA, Duro said, and the team will draw on what he described as a “huge pool of institutional knowledge” about child care in the Treasure Valley.
“I can tell you, it’s a great day at your YMCA,” said David Duro, president of the Treasure Valley YMCA. “This center is the next step in a long partnership the YMCA has had with Micron. Together, we have supported children and families, taught them skills and technology, and shared the hope that they will become lifelong learners.”
The center will be exclusively for the children of Micron employees, who will be cared for and educated there through their first year of school. Despite this exclusivity, the Treasure Valley YMCA already has plans to open a new child care facility in downtown Boise, with an announcement to be made later this month.
That facility will develop a cooperative model and seek partnerships with local businesses for “childcare spaces.” Duro said the YMCA’s partnership with Micron influenced many decisions regarding the yet-to-be-announced Boise center.
For Micron, the center is both an opportunity to be “part of the solution” and “to provide certainty to our existing workforce,” said April Arzen, chief people officer at Micron. “Employers are just beginning to realize that if we don’t become part of the solution, we won’t be able to access the talent we need.”
