Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
Today is Monday, Sept. 28, 2026.
…and now for the rest of the stories…on today’s daily304.com!
#1 – From WV SBDC – Building the business that supports business
Reliable child care helps parents go to work. But child care providers are running businesses, too. The West Virginia Small Business Development Center has created resources to help entrepreneurs navigate the rules and regulations that come with starting and operating a child care business. Regional guides cover child care centers, family child care facilities and family child care homes, with one-on-one assistance available from SBDC business coaches.
The SBDC is also working with the Appalachian Regional Commission, West Virginia Workforce Resiliency Office and Wonderschool on Childcare West Virginia: Building the Business that Supports Business. The initiative is designed to establish new profitable child care businesses, help existing providers operate more efficiently and help employers recruit and retain workers by offsetting child care costs. The pilot covers Boone, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Mason, Putnam, Roane and Wirt counties.
Read more:
https://wvsbdc.com/tools-and-resources/childcare-industry-resources/
#2 – From WV EXPLORER – Want your kids outside? Start with yourself.
Want your children to put down their phones and spend more time outside? West Virginia outdoor educator Levi Moore says parents may need to start by looking at their own habits. Children don’t have to love the same activities their parents do. What matters is seeing adults value being active and spending time outdoors.
And don’t overcomplicate it. Moore says families don’t need expensive equipment, the perfect trail or an extraordinary adventure. Take a walk in the woods. Let children move at their own pace. Give them time to notice bugs, feathers, acorns and all the little things adults sometimes walk right past. The goal isn’t to turn every outing into a lesson. Give kids a chance to explore, play and discover what interests them.
Read more:
https://wvexplorer.com/children-outdoors-parent-advice-west-virginia/
#3 – From WV ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – West Virginia makes the case for defense
Location matters when you’re building products and technologies that support America’s national defense. The West Virginia Division of Economic Development says the Mountain State offers defense companies a combination of workforce, location and transportation access. Highways, railways and rivers connect West Virginia to surrounding states, while proximity to Washington, D.C., puts companies close to federal agencies and the nation’s capital.
West Virginia is also within a day’s drive of 34% of the nation’s top domestic purchasing sectors, defense contractors and federal agencies. The West Virginia National Defense Industrial Association provides additional support for the industry’s growth in the state.
Good location. Good connections. A workforce ready to get to work.
Read more:
https://westvirginia.gov/industries/defense/
Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304.
The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty, and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.
That’s all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.