YMCA, Early EDge to make use of empty classroom for more child care

GRAND RAPIDS — A once-vacant classroom will be used for child care in Grand Rapids, thanks to a pending agreement between the Itasca County Family YMCA and Early EDge.

The YMCA will sublease one of its off-site classrooms in the county-owned Itasca Resource Center on the south end of Pokegama Avenue. Early EDge will use the space to teach and care for 3-year-olds.

The two child care programs have not signed an agreement yet, but they are likely to sometime this month, said Joni Namyst, executive director of the Itasca County Family YMCA. YMCA and Early EDge have partnered together in other projects, such as a resource guide for families in Northern Minnesota, said Darla Rahne, director of Early EDge.

Local News

Early EDge cuts classrooms as Invest Early grant funding sunsets

Megan Buffington

The Itasca County early childhood program was long supported by the Blandin Foundation. A new model may be on the horizon, but for now, cuts are needed.

Listen • 2:22

“It allows families to go to work if there’s child care for their kids,” Rahne said. “If parents can go to work, that benefits the whole economic system, whether it be the family or whether it be the community.”

“ ... Then also the children are benefiting from being in a preschool setting, and they’re learning, and they’re getting prepared for kindergarten.”.

The YMCA and Early EDge are aiming to help meet the high need for child care in Itasca County, Namyst said. She said they just want to keep these programs open for the community any way they can.

“We just want kids to keep receiving these services,” she said.

Early EDge, formerly called the Invest Early Project, provides kids with early learning experiences to prepare them for kindergarten. Early EDge applications for the 2025-26 school year are open on the program's website.

The project started 20 years ago with a grant from the Blandin Foundation, providing 18 classrooms across the Grand Rapids, Deer River, Greenway and Nashwauk-Keewatin school districts. Blandin invested $1.5 million over the first decade, then $21 million over the second decade.

As the grant came to an end this year, the program announced it had to make cuts, downsizing to a minimum of eight classrooms serving the Grand Rapids, Deer River and Nashwauk-Keewatin districts. Greenway chose to run its early education program independently with five classrooms.

Blandin announced in late June that it would grant $1 million to help with stabilizing the program as it transitions to a more sustainable model. Early EDge will decide how to use those funds in the coming months. The program is also funded by state funding and parent fees.

Although Early EDge made cuts to classrooms and staffing in the wake of the Blandin grant wrapping up and Greenway separating from the program, it has increased care in a few ways, Rahne said.

In the Grand Rapids and Nashwauk-Keewatin districts, Early EDge's preschool programming was limited to three full days per week instead of four, but it has added extended care options for Thursdays as well as Fridays. The program is also planning to add a toddler room in Deer River.

The sublease was made easier by the Itasca County Board's decision on July 8 to lower the YMCA's lease payment to $11 per square foot or a total of $6,272.58 per month. The payment was previously $14 per square foot or $7,983.83 per month.

The board's decision also made providing child care services to the county easier in general, Namyst said.

Child care is a tough business right now, she said. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for child care and the issues with balancing wages and prices.

"We strive to pay our teachers and staff a livable wage while keeping care affordable for families," Namyst said. "It's a struggle to find that balance."

Child care for infants is especially expensive to provide and to pay for, which is why some child care organizations no longer offer that option, she said.

The YMCA is the largest child care provider in the county, and it is currently able to serve up to 24 infants. Infant care costs $270 per week, and the program still loses money at that price, Namyst said.

The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce will host a panel at 11:45 a.m. on Aug. 11 at the Timberlake Lodge Event Center to discuss child care access. The deadline to RSVP is Aug. 8. Admittance costs $15 per member of the chamber and $20 per non-member.