Three Northern Minnesota organizations are receiving grants from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development to address the childcare shortage.
The state agency announced Thursday, July 9, that Duluth-based Northland Foundation and Bemidji-based Northwest Minnesota Foundation will each receive $200,000 to support childcare providers in their regions.
The Northland Foundation will support the start-up, expansion and retention of up to 12 child care programs, creating 366 new slots and retaining 213 slots.
The Northwest Minnesota Foundation funding will go toward its Childcare Finance Program, which also offers start-up and retention funding to providers in the foundation's 12-county service area. The foundation said it will specifically target 18 high-need areas, according to state data, including the Red Lake, Leech Lake and White Earth reservations and most of Clearwater County.
Prairie Pines Childcare Center in Fosston was awarded $73,000 for a workforce recruitment and retention incentive program and targeted facility improvements. Staffing shortages are a major driver of the child care crisis, and the program aims to stabilize the existing workforce and recruit four more educators so Prairie Pines can increase enrollment.
Eleven groups across Minnesota were awarded a combined $1.4 million and are projected to create more than 1,100 new child care slots.
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