Child Care

Child care providers, local officials and families discussed the high costs of child care and the low wages of child care workers during the Bemidji Affordability Forum on Dec. 3, 2025.

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation has $273,000 in funds for this initiative, with proposals due by Nov. 2, 2025.

The program from the Northwest Minnesota Foundation offers funds for facility upgrades and improvements. Applications close Sept. 14, 2025.

In the United States, the Roosevelt Institute cites research that says about 43% of families with young children who pay for child care pay unaffordable rates.

The projects are among 15 in Northern Minnesota included in Senate appropriations legislation that now goes to the House of Representatives for a vote.

In partnership with Carlton County, stakeholders in the Cloquet child care industry will host a community action session on Aug. 7, 2025.

The Boys and Girls Club of Greenway merged with the club in Grand Rapids in 2024 due to a lack of proper staffing.

The YMCA will sublease one of its classrooms in the Itasca Resource Center in Grand Rapids, and Early EDge will use the space to teach and care for 3-year-olds.

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.

Plus: Bemidji School Board approves $1M+ in cuts; and the state's Department of Human Services is hosting in-person and virtual workshops on its second draft of proposed child care licensing standards.