Lack of child care impacts families, businesses and communities.
The decision to find care for young children and work outside the home has always been a personal one – made inside the family and outside of the public eye. But as Baby Boomers retire and employers cannot find the skilled workers to replace them, the crisis is attracting the attention of employers, elected officials and community leaders. We are committed to supporting quality, affordable child care, a critical part of our economy and communities in southwest Minnesota.
- 20,750 children in southwest Minnesota
- 15,120 of these children have both parents in the workforce
- 10,406 child care slots currently available
- 4,714 left without care or scrambling to find other sources of care
Southwest Initiative Foundation is committed to finding solutions that help families, employers, and communities.
Our five areas of focus for solving the child care shortage are:
- Project investment and technical assistance
- Community planning
- Professional development
- Public policy
- Public relations
This effort is part of Southwest Initiative Foundation’s Grow Our Own work, a comprehensive approach to help all our kids reach their full potential — from cradle to career.
Learn About Grow Our Own
Financial landscape
From the Center for Rural Policy and Development’s 2016-2017 child care study
- Until wages and/or profits can be increased, the shortage will continue.
- Low pay for workforce makes recruitment and retention a major hurdle.
- Providers feel they can’t raise rates because parents can’t afford to pay more. On average, a Minnesota family will spend $8,033 to $17,442 annually for child care.
- The high startup costs make for very high barriers to entry for the average provider.
- The vast array of regulations needed to start a child care business are difficult to find, read through and understand, and there is little help, say providers and those who work with them.
