Post-secondary education is critical in preparing people for the workforce. As the primary location to access required licensures, diplomas, degrees, etc. enhancing your programs to meet the day-to-day demands of certain industries can benefit everyone, including the child care industry. How connected are you with your local child care providers, both family and center based? If you haven’t yet, visit the Child Care Aware website to find staff in your area.
What can we do to help?
Provide Free Training Space
In addition to fees to attend trainings, it has become increasingly difficult to find spaces to accommodate trainings for providers during evenings and weekends. Providing access to meeting, conference or board rooms (free of charge) increases the probability providers can attend trainings locally, or within reasonable distances. Visit the training spaces page to view the list of available free training spaces in southwest Minnesota. You can also add your training space to the list using this submission form.
Own and Operate Child Care
Child care can be operated in many ways, including a business-owned and operated program. This solution is great for businesses or organizations that want to support employees through a direct service. On-site or off-site, offering employees a child care option can be an incentive to attract and retain talent.
Lease Space
The opportunity to lease vacant space for a family-based child care provider can fill an empty space and offer a child care provider an opportunity to run a business outside of the home. Additionally, partnerships like these can create opportunities to cost share other utilities and/or services.
Cater Meals and/or Snacks
Whether center-based or family-based, preparing and cooking meals can be expensive and time-consuming for providers. Partnerships between providers and staff in kitchens can allow more time to focus on the direct needs of the children in their care.
Post-Secondary Training
Costs for trainings can add up quickly, especially for child care centers that have staff who come and go frequently. Partnering with area child care centers to ensure students are equipped with proper trainings upon graduation can help everyone. The school or training center has a unique program to elevate its curriculum, and child care centers can have new employees ready to enter the workforce much quicker.
Resources:
- Southwest Initiative Foundation: Child Care in Action (PDF) This fact sheet explores the five areas of focus for the foundation’s work supporting quality, affordable child care — a critical part of our economy and communities in southwest Minnesota.
- https://swifoundation.org/bright-beginnings/ This fact sheet explores the five areas of focus for the foundation’s work supporting quality, affordable child care — a critical part of our economy and communities in southwest Minnesota.
- The Business Case for Investing in High-Quality Child Care (PDF) This fact sheet highlights the child care industry’s economic and job impact in Minnesota.
- Child Care Aware of Minnesota West/Central District Child Care Aware provides families, child care programs, and the community with information and support for quality child care that is affordable and accessible.
- First Children’s Finance First Children’s Finance provides loans and business-development assistance to high-quality child care businesses serving low- and moderate-income families.
