Emergency meeting addresses worsening child care shortage

Local leaders and child care professionals gathered for an emergency meeting last week after a number of in-home providers closed and announced closures.
Ten Rock County providers left the profession in the past year, leaving roughly 120 children needing care elsewhere. That’s in addition to nearly 200 slots already needed locally.
Luverne provider Nikki McLendon addressed the group Tuesday evening, Aug. 17, in Luverne City Hall. She described calls from three women expecting their first babies and seeking child care.
“They were looking ahead, but I can’t help them,” she said about closures earlier this year. “I don’t know where to send them. Nobody has openings for years.”
Shortly after that, two more providers gave notice that they were closing.
“My phone blew up,” McLendon said. “I had seven more families call me looking for day care, and again I didn’t know where to send them. … Two weeks later I had four more newly expecting moms call.”
The providers recently leaving the profession are doing so for many reasons — some are retiring, some are moving on because their own children are older, some found opportunities in other professions or are continuing their education.
McLendon said it’s not unusual for providers to come and go, but more are quitting than starting, and she’s trying to recruit newcomers on social media and among child care families.
“It’s not one of those things where you can put out a job application to fill out,” she said. “And it’s such a trying job with long hours, and you have to open up your home.”
The meeting included Mayor Pat Baustian, Rock County licensing director Jessica Schmit, Chamber director Jane Lanphere, Sen. Bill Weber and LEDA director Holly Sammons.
 
Trending numbers
They reviewed trending numbers in the past five years since the city’s child care study.
There were 56 licensed child care providers in Rock County in 2016 compared with 37 in 2019 and 28 today, creating a rapidly widening gap between working families who need child care and the available slots with licensed providers.
Sammons said child care has been a priority for the city, especially from an economic perspective, because if there aren’t places for workers’ children, it’s harder for businesses to find workers and it’s harder for the community to recruit businesses and industry.
The group reviewed incentives through the Southwest Initiative Foundation for child care businesses, but those are long-term opportunities.
They also discussed the fact that regulations have eased some in recent years and grants are available for home improvements, playground equipment and other capital investments.
Some discussion focused on potential after-school care, so that providers could fill those tw0-hours-per-day slots with a full-time toddler or baby. The Family-U program at school fills quickly.
At the end of the meeting, the group agreed to set a September meeting designed to recruit more providers in Rock County.
“Behind all this strife, there might be another opportunity for someone,” Baustian said.