The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) awarded grants totaling $2,425,000 to 14 organizations representing communities throughout Minnesota to increase the supply of quality childcare providers in order to support regional economic development. These grants authorize $5 million over the next two fiscal years for grants to local communities to increase quality childcare providers to support economic development across Minnesota.
The communities receiving the grants will use a variety of approaches ranging from partnering with local employers to build new childcare facilities to training and assistance with licensing. The successful implementation of these projects will help solve the growing problem of access to quality childcare in Minnesota.
“Access to quality childcare is a crisis in Minnesota that is holding our workforce back,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “These grants, the largest we’ve ever issued, will make a difference for hundreds of families across our state at a critical moment in Minnesota’s economic growth.”
Priority was given to communities that have a documented shortage of childcare providers in their proposed project area. The definition of documented shortages may include disparities in access to affordable quality childcare among targeted groups including but not limited to rural communities, low-income communities, Black, Indigenous, and people of color individuals, persons with disabilities, veterans, and women.
A total of $2.5 million was available in this first round with the second round of funding being available before June 2022.
These investments are part of an overall $8 million package of funding to assist communities to address their childcare shortages including $3 million directed toward the 6 Minnesota Initiative Foundations covering greater Minnesota to assist communities and providers with their training and planning efforts to expand the supply of quality childcare.
The following organizations were awarded funding:
- Northland Foundation Duluth, ($240,000)
- CLUES, Minneapolis, ($240,000)
- Prairie Pines Childcare Center, Fosston, ($240,000)
- WomenVenture, Minneapolis, ($96,000)
- Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Bemidji. ($224,000)
- City of Warren, Warren, ($210,000)
- WildFlower Foundation, Minneapolis, ($210,000)
- Agape Child Development Center, Minneapolis, ($210,000)
- Nobles County Community Service Agency, Worthington, ($75,000)
- West Central Initiative, Fergus Falls, ($100,000.00)
- Little Lakers Child Care Center, Lake Crystal, ($150,000)
- Greater Bemidji, Inc, Bemidji, ($140,000.00)
- Morris Health Services, Morris, ($150,000.00)
- Brainerd Family YMCA, Brainerd, ($140,000.00)
