The Board of Directors for Regal Academy signed the Child Care License Application that will be submitted to the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). The application brings Regal Academy, the proposed child care center for 80 children including 20 infants, a step closer to becoming a reality.
Board member Dean Adams said the board is working to establish a financial plan that makes Regal Academy a sustainable child care option for the Crookston community. “Right now, we’re trying to move forward very carefully with our financial plan to make sure that when we open our doors this is sustainable and is going to last in the community,” said Adams. “And provide top quality day care for Crookston.”
A timeline for when Regal Academy could open its doors is still being developed, however, the Board of Directors did recently name Erika Leckie the director of the future child care center. The Board of Directors includes Adams, Wendy Ault, Garrett Kollin, Megan Hruby, Chris Trostad, and Theresa Tahran.
The board signed the application after attending a child care information meeting on Tuesday night at Valley Technology Park during which Joan Berntson, a business development specialist for First Children’s Finance, presented on the challenges and opportunities for child care in Crookston including the impact on the local economy. Berntson provided a snapshot of the potential need analysis for the Crookston area which shows there is a current estimated need for 143 child care spots in Crookston and a total of 308 needed within a 20-mile radius.
The potential need will likely increase in the near future as the Sunrise Center, which could take up to 55 children, set to close its doors in December after being unable to find a new location and sponsor. Berntson explained how the potential need is determined. “The work that I did in gathering that information – I pulled the numbers in November – and it’s looking at all families where either both parents are working, or a single-parent family where the parent is working and there are children under 5,” said Berntson. “They are not in school. They are needing care during the day while the parents are working. I did that and looked at the zip codes within a 20-mile radius. The total need was 308, Crookston was around 143. Just remember this is a snapshot in time. Next week I could pull these numbers and if you have a family provider that left the field – once Sunrise closes that will decrease the number of spots available so it will increase the need. So, if she is licensed for 55, instead of Crookston being at 143 it will be 190-some.”
Susan Murphy said the Sunrise Center is closing because of a lack of staffing and the inability to find a new location and sponsor with the Sisters of St. Benedict no longer in a position to support the center. Murphy added that lack of staffing was an issue that preceded the need to close for lack of location and sponsorship. Kim Fiero said the number of providers in Crookston has dropped drastically since 2013, coinciding with changes at the DHS, and a push to unionize child care. Fiero also said it was heartbreaking that nobody came around to help the Sunrise Center and the families of the 51 children enrolled there when the community needs child care.
Christine Anderson from the Small Business Development Center asked Berntson what was working for other communities to alleviate the child care shortage. Berntson said the short answer was everyone pulling together not only to help get a Regal Academy started but to keep a Sunrise Center open and to recognize family providers. “It’s very complex,” said Berntson. “There is no magic bullet. It’s incremental support of current providers, current centers. It’s gathering around something big such as Regal Academy and saying we’re going to set aside our differences, we’re going to access the money that needs to happen for this particular center. There is support from family providers, we heard it tonight in the meeting, and parents that are looking for care. There needs to be a conversation that is productive that moves people towards action. It does take a tremendous amount of effort and it’s ongoing support of family providers, centers, and also the support of families. Are there ways the community can leverage scholarship dollars for families that have a high financial need making it affordable for them but still paying the provider for high-quality care.”
There was also a discussion over where the $50,000 approved by Crookston Housing and Economic Development Authority (CHEDA) Board on May 21 to help with the buildout of Marywood as the location for Regal Academy had gone. On July 16, CHEDA Executive Director Craig Hoiseth told the board that grants from several companies for the buildout meant that money would no longer be needed for the buildout and the board said the $50,000 should be reallocated to help child care elsewhere in the community. Leckie said she was confused by that change and that the $50,000 was a portion of a much larger amount needed to get the center off the ground. Acting Mayor Dale Stainbrook stated that this was the first time he’d heard that the $50,000 was going to all child care and not just Regal, although he was in the meeting on July 16.
All the child care providers asked when and where is the $50,000 going to be used for child care, but there was no representation from CHEDA at the meeting to answer that question.
