Government

Child Care Provider Survey report – Office on the Economic Status of Women

Duluth 1200 Foundation – Specific to Duluth       

First Children's Finance – Covers all of Minnesota

MN Department of Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation -  Services are specific to Cook, Lake, St. Louis, Itasca, Koochiching, Aitkin, Crow Wing and Beltrami counties

MN Initiative Foundations – Covers each region in rural Minnesota.  Many resources for child care unique to each region.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has ongoing partnerships with the six Minnesota Initiative Foundations to support community planning efforts that sustain and increase access to child care in their respective regional service areas. The Minnesota Initiative Foundations are independent entities that are built to respond to regional needs and opportunities by collaborating with community partners to provide early childhood services, and serving their regions with unique grants, business loans, leadership programs and donor services. Each of the Foundations has written a funding plan to serve the needs of their region to build capacity in child care, some proposed solutions being free training, grants to providers, loans and community planning. The six Minnesota Initiative Foundations are: the Initiative Foundation serving central Minnesota; Northland Foundation serving northeast Minnesota; Northwest Foundation serving the northwestern counties; Southern Initiative Foundation serving the southeastern part of the state; Southwest Initiative Foundation serving southwest Minnesota; and the West Central Foundation serving the western central counties. Going forward, these partnerships will be coordinated under the Office of Child Care Community Partnerships.

Each organization will receive funds to support the following four objectives:

1. Facilitate planning processes for rural communities resulting in a community solution action plan that guides decision making to sustain and increase the supply of quality child care in the region to support economic development.
2. Engage the private sector to invest local resources to support the community solution action plan and ensure quality child care is a vital component of additional regional economic development planning processes;
3. Provide locally based training and technical assistance to rural child care business owners individually or through a learning cohort. Access to financial and business development assistance must prepare child care businesses for quality engagement and improvement by stabilizing operations, leveraging funding from other sources, and fostering business acumen that allows child care businesses to plan for and afford the cost of providing quality child care; and
4. Recruit child care programs to participate in quality rating and improvement measurement programs. The Minnesota Initiative Foundations must work with local partners to provide low-cost training, professional development opportunities, and continuing education curricula. The Minnesota Initiative Foundations must fund, through local partners, an enhanced level of coaching to rural child care providers to obtain a quality rating through measurement programs.

Seminary of Learning - Property tax exemption

SPCC Analysis – Does a location make sense, identify possible issues. 

Minnesota Dual-Training Pipeline Program – Helps employers build a skilled, stable workforce while staff earn-and-learn on the job

In Minnesota

Alexandria – Community College builds twinhomes to house childcare

Fergus Falls – Childcare Pod (SFCC) model next to assisted living facility

Fosston – local businesses and organization help fund new childcare center

Little Falls – school district takes on childcare; infant +

Luverne – 2026 Economic Development Association of MN Award Winner – Childcare staff receive benefits

Sauk Rapids – Rice – $37.2M School Referendum passes for a new early childhood center

Sherburne County – Finding Childcare using GIS.  Zero cost, used existing county staff. 

Stevens County – 2024 Economic Development Association of MN Award Winner. Used ARPA funds to construct 6 new childcare businesses.  County also mows lawn, removes snow for those childcare businesses.

Thief River Falls – Community works together to remodel assisted living wing for childcare.

Wadena – Community remodels vacant hospital wing for 4 childcare business incubator. 

Warren – Local sales tax to fund child care. 

Other States

Iowa – Child Care Business Incentive Grant Program.  Funds have supported local Infrastructure investments and arrangements between employers and child care facilities to expand child care options.

Michigan – Child care readiness toolkit

New Mexico – Free child care paid by taxes from oil and gas reserves. 

North Carolina – Child Care apprenticeships

Texas – Property tax exemption

National Association of Counties - Building Sustainable Childcare Solutions

45F - Federal tax credit

BR&E (business retention and expansion) – add child care

Building re-use (Wadena, Winstead, Thief River Falls) 

CEDS  (Comprehensive economic Development strategy add child care) – NADO Research to support

Committee/task forces - harvest ideas, find solutions, training, events – ECRDC links

Community can collection – Warroad

Community reinvestment credits – Financial institutions for low interest loans – Benton County

Congressionally directed spending for child care structure. 

Franchise fees

Free or low cost space for child care training to take place

Letters of support for grants

Local sales tax (Warren, MN)

Philanthropy & Religious institution support

Provide free/ in-kind services:  Plowing, Mowing, Broadband, minor maintenance

Provide the land for free/low cost.  The structure at a reduced cost (Steele County)

Revolving Loan Funds (City, County)

Social Impact Funding (go fund me) – Lakeside Child care example

Social Service groups: build furniture, raffles, pull-tabs, cash donations, breakfasts/spaghetti dinner proceeds

Waive/reduce permit fees:  Building, sign, conditional/interim use permits, etc. 

Tax exempt bonds

USDA Rural Development - Community Facilities low interest loan & grants

Regional Child Care Overviews

• Statewide
• Central Minnesota
• Twin Cities Metro
• Northeast Minnesota
• Northwest Minnesota
• Southeast Minnesota
• Southwest Minnesota

Births by County in MN – MN Dept of Health

Child Care Access Equity Areas – MN Dept of Human Services

Child Care Gaps Assessment - Buffett Early Childhood Institute

Child Care as Economic Development Webinar – Chumera

Child Care Need Summary – Minnesota – First Children's Finance

Economic impact of child care by state – St. Louis Federal Reserve

Minnesota Child Care Industry Remains in "Crisis" – Minneapolis Federal Reserve 

Minnesota Early Care and Education Workforce Pay Equity Pilot: Key Lessons and Recommendations

Role of Child Care in Economic Development – The Conference Board

Strategies for Engaging the Business Community in Local Child Care Efforts – NACO