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DHS official’s visit highlights childcare needs in Minnesota

Staff photo by Connor Cummiskey Minnesota Human Services Assistant Commissioner Jim Koppel (right) helps Lilly Hall, 4, (left) paste spots onto her paperbag giraffe during a visit Thursday to the Cougar Cub Child Care Center in Franklin.

FRANKLIN — Minnesota’s Human Services Assistant Commissioner Jim Koppel visited a new childcare center in Franklin to celebrate a success that he’s like to see repeated around the state.

Koppel visited the 6-month-old Cougar Cub Child Care Center to emphasize the challenges facing childcare, particularly in greater Minnesota.

“In Minnesota for the last 15 years, on average we have lost one family childcare provider a day,” Koppel said.

Family childcare, where the provider takes children into their home, is facing a few major challenges.

The business model is tough, Koppel said. It takes about $10,000 on average to care for a child.

“Number one, it is not a business model that is attracting a lot of young parents or young people,” Koppel said. “And number two, those family childcare providers are closer to my age and are retiring or their kids have grown up and it no longer fits into their daily schedule.”

That is why Koppel argues center-based care could be a big part of the solution. He argued Franklin’s center should be a model for out-state Minnesota.

“I think this is something that can be repeated in other communities across the state who are struggling to have good, quality childcare so that families in their community stay there and can work there,” Koppel said.

Koppel provided a couple of reasons he argues centers are the future. For one, they can serve more kids with more staff.

“When you are dependent on an at-home provider, their capacity is limited by smaller numbers and if they leave, it is gone,” Koppel said. “If a teacher leaves (a center), you hire another teacher.”

The center was born out of collaboration between the Cedar Mountain School District, businesses and community members. They created Franklin Industries, which owns the building and leases it to childcare and community programming.

The facility currently can serve 42 children total, Director Judy Rose said. Currently there are 29.

“What (childcare) guarantees are so many important things to the vitality of greater Minnesota,” Koppel said. “That people can go to work, count on their childcare and employers can count on their workers. It is one of the most basic elements of employment for young families.”

ccummiskey@nujournal.com

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