NEW ULM — Friday, May 8 was Childcare Provider Appreciation Day and now more than ever the country is seeing the crucial role childcare providers have in shaping the future.

Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, childcare providers were considered essential. For the last several years, Minnesota has been experiencing a childcare crisis. Not enough providers have been available to meet demand.

In Brown County, providers are retiring faster than can be replaced. In the last two years seven providers have closed and only four new providers have become licensed.

“The importance of family child care has become even more apparent in this peacetime emergency,” Brown County Licensing Social Worker Laura Filzen said. “Daycare providers are not only essential workers, but they care for essential worker’s children so essential workers can care for the people in our community.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many childcare providers saw an initial drop in the number of kids they were watching, but this dip was temporary.

Maggie Conrad has operated a home daycare in New Ulm for 13 years. Like most home childcare providers in Minnesota, Conrad is able to provide daycare for 12 children at a given time. Since the outbreak she has an average of 10 kids a day because nearly all of the parents were considered essential workers.

Meghan Black started a daycare in 2017 and said most of the children she watched had essential worker parents. When the school closed, only a few kids dropped out of daycare.

“I think people were scared at first,” Black said “but now basically they’re back to work.”

Black said one child remained at home as a precaution because a family member had underlying symptoms of the virus.

The same day care attendance drop and recovery was noticed at Kid’s Xcel Daycare Center.

Kids Xcel Director Angie Voges said the center typically is full. Xcel can take on a maximum of 94 kids. For a month after COVID-19 hit, Kid’s Xcel had half the number of students and staffing was reduced, but now the center is back at full staff with 91 kids and everyone is healthy.

For many daycare providers the COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge, but not insurmountable. Conrad said the virus has not changed her life that much. As an at-home daycare provider she already stays home most days and before the virus Conrad was already continually sanitizing the play areas.

The children attending day cares are aware the world around them has changed, but the providers have found solutions.

At Kid’s Xcel ,the staff wears colorful masks for protection, but it also makes it easier on the kids. The children like seeing superhero-themed masks.

Black said she tries to be open with the kids about what is going on and why they cannot go to the playground.

“For the most part they understand,” Black said.

One of the side effects of COVID-19 is for the first time in years, providers are not fielding calls from parents seeking day care. Before COVID-19 Conrad and Black received weekly calls from families looking for daycare openings. More often than not, parents are looking for daycare before the child is born.

“Often, I am the second to know after the father,” Conrad said. “I usually know before grandma and grandpa.”

Black said she had one family base their decision to have a child on when she would have an opening.

When daycare providers receive calls from families, it is usually to place infants. The childcare crisis in Minnesota is partially due to retiring childcare providers, but it is also related to regulations.

In Minnesota, a home daycare provider is only allowed to have three children under the age of two and at no more than two under the age of one. This regulation does create a demand for infant care providers, but there is a reluctance to amend this rule.

Filzen said it does make sense to limit the number of infants. If a provider is watching too many infants at a time it could lead to divided focus. An extreme example is that in the event of a fire, a daycare provider would only be able to carry two infants at one time.

“There is just no way around the state requirement,” Filzen said. The best option is to encourage people to become licensed providers.

Brown County has attempted to make it easier to obtain a childcare license. Filzen said the County has developed an on-line orientation process for obtaining a license. There are step-by-step directions to get started and the Brown County Licensing team is available to assist with the licensing process.

Day care providers are required to attend a minimum amount of training every year. Since the COVID-19 outbreak the training has moved online, which many prefer.

Black sees the online classes as a good thing. Before she was required to attend classes in person and not all were in New Ulm. The move to offering online classes is seen as a positive.

“It has been very beneficial to me and the classes are well done,” Black said. She hopes the online classes continue after COVID-19.

Another method of preventing day care shortages is to maintain the providers still working.

Voges said the greatest challenge at Kids Xcel is staffing. “There are strict guidelines on who qualifies as a teacher or assistant teacher,” she said.

State regulations place limits on how much time certain staff can spend alone with kids. The levels are aides, assistant teachers and teachers. Aides cannot be left alone with kids. Assistant teachers cannot be alone with kids more that 25% of the time. Teachers can be alone at all time with kids. The difference between the title is related to education credits more than experience.

Voges said a paraprofessional at the center has 20 years experience working with kids but because she does not have enough college credits, they have to limit her time alone with kids.

Another issue is the salary for center employees is relatively low without any employee benefits.

Voges said one of the misconceptions about Kids Xcel is it is a “goldmine,” because demand for childcare is high. In reality the center operates as a non-profit. Employees’ salary is covered through tuition.

Due to the childcare crisis, the state has offered more grants, but Voges said the grants usually go to new and expanding facilities.

Voges said the staff at Xcel staff are dedicated to the children. Childcare providers do not typically enter the field for money, providers do it because of a passion nurturing children.

“That’s the first thing I look for when hiring,” Voges said.

“I’ve worked with kids all my life,” Conrad said.“I love them — they love me. The kids become an extension of my family.”

One of Conrad’s favorite parts of the job is when a child is proud of something and is excited to show it to her.

Black’s favorite thing is to see the children learning empathy for one another.

“When I see this I get happy,” she said. “I see them caring and know they will grow up to be kind.”

Black said the job can be draining“It is a long day. I work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and I don’t get a break — but I get hugs.”

Another benefit is the support.

“I have amazing families,” Conrad said. “They make their appreciation known and I feel it.”

Filzen described childcare providers’ role in the community as crucial to a child’s healthy development.

“They teach children skills needed to be successful throughout their lives,” she said. “Everyone benefits from high quality childcare. Child care providers give parents a peace of mind knowing their child is receiving nurturing, safe, and healthy care. It takes a very special person to work in the childcare field.”