Child care providers and officials share challenges, solutions
State representative Paul Torkelson addresses ISAIAH organizer Todd Lippert (off-screen) as he discusses what he heard from the film “Labor of Love” and the child care professionals who gave their testimonies Monday. Torkelson was hesitant to commit state money to child care, saying the state has a limited amount of money it can commit to many causes.
Nicole Johnson speaks on the challenges of providing child care in New Ulm. As a current provider, she identified the current level of regulation, the lack of respect from other organizations, and inability to afford benefits like health care or a retirement plan as the biggest issues she has faced.
State representative Paul Torkelson addresses ISAIAH organizer Todd Lippert (off-screen) as he discusses what he heard from the film “Labor of Love” and the child care professionals who gave their testimonies Monday. Torkelson was hesitant to commit state money to child care, saying the state has a limited amount of money it can commit to many causes.
Nicole Johnson speaks on the challenges of providing child care in New Ulm. As a current provider, she identified the current level of regulation, the lack of respect from other organizations, and inability to afford benefits like health care or a retirement plan as the biggest issues she has faced.
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NEW ULM -- Child care professionals, community members and state representatives shared stories and discussed steps going forward to tackle the child care crisis at the New Ulm Community Center Tuesday.
The talk is one of several across Minnesota being held by St. Paul-based organization ISAIAH and their child care initiative Kids Count On Us, as well as the New Ulm Economic Development Authority (EDA). The talk began with ISAIAH organizer Todd Lippert introducing the film they would use to open discussion, called Labor of Love.
The 30-minute documentary chronicled the experiences of childcare providers across the Twin Cities area and Duluth. It addressed the substandard pay and difficult working conditions making childcare services hard to operate. This not only makes it difficult for the providers, but also for those who are trying to find a provider for their child while they work. Child care is shown as a rewarding career for those who love to work with kids, but under-appreciation and lack of funding make all facets difficult to manage.
After the documentary, EDA member Heather Bregel gave a presentation on Westridge Place. Four providers have signed up to share the building in the pod model. This model allows multiple providers to share space in the same building to maximize childcare opportunities. Bregel shared where the project is now and what the future looks like.
"It's going through the construction phase right now," she said. "We’re [creating] four spaces to rent out to providers and we have deposits down on all four spaces to move forward with purchasing the building. The EDA wanted to have at least two providers interested and I was able to find two providers. As we started moving forward, two more providers came forward. We are looking at opening the building fully leased [around] November 1 as a good target date."
Five community members either involved in or experienced with the child care situation in New Ulm were given the stand to share their thoughts. These included four current or former child care providers and a representative from the Oak Hills Living Center.
Common themes among those who spoke included lack of benefits and difficulty finding employees due to pay-scale, lack of respect and appreciation, lack of affordable childcare, and issues both with providers not having enough space to bring in more kids and parents not having any child care options.
To end the event, state senator Nicole Mitchell and representatives Paul Torkelson and Nathan Coulter were asked to commit to what they would bring back to the legislature from what they heard during the event. Mitchell and Coulter were committed to investing in childcare at the state level, while Torkelson was hesitant.
"I’ve been around when we had a $6 billion deficit in the state coffers and now I’ve been around for a $17 billion surplus," Torkelson said "There’s not always a lot of money laying around when it comes to state government. I applaud the efforts of local communities to gather local assets together and gather the support from local businesses to support this effort. I think that’s a good way to go. To build a solid base that isn’t dependent only on the state because state money comes with lots of regulation."
"It reinforces my knowledge this is an age we need to invest in," Mitchell said. "Because of brain development and also the impact for our workforce, we need to invest more money in it. This is one of those things where if you invest upfront, you get dividends in the back end. Not only is it the workforce and everything else but I’ve worked with kids with disabilities. I think this is a huge social safety net for us."
"There is this realization early care and education is just as, if not more, important than K-12 education," Coulter said. "I think that calls for a requisite investment from the state."