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Chisago County wants to get the word out to potential child daycare providers and existing centers and family based care businesses that there are resources and aid available.  The effort underway includes a special set of public daycare fairs, where you can learn about opening a daycare or expanding one, or advice on tapping into programs that assist financially with food budgets and more.  The sessions also look to measure any interest in “pod” daycare operations. A single large facility functions as the core of operations for four or more daycares.  This concept spreads the expenses of utility costs, large equipment purchases and food prep work area over multiple users. This works for business owners who want to be independent,  but would like to locate a daycare outside of their personal home.

Daycares can be owned by churches, government units and individuals as well as corporations, and the local pent up demand is sufficient for a variety of formats.

A study and survey was done in 2022 looking into a shortfall between slots open and families in need of daycare that identified 1,449  waiting customers ages birth to 5 years.

This “supply and demand gap analysis” also   found that current daycare businesses would like a “support system” developed that could provide employee training and other services.

Nancy Hoffman, Chisago County HRA/EDA Executive Director said “At this time when workforce (members) are hard to find it (shortfall) becomes even more of an issue.”

Those who participated in the survey reported employees were missing days or unable to take certain promotions because of insufficient child care services in Chisago County.  

First Childrens Finance, a non-profit based in Minneapolis, generated lots of data and insight doing the analysis and committees are assigned to finer points.  The three daycare fairs will help in the public outreach and hopefully spur new daycare providers to get started.

The county has set aside $2,000 for new providers, attend the fair and learn more.

Registration is not required for the fairs being held:

Wednesday, May 31 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the North Branch Education Center, in conjunction with a show scheduled for the Teddy Bear Band.  The center is the remodeled old elementary school at 38705 Grand Avenue.

Tuesday, June 20, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Wildcat Community Center next to the high school in Lindstrom, 29330 Olinda Trail.

And, Rush City Community Center Thursday, June 22 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.  The center is at 720 West 14th Street.

There will be people to speak with who do licensing and financing of providers and can walk you through establishing a business.  There’s no obligation  resulting from attending.

If you have an existing daycare there is information developed from the survey about needs for drop-in and weekend programs.  There’s assistance for pursuing expanding.

According to the survey the biggest gaps locally are almost 400 slots within the Stacy zip code, (which covers a huge area), along with the Lindstrom and North Branch zip codes. 

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