Rural Child Care Solutions: From the Ground Up

Child care has been in a downward spiral for twenty years and is a main factor exacerbating the growing worker shortage. New attention before and financial aid during the pandemic perhaps slowed the spiral, but it hasn't reversed it. The primary cause of the shortage in Greater Minnesota is simple: family child care providers, who supply the bulk of child care in rural regions, are leaving the field at a much faster rate than people entering it. To better understand what is happening at the local level, the Center for Rural Policy and Development (CRPD) conducted an unscientific survey of economic development officials, local leaders, and other stakeholders around the state in the fall of 2021. The purpose of this report is to identify a sample of projects in progress right now, which will hopefully provide important information on what's being tried, why, and what can be learned from these experiences.