The Cook County Childcare Solutions Group in collaboration with Kids Count on Us, is hosting a community conversation about local childcare initiatives, successes, and ongoing challenges next Thursday, July 6 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Cook County Higher Education. Dinner will be provided through a generous grant from the Northland Foundation. Registration is requested to help organizers gauge attendance ahead of time and plan for food. Register online at https://secure.everyaction.com/iJLSjwI7OkCYh-2r6gyqcw2, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 218-387-3620.

 All community members with an interest in childcare—including providers, families with children attending childcare, families who are struggling to access childcare that meets their needs, local businesses who have been affected by the availability of childcare for their workforce, and anyone interested in learning more about the topic, are invited to attend. State legislators, including Representative Roger Skraba and Senator Grant Hauschild, will also be in attendance to listen to community needs and to share more about childcare-related, state-level actions. 

 Cook County Childcare Solutions is an initiative of Cook County Public Health and Human Services that meets monthly with the goal of providing feedback to the department on its childcare related initiatives as well as community-wide resource programs that increase the accessibility of childcare in both Cook County and Grand Portage. Kids Count on Us is a statewide coalition of childcare providers, teachers, and families from across Minnesota that organizes toward a vision of a fully funded childcare system across the state that centers the voices of childcare providers and children.

The agenda for the event includes dinner alongside a showing of the documentary “Labor of Love” which showcases the stories of a variety of childcare providers across the state of Minnesota, followed by a recap of the state legislative session’s childcare-related bills and their implementation timelines by Kids Count on Us. Nancie Deming, Cook County Childcare Coordinator, will give an update on the Childcare Wage Enhancement Pilot’s results to date, along with an update on various other grant-funded County childcare initiatives. Finally, there will be time for childcare providers, families, and local businesses to share their stories related to childcare, and to ask questions to our legislators.

Please note that this is a public meeting as there may be a quorum of County Commissioners present at the event.

About Cook County, MN 

Cook County encompasses the sovereign nation of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa; the City of Grand Marais; the Townships of Lutsen, Tofte and Schroeder; and unincorporated areas in the easternmost part of Minnesota’s North Shore. Cook County Government values transparency and strives to deliver superior services and programs in a fiscally responsible way. We value the dignity of all County residents and seek to create a community that provides opportunity for all. Many of our offices are in the Cook County Courthouse at 411 W 2nd St, Grand Marais 55604. Other departments and facilities, such as the Airport, Community Center, Highway and Sheriff are located nearby. Call 218-387-3000 or visit: https://co.cook.mn.us.

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Contact: Grace Grinager, Cook County Public Health Supervisor, [email protected], 218-387-3605