All photos courtesy of Cook County Higher Education 

By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - July 10, 2023

Editor's note: This article was updated on July 12, 2023. The original article stated that the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) was a direct funding source for the Cook County Wage Enhancement Program, which is incorrect. While DEED has provided grants and funding towards improving the childcare crisis in Cook County, the funding for the Wage Enhancement Program is supported by an approved one-time use of Cook County Public Health and Human Services department fund balance in 2023.

On Thursday, July 6, 2023, local community members, leaders, and Minnesota state legislators Senator Grant Hauschild, Representative Roger Skraba, Senator Erin Murphy (St. Paul), and a legislative assistant for Senator Liz Boldon (who was ill), gathered for a standing-room-only public discussion around the childcare crisis in Cook County. 

The event was co-hosted by the Cook County Childcare Solutions Group (a local initiative from Cook County Public Education and Human Services), collaborating with the organization ‘Kids Count on Us’ at Cook County Higher Ed. The goal of the event was to have an open discussion about the current state of the childcare crisis in the area, including sharing recent successes, challenges, and personal impact stories. It also provided a chance for state representatives to hear first-hand how the crisis is affecting the area. 

Attendees were invited to watch a Minnesota-based documentary on the childcare crisis called “Labor of Love”, which follows childcare providers and documents their struggles in the current crisis across the state.

Following the documentary, Nancie Deming, Cook County Childcare Coordinator, (through Public Health and Human Services), provided an update on the programs implemented throughout the county the past year. 

The Cook County Wage Enhancement Program

One particular focus was on the Cook County Wage Enhancement Program, which started earlier this year.  A one-time use of Cook County Public Health and Human Services department funds (for year 2023) is being allocated to licensed childcare providers who are eligible to receive an additional $5.79/hour (on top of their local pay), which would bring Cook County providers closer to the DEED proposed average hourly wage for early childhood educators ($19.29/hour). 

Related: Cook County and Grand Marais EDA to receive $180,000 to help increase access to affordable childcare

An increase in childcare providers 

With the wage enhancement program in place and other initiatives to increase childcare across the county (including hiring bonuses, stipends, and talking with high school students who may be interested in future work in childcare), Cook County has seen an increase in care providers. In 2022, there were 11 licensed providers (five childcare centers), and as of May 2023, there are 26 (18 full-time, 8 part-time). This has increased the available childcare slots from 72 in March 2022 to 114 as of May this year. 

The state legislatures shared that they were particularly interested in the initiatives Cook County and Grand Portage have put in place to address the childcare issue. Each acknowledged that this issue affects everyone across the state, and that “we need to do better”. 

Lydia Boerboom, representative for Kids Count on Us, gave a report on what happened in the past legislative session to help improve childcare across the state. 

Nearly $1 billion dollars was allocated toward funding childcare by the end of the 2023 session for some initiatives including:

• Increasing the Child Care Assistance Program reimbursement rate to 25% of total childcare cost to 75%

• Permanently instate the Great Start Compensation Support Payments which was implemented during the pandemic and gave childcare teachers an additional $400 a month, but set to end June 30, 2023.

• Create a new department of Children Youth and Families, which will provide streamlined services for childcare providers and families, and make childcare a priority at the legislative level

• Start to create a program that will ensure that no family pays more than 7% of income for childcare. Minnesota families spend 10-20% of their income on childcare. 

At the end of the event, community members and leaders were invited to share personal stories of how the childcare crisis has affected them and their families. Common themes were the expense of daycare, lack of housing, lack of childcare spots, how the lack of spots is affecting the local workforce, and more. 

For more information about local initiatives in place to help address the crisis, click here: Cook County Prepares to Kick-Off a Year of Support for Local Childcare Providers

Related: KBJR-TV covers "Cook County childcare crises"