Kandiyohi County Economic Development seeks feedback on child care needs

Feb. 15—KANDIYOHI COUNTY

—

Kandiyohi County Economic Development,

formerly known as the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission, is asking employers, families, home child care providers and child care centers to fill out surveys related to

child care

needs in

Kandiyohi County.

There are four surveys, one for employers, one for families, one for home child care providers and one for child care centers to fill out. The deadline to fill out the survey is Thursday, Feb. 29.

First Children's Finance,

a nonprofit whose mission includes helping communities to preserve and grow their child care supply, will be collecting the data from the surveys. Local economic development officials will then be assisted in writing goals regarding child care using that data, according to Tanna Stuckey, child care community coordinator for Kandiyohi County Economic Development.

* The survey for employers can be found here:

surveymonkey.com/r/Employer-KandiyohiCounty

* The survey for employees/families can be found here:

surveymonkey.com/r/Parent-Employee-KandiyohiCounty

* The survey for home child care providers can be found here:

surveymonkey.com/r/FCC-KandiyohiCounty

* The survey for child care centers can be found here:

surveymonkey.com/r/CCCD-KandiyohiCounty

After making the child care crisis in Kandiyohi County a priority in 2023, Kandiyohi County Economic Development successfully obtained grants from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, as well as funding from local municaplities, to assist current child care providers and new providers in creating additional child care slots to alleviate the county's child care needs.

A First Children's Finance report in 2022 showed a need for an additional 935 child care slots in the county. Kandiyohi County Economic Development's efforts in 2023 is estimated to have helped create an additional 263 slots.

Using the information that is being gathered in the surveys, Kandiyohi County Economic Development plans to apply for another DEED child care grant in the amount of $600,000.

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