A core team of staff from the city, Sherburne County, the Initiative Foundation, Greater St. Cloud Development Corp., Becker Public Schools, and community activists and leaders have taken the initiative to find solutions to Becker’s shortage of affordable child care within the community.
In August of 2023, the City of Becker applied for and was accepted by the Rural Child Care Innovation Program to help the city better understand child care needs.
The Problem
The results of a Demand Gap and Community Analysis completed by RCCIP in July of this year were astounding. Currently, there are 20 licensed family child care businesses in the area as well as one licensed child care center. Of those 20 providers, 30 percent have been in business for less than five years and 25 percent for more than 20 years. Those two groups are most at risk to experience high levels of turnover. Care givers who have been in business for more than 20 years are nearing retirement.
The analysis also revealed that “it’s very difficult to be a child care provider due to numerous rules and regulations, low pay and no benefits, long hours, and high operating costs.”
It is difficult for providers to sustain their child care operations, but the situation is also difficult for parents living in Becker and employers who want to hire them. Thirty-nine percent of parents surveyed said that they declined employment or withdrew from the workforce due to child care issues. Eight percent of employers stated that child care has impacted their ability to attract employees.
Currently, the analysis calculated a shortage of approximately 265 slots, but that number is sure to grow if nothing is done.
The Solution
RCCIP has helped the core group identify four goals to address child care challenges. Those goals were approved by the city council during the Oct. 14 meeting. The core group will begin implementing those four goals at the beginning of the year. The first goal is to build awareness of how childcare affects workforce and community development.
An event has been planned for providers and people interested in child care to be held on Feb. 1, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Starz Dance Studio located at 13150 First St. #104 in Becker.
Future events will be planned as the group hopes to develop at least six new sites and create three community partnerships that will develop a framework and workplan to support the retention and expansion of existing providers. The core team has already volunteered their time and brought their passion to move this initiative forward because they see that in order for the workforce to expand in this region, access to child care is needed.
