ELY – The Ely Community Care Team, in collaboration with St. Louis County, hosted an informational meeting on Monday in hopes of convincing community members to consider opening additional child care facilities here.
According to Heidi Favet, care team leader at Essentia Health, Ely Clinic, the lack of local child care as a health and wellness issue is growing in the region, and the event at the Grand Ely Lodge was the result of a nearly year-long effort by community members to address the challenges of providing adequate child care
Along with discussions by a city of Ely committee to study the issue that concluded the increasing child care shortage is stifling economic growth in the region by hindering people from moving to the area, and making it difficult for employers to attract workers, a recent survey identified the growing interest in providing child care service in the area.
City officials are aware that existing child care operations in the Ely community are experiencing an increase in long waiting lists for clients. Estimates are that as much as 40-percent of Ely child care space was lost during the past two years during the coronavirus pandemic and increase in public health concerns and protocols.
Since the city’s committee work on the issue produced possible funding ideas for start-up costs and child care certification and identification of possible spaces for child care operations, the discussion caught the attention of local healthcare officials, state and county lawmakers, the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation (IRRR), the Northland Foundation and other organizations to pursue possible funding and assistance options.
CCT and county officials provided information on resources available to get started in daycare in the Ely area, including training and license requirements.
Family child care licensing is completed through the county, and child care centers are licensed by the state of Minnesota.
Susan Sauls, St. Louis County supervisor for family child care licensing, along with Carrie Woods, one of three St. Louis County child care licensers, attended the information session and provided some insight to starting and running a child care facility.
Favet said that the lack of child care in rural areas of northern St. Louis County “is not only an inconvenience, but really a health and wellness concern in this community.” She noted that the local Community Care Team is “looking to fill the gaps and connect our services to each other.”
Area stakeholders, including Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital CEO Patti Banks and EBCH communications director Jodi Martin, St. Louis County Commissioner Paul McDonald, Ely City Council member Heidi Omerza, and other members of the city’s child care task force attended the session.
“We gathered information about people who may be thinking about starting a child care operation in their homes,” Favet said. “We know that starting (child care) centers is a really big, long, slow process, but our need (in Ely) is immediate. In the cities, if one or two in-home child care programs were started, you would say, ‘so what,’ but in a community this size, if we were to add just 10 or 20 spaces for children in child care, that is half of an entire (school) grade. We want to take a look at what the opportunity is to make a real difference with even a small change is what we hope to do.”
As county commissioner, McDonald said he continues to work with the Northland Foundation and the United Way of Northeast Minnesota. “We understand the need and the lack of day care not only in Ely, but throughout St. Louis County,” he said.
He revealed some breaking news on child care funding. “We did submit, just today, an earmark request to both Sen. Tina Smith and Sen. Amy Klobuchar for possible (child care) centers in both Ely and Chisholm. We have ongoing discussions with the IRRR on funding for a center as well. There a lot of ideas out there and a lot of possibilities. This is very near and dear to my heart as I spent all of my career in education. Children are the backbone of what we are going to hand off to them,” McDonald said.
EBCH’s Banks did not reveal any possible child care center plans in the hospital’s development of an expansion and growth plan, but added, “Being one of the largest employers in town, and working with our employees, patients and different community groups, it is definitely a need, and we are trying to figure out what our future role might possibly be in supporting child care.”
Ross Petersen, former Ely mayor and child care task force member, said one of the group’s initial tasks was to develop projects to expand local child care options with the understanding that federal money was waiting in the wings. “It looked like there was going to be a lot of day care money out there,” he said. “As it turned out, I’m not sure what the situation is with the federal money.”
Despite the update from McDonald on the local federal legislation earmark request, Petersen said, “I’m starting to lose a lot of faith in the federal situation because with inflation the way it is, they just can’t print any more money. Don’t know for sure, but I don’t think we can look to the feds. The state, on the other hand, has a $10 billion surplus and that’s the way I’m leaning now.”
As the Community Care Team ramps up efforts to bring more child care options to Ely, Petersen said that he and city council member Heidi Omerza “are looking to step back from” the community effort.
Sauls described the licensing and facility requirements in place for in-home or family child care operations for several people at the session who showed an interest in pursuing that option, and contrasted that with starting up a community child care business.
“When you are looking at a town like Ely where you have a lot of empty downtown buildings, I know that several smaller communities all around the state have looked at using some of those unused spaces in their downtown,” she said. “Access is close. People can get there easier.”
She added, “For family child care, you can only have up to 14 kids with two care givers. I can’t speak for (child care) centers, because I don’t do licensing for centers, but I can tell you that we had one ready to rock and roll in Tower, but they couldn’t get a child care teacher. The criteria for centers has some very specific things needed.”
St. Louis County holds a monthly virtual orientation that provides licensing information and resources for family child care operations. To sign up for the virtual session, contact St. Louis County at 218-726-2064 of email them at childcare@stlouiscountymn.gov.