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Funding expected to create over 2,200 child care slots across the state

 

An Austin organization was one one of 21 organizations to receive funding as part of a $6.2 million grant pool to expand child care in the state.

Gov. Tim Walz announced the grants Wednesday. 

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has awarded the organizations with Child Care Economic Development Grants – the state’s largest-ever round of funding for this program. The funding is expected to increase child care program capacity by 2,241 slots. 

The Austin Community Charitable Fund received $250,000 in grant funding.

“Making Minnesota the best state for children and families starts with child care,” said Governor Walz. “Accessible, quality child care is critical not only for strong child development, but also for the economic wellbeing of the families in our state. These grants will increase access to child care and help more Minnesotans enter the workforce, growing our labor force and economy.”

DEED’s Child Care Economic Development Grant program provides funding to communities to invest in new or expanding child care businesses, including facility improvements, worker training, attraction, retention and licensing, and other strategies to reduce the child care shortage. 

The program is administered by the Office of Child Care Community Partnerships, a new DEED office to coordinate the efforts of state government, communities, businesses, and non-profit organizations that are working to provide child care.  

 WalletHub recently ranked Minnesota a top-five state for moms, due in part to high rankings for child care. 

 Since 2017, DEED has issued more than $6.5 million in Child Care Economic Development grants to 56 local governments and non-profit organizations across the state. DEED will issue a second grant round, also worth $6.2 million, later this year. 

Fifteen of the grants announced today are going to Greater Minnesota, where child care needs are most acute.  

The following organizations were also awarded Child Care Economic Development Grants in this funding round: 

• Alexandria Community Learning Center, Alexandria, $250,000 
• Centro Tyrone Guzman, Minneapolis, $245,000 
• City of Alexandria, $280,000 
• City of Luverne, $250,000 
• Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County, $250,000 
• Comunidades Latinas Unidades En Servicio (CLUES), St. Paul, $250,000 
• Cook County Public Health and Human Services, Grand Marais, $250,000 
• Glacier Hills Elementary School, Starbuck, $240,000 
• Healthy Community Initiative, Northfield, $500,000 
• Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Center, $500,000 
• Lutheran Social Services, St. Paul, $100,000 
• Northland Foundation, Duluth (serving the Northeast Minnesota region), $400,000 
• Northwest Minnesota Foundation, (serving the Northwest Minnesota region), $400,000 
• Parkers Prairie ISD 547, $100,000 
• Parents in Community Action, Minneapolis (runs Head Start programs in Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center, Richfield, Bloomington and Golden Valley) , $500,000 
• Pine County, $500,000 
• Prairie Five Community Action Council, Montevideo (serves Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac Qui Parle, Swift and Yellow Medicine counties) $380,000 
• Prairie Pines Childcare Center, Fosston, $75,000 
• St. David Center, Minneapolis, $270,000 
• Warroad Community Childcare Center, Warroad, $250,000