The Mayor’s Child Care Task Force (CCTF) shared its conclusions at a press conference held at Auntys Child Care, 4801 Cooke Street, Duluth, MN 55804 on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at 1:00 p.m.
Here is a link to the final report: Duluth Mayor’s Child Care Task Force Final Report
The 15-member childcare task force was convened in Fall 2023 by then Mayor Emily Larson. The task force was facilitated by Elissa Hansen, Northspan President and CEO, and Tony Sertich, Northland Foundation President and CEO. It since met six times between October 2023 and March 2024 to address the critical shortage of quality affordable childcare options in Duluth. As acutely demonstrated by recent local news and data reports, the current and projected childcare needs of the community exceed local capacity.
The CCTF voted on a series of ideas that it suggests stakeholders should consider and honed the list through dialogue and a series of consensus workshops. The group produced 16 actions, all of which fit into one of the following four action priorities:
1. Increasing Community Education and Support
By promoting a sense of shared responsibility and engagement, this initiative aims to create a more robust and interconnected community that prioritizes the childcare sector as a crucial element to a thriving and sustainable economy.
2. Developing a Sustainable Workforce
Acknowledging the pivotal role of dedicated and well-trained professionals, this priority emphasizes investing in ongoing training programs, professional development, and fair compensation to retain a skilled and motivated workforce.
3. Creating Opportunities for Current and New Facilities
Addressing the demand for accessible and high-quality childcare in Duluth, this priority advocates for policies and initiatives that will support the development of new child care facilities and expand existing programs to meet the growing child care needs of families.
4. Improving Financial Support for Providers and Parents
Recognizing that sustainable and affordable childcare services are crucial for families, this action priority advocates for increased subsidies, grants, and financial assistance programs to alleviate the financial burden on parents and providers.
The group also identified three actions as priorities:
- 1.1 Creating a marketing campaign
- 2.2 Fully fund and/or expanding Jump Into Child Care
- 3.1 Educating employers on methods to support employees’ child care
The CCTF believes these ideas offer a limited but positive contribution to a much broader community discussion on childcare. This report and these ideas are not intended to be comprehensive or provide a definitive roadmap to address this daunting challenge. Instead, it provides ideas to encourage community discussion and seeks to inspire further dialogue focused on common solutions.
At this time, please direct any questions about the CCTF to Elissa Hansen, Northspan President & CEO, ehansen@northspan.org.
Northspan’s mission is to be expert navigators, transforming ideas into accomplishments. The organization specializes in creative thinking, enterprising strategies, and systematic approaches to help businesses, communities, regions, and organizations prosper in a global economy, working cooperatively with economic and community development partners to leverage resources for measurable, sustainable results. Learn more at northspan.org.