Child Care Crisis Roundtable Discusses Concerns and Solutions
Duluth, Minn.– It is no secret there is a childcare crisis happening right now in Duluth. High cost of living, and a lack of funding for resources is a large part of this issue.
"The first is, we need an emergency bill that will allow families that can't find childcare slots the opportunities to hire dual family nannies, or other opportunities hiring babysitters or nannies to help care for their families. The second, we need infrastructure and stabilization, particularly for rural communities to be able to open and sustain childcare, daycares, and family providers," said Senator Grant Hauschild (DFL) Minnesota.
"Here in Duluth, this fall, we are facing an acute moment of that crisis. In that we have a number of childcare centers that are closing," said Senator Jen McEwen, (D) Duluth Representative State Senate.
YWCA in West Duluth, Observation Hill Children's Center and Building Blocks are facing closures in November. This is leading to loss of jobs, fewer childcare opportunities, as well as a risk for a child's wellbeing.
"There's a huge sense of community at the Y. My own children are 6 and 15 attended the Y. and it's the people there who have been with them from the beginning. Helping me to raise them. Those people have been the ones helping me through difficult times of single motherhood through my life," explained Lonni Stallsmith, Director of Early Childhood Education for the YWCA.
With this happening, 200 children are looking for places to be taken care of. And with the threat of further closures, 1000 kids are at risk for this issue as well. For some new parents, this is a very real and scary problem.
"We knew we would need childcare when we were thinking about having a family. But we didn't realize we needed to be on wait lists before I got pregnant. We are on any wait list that has availability, in Duluth, Hermantown, Superior, and surrounding areas," said Mikayla Kruschke, a new parent.
The new parents are scrambling to figure out these quick adjustments.
We considered driving up to an hour away just so she could be somewhere so we could continue working. But we continue to hear that Fall 2026 is when any of these places will have availability. It doesn't matter where you are socio economically wise, the lack of affordable and accessible childcare is a widespread issue that deserves attention at the state and federal level," said Kruschke.
