When Michelle Broten, a mom of three, moved to Minnesota, she set out to provide child care in her home, as she’d already proven capable and successful with her previous daycare in North Dakota.
But things ended up being a bit more complicated here.
But she was able to persevere and open as planned, thanks in large part to grants from First Children’s Finance and a forgivable loan through the Northwest Minnesota Foundation Child Care Finance Program.
Before resettling in Polk County, Minnesota, Michelle had provided child care services in North Dakota for almost a decade. However, due to her husband’s new employment and other considerations, the family felt like they needed to move.
“It was [a] difficult decision last year to sell half of what had [been] built and move to Minnesota,” wrote Michelle, in her loan application letter.
She explained that the family found a house that was perfect for providing child care. To provide a safe and sanitary environment for children, the first project on Michelle’s list was to replace the carpet with new laminate flooring across the upstairs. Michelle worried that carpet could carry bacteria and collect dust and pollen, which would negatively affect children with certain allergies and could cause problems.
Upon receiving a Family Child Care license in Minnesota, Michelle successfully applied for a grant through First Children’s Finance. But the awarded funds weren’t quite enough to cover the subfloor installation or the labor cost of installing the subfloor.
“Those two things total just over $2,000,” Michelle wrote. “The subfloor addition is necessary because, without it, when transitioning from areas in my home that currently have linoleum to areas that currently have carpet, they are not at the same height.”
Besides the cost of subfloor installation, another challenge Michelle had was that the program would only grant 90 percent of the money upfront, but the other 10 percent would be granted upon project completion.
Michelle then applied for a forgivable loan through NMF’s Child Care Finance Program, which was created to recognize and support child care providers in the region. Not only would the loan cover the 10 percent cost of the flooring project, but it would also allow her to replace the home’s water heater.
“It goes without saying that hot water is pretty important for so many sanitary reasons while operating a daycare business,” Michelle wrote.
Michelle received $5,000 funding through the loan program, $3,000 of which came from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Economic Development Award and the remainder from NMF’s Child Care program funds.
Now, the projects have been completed and Michelle is fully licensed for 12 children.
“This is a great example of how our community partnerships are key to pushing things forward,” said Missy Okeson, Senior Program Manager for NMF’s Child Care program. “We were able to partner with First Children’s Finance to support Michelle in accomplishing her goals.”
The Child Care Finance Program was created to recognize and support child care providers in Northwest Minnesota as the region has faced a child care crisis. According to 2023 data from First Children’s Finance, Polk County is facing a deficit of 425 child care slots.
NMF’s goal is to increase the availability of quality child care slots in the region and has been actively working to support those who want to open or expand a licensed family child care in their homes.
“Quality child care is vital to everyone,” Missy said, “parents and caregivers who work or attend school, employers, and, of course, children. Better lives are built when our children are provided quality care and families can enter the workforce on their terms and not be hindered by the lack of available child care in their community.”