STRATEGIC COLLABORATION
Multiple organizations come together to assist Fadumo Ahmed in the opening of Gold Childcare Center, a culturally supportive child care center planned for East Grand Forks.
A culturally supportive child care center is planned for East Grand Forks.
Fadumo Ahmed, who has provided in-home child care for several years in East Grand Forks, began conceptualizing a child care center a few years ago as a solution to meet an increasing need in the community.
She got intentional about doing so around March this year.
“I can only help so much,” Fadumo said, reflecting on the number of slots available in an in-home child care model.
She shared several stories illustrating the many times she had to regretfully turn would-be families away because she did not have available slots for their children. She could care for 14 kids in her home, but the center will have slots for 75 kids, from infancy through school-age.
“One reason is (to care for) more kids,” she said, “and the second is my community has (difficulty) with language. A lot of communities live here and need to work so they take kids to daycare. But then they report they don’t eat their food, they don’t speak to other kids. A lot of it is the communications with the language.”
Additionally, she has seen families struggle to find the flexibility they need to drop off children early or pick them up late, Fadumo said. These families face additional fees and added stress from trying to find care that fits their specific needs.
Gold Childcare Center, which already has more than two dozen families registered and waiting, will offer child care in a culturally supportive setting that meets the needs of Somalian families.
The process through which a child care center opens can be a difficult one. Assisting Fadumo along the way has been the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, First Children’s Financing, Child Care Aware, New Hope for Immigrants, child care licensors, and others.
“This project showcases how various agencies can work together to achieve a goal,” said Tabi Steinmetz, Program Officer at Northwest Minnesota Foundation. “We know that it takes vision and bold action to make a positive impact in our communities, and we must all work collectively as a team to connect all the dots.”
The child care center will be located in a 5,000-square-foot space that Fadumo is renting off of Central Avenue. The entire space had to be gutted and remodeled. This work included tear-downs of existing walls and then construction of new walls. The installation of a new sprinkler system was required, as well as the addition of emergency exits.
Through NMF, Fadumo has received the following:
- a $5,000 forgivable child care finance loan
- a $10,000 loan through the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
- a $15,000 emerging entrepreneur loan through DEED
- a $25,000 CDFI loan
- a $10,000 grant through Wells Fargo
Tabi, who has been at NMF since 2017, worked to ensure that the loans offered through NMF were Sharia-law compliant, meaning that rather than traditional interest rates, an origination fee was included in the loan package.
“Fadumo is a wonderfully kind and kind-hearted woman,” Tabi said. “She has been wonderful to work with, and it’s really helping me stretch my lending skills to work with a different population in a non-traditional format. I’m so happy we’ve been able to help her.”
The knowledge Tabi has gained will only prove more beneficial in the future, as NMF expects to build on this success to partner with others who may need non-traditional lending supports.
“As a community partner, our energy and resources help push things forward,” said Nate Haskell, Senior Program Officer in NMF’s Community Revitalization department. “We know that every neighbor plays a role in the future of our region. We need to hear all voices and all ideas to help our community thrive, from this generation to the next.”
About the child care center
The for-profit Gold Childcare Center will be owned and operated by Fadumo herself but will involve other key staff members and strong community partnerships.
Employees will include six teachers and assistant teachers, as well as an office employee. There also will be one staff hired for the kitchen. While the kitchen on-site includes countertops, a dishwasher, and a refrigerator, the food will be catered into the center by one of Fadumo’s daughters, who has her own catering business.
The New American Integration Center is also located nearby, which allows for a synergetic relationship for families who may need services or would like to make connections.
“She’s just the sweetest woman,” said Tabi, of Fadumo. “She really wants to help kids, help these families. If we can play a small role in helping her be able to do so, then we have done important work.”
