EXCERPT: “Does Becker County have a child care shortage? The short answer is, yes — a big one. A total of 648 child care slots are needed to meet the county’s current needs, according to data gathered from a recent survey conducted by the Rural Child Care Innovation Program, or RCCIP. The RCCIP is an initiative launched by the Twin Cities-based First Children’s Finance to address the challenges of early child care and education in greater Minnesota through the lens of economic development — and Becker County is one of six rural Minnesota communities that were chosen to participate this year, along with Fairmont, Howard Lake, Quad Cities/Virginia, Red Wing and Kandiyohi County. The urgent nature of the problem was evident in the number of people who attended a Becker County Town Hall meeting in Detroit Lakes Thursday night, despite an unexpected winter snowstorm that afternoon and evening which left local road conditions quite difficult to navigate.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2TrHjq4
