EXCERPT: “There’s great excitement as Alissa Kretsch hides purple hearts around the playroom in her home day care. Kretsch has been a child care provider in New Ulm for more than a decade and runs the business from her home. Her services are in demand, and it’s only getting busier. ‘I get calls like at least three [times] a week of people not being able to find day care,’ she said. ‘Some of them are even crying because they know they’re gonna lose their job. Also, I’ve heard that there’s some businesses that haven’t come to town because of lack of day care.’ The lack of child care in Minnesota’s rural areas is becoming critical. Outside the metro area more providers are exiting the field than younger providers entering, preventing parents from returning to work. A report by First Children’s Finance in June 2022 found 90 percent of children under age five in New Ulm have both parents working. Minnesota’s statewide average is 76 percent.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/3kOWP1H
