Families in Rock County, Minnesota have had limited choices when it comes to childcare. Now, the City of Luverne is taking action to provide much needed relief for working families.

Rural Minnesota, especially Rock County, suffers from a critical shortage in childcare providers. The number of licensed providers in Rock County has declined from 56 to 30 in-home providers in 2022, creating a shortage of 117 slots for children ages 5 and below that need care. There are currently no existing commercial childcare facilities in Luverne or Rock County.

City of Luverne Economic Development Director Holly Sammons said that the number of in-home childcare centers is not meeting the current demand. Residents should have more options when it comes to childcare, which Sammons said is a critical part of social infrastructure.

“We certainly need the part time and the flexibility that the in-home providers can offer with the smaller groups, but we also need this consistency and stability of center-based care with earlier hours, later hours and more consistent hours,” Sammons said.

Local leaders responded to the area’s childcare shortage by establishing a public-private partnership. Luverne is partnering with the non-profit organization Kids Rock! to establish a community-based childcare center that will solve the childcare shortage in the city and in Rock County. Sammons noted that the non-profit was formed by residents, leaders and business owners of Luverne.

“These people are passionate about the sustainability of our community,” Sammons said. “They know that in order for our community to prosper and grow, we really need to solve this childcare conundrum.”

With the help of a $2.6 million Community Facilities grant, the City of Luverne purchased a vacant office building to repurpose as a childcare center. The new facility will accommodate infants, toddlers, pre-school, and school-age children. The office building is being renovated to house administrative spaces, a gymnasium, and a commercial-sized food preparation kitchen.

“It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. We are investing in the future of our community, in our families, and in our children,” Sammons explained. “Our City Council made the commitment to invest in purchasing and rehabbing the building not just to put a Band-Aid on the problem but to make a long-term investment for a long-term solution.”

In less than six months, Kids Rock! successfully fundraised $1 million to contribute to the remodeling project. Sammons believes this accomplishment signifies the community’s desire and belief that the childcare center will flourish over time.

“It’s having that unique private-public partnership. It’s having visionary leaders who are willing to make hard choices and long-term commitments for the greater good of the community,” Sammons said.

The City of Luverne is committed to owning the building and will lease it to Kids Rock for $1 annually. Construction is expected to be finished by winter of 2025 with enrollment to open the following spring.