Council to further analyze childcare recommendations

Recommendations of a childcare committee will be more closely analyzed to help determine where the City of Minot might want to set priorities or get involved.

The Minot City Council on Monday directed council members Scott Burlingame and Lisa Olson, co-chairs of the childcare committee, to work with city staff to dig deeper into the recommendations. They will be looking to find out what might be feasible and what the costs and barriers are. With the information, the council can set priorities or begin taking action steps.

"We have to start with what is going to be the most impactful," council member Carrie Evans said. "It could be an essential building block to the rest."

The committee that has been meeting over the past year suggested simplifying childcare licensing, strengthening workforce participation, providing financial assistance and guidance to childcare providers among possible ways to address access, affordability and quality of services. The council applauded the committee's work but questioned what's next.

"The role of the city in this crisis is limited. We have limited tools and limited resources. Nobody on the committee is looking that the city should solve this problem alone," Burlingame said. "That doesn't mean we should do nothing. The city can and should show leadership in these areas. We can work hard to create an environment that brings stakeholders together. The city can make use of stagnant and underutilized tools and resources to provide some assistance."

"We can take the lead," Olson added. "I'm very conscious right now that adding additional costs to the services that we provide is not something that's going to pass and it's not even something that I'm recommending, but I do think that the council needs to look at some options or maybe reallocating some funds that could create a grant program that would allow for some building, or renovations of buildings, in order to create more openings or options for families looking for daycare, particularly for infants. That seemed to really rise to the top that care for infants is virtually impossible."

Olson said addressing the childcare shortage will trigger growth within the community.

"Which then, of course, just turns that dollar over and over and over again. So we can see a good outcome if we can make the initial investment," she said.

Burlingame said having city economic development staff dedicated to the issue of assisting startup and expanding childcare operations would make a difference because information about existing assistance programs isn’t getting to the operators.

"There's a certain amount of economic coaching that is needed," he said. "That's something that doesn’t cost the city a whole lot of new money."

"Our resources certainly are limited, but I don't think that's an excuse for not doing anything," council member Stephan Podrygula said. "Our citizens have identified this individually and collectively as a significant need. The business community has identified this as a major factor inhibiting our growth as a community."

Podrygula said there are areas in which the city will need to wait for and depend on state assistance.

"But I think this is an issue that more and more people are agreeing we need to start facing as a society and we need to do what we can locally, again realizing that our resources are limited," he said.