Child Care Issues in Hubbard County (Part 2) will be presented by the League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area (LWV PRA) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26 in the Northwoods Bank Community Room: (1200 1st Street E). A panel of five experts has been invited to discuss possible solutions to the issues raised during the first program held on March 28, 2023.
The March program was well received and raised a number of issues that, while not only specific to Hubbard County, have a great impact on our local economy. The first panel consisted of a parent, an experienced provider, a newly licensed provider, the Hubbard County licensor and foster care licensor. They discussed several topics including the shortage of licensed providers in the county for all ages but especially infants, the high cost of a new provider starting a business, the lack of substitutes to cover for providers when they are sick, etc., and the difficulty of finding which providers have current openings. These are problems that affect all of Hubbard County, not just parents or guardians of young children. Everyone’s quality of life is impacted when quality childcare is not available.
April’s panel will consist of:
Michelle Wilkowski, a 25-year veteran of Head Start and current director of MAHUBE-OTWA Head Start. As a licensed pre-K teacher, Michelle began her career in early childhood as an Early Head Start home visitor and teacher before becoming director in 2018.
Missy Okeson, program officer and child care lead at the Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NMF) since 2016. She collaborates with early educators, community task forces and regional child care experts to create quality child care solutions for the well-being of young children and families throughout the 12 counties and two tribal nations NMF serves.
Michele Hutchinson, a manager who has been in the early childhood field for over 30 years. Her experience ranges from a parent on the Early Childhood Family Education advisory board to policy council with Head Start. Struggling to find quality care, she operated her own group family child care along with her own five children for over 20 years. She holds a BA degree in Early Childhood Education from Concordia College, St Paul. Michele was hired as a Business Development Specialist with First Children’s Finance in August 2021.
Dana Patsie, director of child care programs at MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership, oversees a number of programs that support children’s access to quality early childhood education. Those supports include Early Learning Scholarships, Child Care Assistance, Child Care Aware/Parent Aware Quality Coaching, Wayfinder Navigation, and Family, Friend and Neighbor Supports.
Maria Steen, the Child Care Connections Director at CAPLP, a community action agency based in Moorhead, provides resources for child care professionals to succeed in their careers, and help families access and afford quality child care through financial support. Our CAPLP Child Care Aware team serves early childhood educators in the 21 counties and 2 tribal nations of Northwest Minnesota through child care services grants, professional development training and advising, and Parent Aware recruitment and outreach. CAPLP also provides new Child Care Start-up + Family, Friend & Neighbor Caregiver Support, Parent Aware Coaching, and Early Learning Scholarships in 9 Minnesota counties.
Please join LWV PRA for this important discussion on April 26. The League of Women Voters is proud to be nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government, but always working on vital issues of concern to members and the public. Please direct any questions about LWV PRA activities, events or on how to join by emailing lwvparkrapids@lwvmn.org.
If you missed the first program, you can view the video here: https://youtu.be/-IrXpx7BTnY