Iron Range centers have 'Day Without Child Care' to emphasize 'the workforce behind the workforce'
May 2024MOUNTAIN IRON, Minn. -- Jay Jensen's daughter spent 9 months on a wait list to get into Iron Range Tykes, one of few children's learning centers in this area of northern Minnesota that is considered a "child care desert."
While they waited, the Virginia, Minn., family relied on the center's drop-off program, babysitting help from family, and the trickiness of working from home with an infant -- hard for his wife, a manager in an insurance office, impossible for him, an engineer for a mining company. Now 4 years old, his daughter has had a regular full-time spot for years, which Jensen credits with making their lives easier to navigate and preparing her for pre-kindergarten. Click here for additional information.