For the third consecutive meeting, the Northfield School Board had a conversation about Child Care, the costs associated with childcare, and the school district’s role in offering such programs.
Childcare has now become another in a long list of post-Covid crises. There are more kids in need of daycare than there are spots available in childcare centers. Beyond that, many families who require childcare cannot afford to pay for it, meaning one of the parents – if there are two – must stay home and take care of the children until the kids are ready to go to school.
Early Ventures and Kid Ventures are among the most respected programs in Northfield, if not Southern Minnesota, and the demand for the programs bears that out.
“Basically, all of our Early Ventures programs are full very shortly after they open registration. You have to have a ratio of one staff member for so many students. Obviously, there’s one staff member for fewer infants than there are for one staff member per five-year-olds.”
But like every other childcare system in the state, the high costs of running the Ventures programs is outpacing the revenue that the program can produce.
Hillmann said they could open another infant room, and it would be filled immediately. However, another element complicating the story is the commitment that would be made to the children they care for. Opening an infant room means making the commitment that care will be available to each of those infants until they are old enough to go to school. The problem becomes having enough staff in the Kid Ventures program to fulfill that commitment. He said in Early Ventures the demand is for spots that are not there, but in Kid Ventures, the demand is for staff that they cannot find. Kid Ventures employees work a morning and afternoon split shift, which can make hiring difficult, even in a time when staffing was a much easier proposition than it is today.
The problem is not unique to Northfield, he said.
“This is a statewide issue. You have the dilemma of deciding where we need to charge. It’s a for fee program, but if we charge as much as what we we know the program is going to cost, and specifically the Early Ventures program, what’s going to happen is the cost then becomes too great for so many people. So, everyone is in this dilemma of how do you handle the revenue and expenditure to make sure that you’re breaking even.”
Despite this being a common problem, there are no easy or obvious solutions. The School Board met on Monday night in a work session prior to the regular meeting so they could focus on this one issue. Hillmann advised the board that they need suggestions to help keep the Ventures Programs going.
There will be further discussion on the issue at the Board’s next meeting on July 8th.
High School facility tour this Saturday
The Northfield School District is offering another tour of the high school facility on Saturday.
Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann is heading up a campaign that will offer as much information as district voters would like to have regarding the referendum that will be on the ballot in November asking voters to approve a massive remodeling and renovation of Northfield High School. The tour will go through the plans for building a new classroom structure and other renovation, the reasons behind it, the costs, the individual tax impact, and anything else they might question.
The tour of Northfield High School is set for this Saturday at 9am and should run for about two hours. Hillmann said attendees should come to Door #10 at the high school. The tour will begin in the media center with a presentation, followed by the guided tour, and a time for questions.
Hillmann said it is important that people see and feel the problems with the building firsthand to truly understand why the renovations are necessary. For more information visit northfieldschools.org/reimagine.
League of Women Voter Forums held for voter educational purposes
With seven people running for mayor and three running for 2nd Ward City Councilor, a primary will be held on August 13th, and the League of Women Voters of Northfield and Cannon Falls, along with St. Olaf College’s Academic Civic Engagement program and Carleton College will hold candidate forums on June 27th, giving each candidate time to demonstrate their positions on the issues and distinguish themselves in the crowded races.
During the forum, candidates will deliver a 2-minute opening statement. Each candidate will then have one minute to answer the questions posed by the moderator.
Voters may submit questions for the candidates by emailing them to contactus@lwvnorthfieldmn.org. Audience members will also have the ability to submit questions in writing at the event. Any questions submitted electronically will remain confidential with all identifying information removed before the event. The League reserves the right to revise, edit, and condense the submitted questions.
A statement issued by the League of Women Voters of Northfield and Cannon Falls said the organization does not endorse candidates for office or political party. This event is meant to help voters learn about each candidate in order to make an educated decision when they head to the polls.
The forums will be held on Thursday, June 27th at the Viking Theater in Buntrock Commons at St. Olaf College. The Northfield Mayor candidate forum will begin at 6 pm and will run for approximately one hour. After a 5-minute recess the Northfield City Council Ward 2 candidates forum will begin, ending shortly after 8:00. Catherine Davis, a member of the Rochester League of Women Voters will moderate the mayoral forum; the moderator for the city council forum has yet to be announced.
These forums will be recorded and posted to the League’s YouTube Channel in early July.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information visit lwvnorthfieldmn.org.
KYMN Daily News 6/12/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
