May 15 – MONTEVIDEO – The first question a young couple asks into town is, “How is daycare?”

“There is a tremendous need for daycare and everyone understands it,” said Patrick Moore, who recently spoke to Montevideo Childcare as a member of the Wildwood Montessori School Board of Directors.

Childcare has become an economic development problem in rural Minnesota, he recently told the Chippewa County Board of Commissioners.

Moore and Katie Pieh, the school’s executive directors, discuss the need to meet with local business owners and elected officials to outline their plans for how they can help.

Wildwood Montessori School is preparing to move to the Montevideo family’s former dental office on the east side of Montevideo. It will expand the school’s capacity from 13 current students to 42. It will be able to provide quality education and childcare for eight infants, 14 toddlers and 20 preschoolers.

The plan to expand the school has brought home the challenge of building the childcare infrastructure that is so badly needed in rural Minnesota, according to Moore. There is no direct support from state or federal sources for the upfront cost.

As a result, the Montessori School launched a $ 80,000 campaign to fix a lack of what it needed to open its new doors on July 1st. The funds are used for playgrounds and other teaching materials as well as for training new teachers. said Moore.

Pieh and Moore are optimistic about the campaign.

An anonymous donor reached out last week to offer a $ 40,000 grant to the goal, if the community agrees.

They also said that the Montevideo Community Development Corporation offered a $ 10,000 grant and the Economic Development Authority offered a $ 5,000 grant for the expansion. The organizations recognize the importance of quality childcare for the community, Moore said.

The story goes on

The school is also supported by the Zenk and Baukol families, who own the former dental practice building. You have rebuilt the building and prepared it for the new use and are offering reduced rental costs in the founding years.

The school is run as a non-profit organization. According to Moore, balanced surgery is planned when 42 students are fully enrolled.

The need for childcare in the region was underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many women stopped working to care for their children, Moore said. And now the demand in Montevideo will continue to grow. The community’s Minnesota Veterans Home development will create 100 new jobs.

The Center for Rural Policy and Development in St. Peter, Minnesota, recently released a report that identified a shortage of 3,134 childcare spots in the Southwest Initiative Foundation-serviced area. Moore said his director had also emphasized the challenge of meeting the needs and, in particular, finding the seed funding.

The Montessori School in Montevideo was founded over six years ago with community support. It offers the authentic Montessori educational method that allows children to learn in a hands-on manner, with an emphasis on life skills and working with others.

According to Moore, it offers quality childcare at a cost comparable to other childcare services in the area. The school received financial support from First Children’s Finance, which assessed its cost structure and found it right in the middle. “We’re right there. No higher or lower,” he told the Chippewa County Board of Commissioners.

The school has a three-tier tuition structure of $ 695, $ 550, or $ 395 per month, depending on family income. It also offers scholarships for those who cannot afford classes.

Pieh and Moore said the school’s strength is the support it receives from parents, who appreciate and understand the importance of quality childcare, and the support it enjoys from the community.

Moore said he was confident that the local community “will do what we have to do again. It’s a beautiful story of how a small town comes together,” he said.

Interested donors can donate online at www.givemn.org/organization/Wildwood-Montessori-School-1 or call the following Wildwood board members: Karen Kling at 320-295 9062, Patrick Moore at 320-841-1487, Mary Saeger at 320 -905-0126 or Katie Pieh at 862-754-4391.