Many parents of young children have had challenges with childcare in the St. Cloud area.  Forty-one percent of Greater St. Cloud area companies ranked child care accessibility as one of the top 3 priorities of focus for the GSDC. Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation Talent Director Gail Cruikshank and the Director of Financial Stability for the United Way of Central Minnesota Alexis Lutgen joined me on WJON today. We discussed child care in the area.  Gail says there is a shortage of child care options especially when it comes to infant care.  She says the cost of child care and the shortage of it makes it tough for parents.  She says many workplaces are doing the best they can to accommodate those that have needs.

 

24% of parents surveyed, according to the GSDC round table discussions, have withdrawn from the workforce or declined employment due to childcare arrangement challenges.

Alexis has 2 young children and says for many who work from home they can do what she does and make sure kids are working on school work for the duration of their school day and encourage them to read while she continues to work.  Many parents see working from home as a unique challenge especially if children are forced to distance learn due to the pandemic.

Learn more about jobs in the St. Cloud are and more at stcloudshines.com.  Learn more about the United Way of Central Minnesota here.

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