Rural Minnesota Struggling With Day Care Shortage

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ Research shows that rural Minnesota is seeing a shortage of day care options.

Reports that the Center for Rural Policy and Development found the northern and central parts of the state are particularly affected. The research estimates that roughly 2,500 children in the northwestern part of the state can't get the day care they need.

The center found that small in-home day cares are closing at a rapid rate. The state has seen a 25 percent drop in such facilities over the past 12 years.

Larger day care centers are beginning to fill the gap in the Twin Cities, but those centers aren't as common in rural areas. Larger facilities tend to have more overhead so they're typically more expensive than in-home care.