The Copper Country Great Start Collaborative is Starting Small to Close the Gap in Childcare Needs in Houghton County

Lack of childcare opportunities for families can have a large impact on communities. To fit the needs of families in Houghton County alone the Keweenaw Family Resource Center estimates 700 additional childcare spots have to open. The impact of lack of childcare can affect how many how hours parents work throughout the week, as well as put extra burdens on grandparents, and older siblings.

“Parents are being creative. So some parents will work split shifts where one works in the morning and one works in the evenings. Other parents are working underemployed. I have, I’m trying to remember what the statistic is, but a lot of our families are working very part-time, even though they want full-time hours. And that is some of it. Some of them are doing what I call creative care. Grandma has them on Thursdays. Aunt Sue has them on Fridays and everywhere in between the other days of the week. But the goal of Start Small is to address that issue by supporting people, maybe some of those stay-at-home parents, with starting their own small business to bring an income into their home and provide care for children that meet quality, sustainability, and profitability.” – Iola Brubaker, Director, Copper Country Great Start Collaborative

Recently the Copper Country Great Start Collaborative began the Start Small program to close the childcare need gap. The program offers parents interested in starting their childcare business education and guidance for necessary certifications, financial literacy, and safety of taking care of other children.

“And we’ve seen several child care is open in the last 24 months that within 12 months of operation have then closed. And so that’s the idea of bringing this coach in is to answer questions, help people prepare to go through the process. Also, there’s going to be some curriculum, some, I don’t like to use the word curriculum, but some classes that they can do to help them be better prepared and have a more successful business.” – Iola Brubaker, Director, Copper Country Great Start Collaborative

Tonight Copper Country Great Start Collaborative will host the first of three Start Small Open Houses in the community for those interested in starting an in-home childcare business. The groundbreaking mentorship program hopes to close the childcare gap to alleviate some pressures in the community. The first open house will take place at the South Range Elementary School beginning at 5 pm. Those interested in learning more about Start Small and the Copper Country Great Start Collaborative can find more details here. Below you can find a list of Start Small open house dates, times, and locations.

• Tuesday, February 27^th from 5:00pm-6:30pm at South Range Elementary
 • Wednesday, March 6^th from 3:30pm-5:00pm at Keweenaw Community Foundation office in Hancock
 • Thursday, March 7^th from 1:00pm-2:30pm at Keweenaw Coffee Works in Calumet