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There’s no immediate solution for the Copper Country’s child care shortage, but progress is being made on at least one front.
At yesterday’s Houghton County Board of Commissioners meeting, Iola Brubaker from the Keweenaw Family Resource Center and Kim Salmi from Canal View reported that they’re working on a plan that could provide some relief.
The shortage and high cost of child care has been identified as a major factor in the area’s labor shortage. Brubaker and Salmi said Houghton County, alone, has 1,000 fewer child care slots than are needed.
The two organizations are working toward establishing a 70-slot child care center associated with Canal View. Salmi estimated that it could produce an additional 20 to 30 new staff members for the senior care facility, which has had trouble hiring staff because of the child care shortage. Priority would be given to Canal View employees, and perhaps to staff members of school districts, which are facing similar hiring challenges.
Additional funding would need to be found to underwrite the cost. If money is forthcoming, a center could be in place within the next couple of years.
Brubaker and Salmi promised the commission another update within the next several months.
In agenda business yesterday, commissioners reappointed Kathleen Johnson to the Copper Country Mental Health Board, and Karen Cooper the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission. The county has received a $10,000 grant to boost its recycling program. The money will be used for promotion, and a research study by the Michigan Tech Sustainability and Demonstration House to find ways to increase recycling in Houghton County.
