A new childcare center in the Keweenaw Peninsula will help close the need in the community. On Friday Gabby Hodges opened her new childcare facility, Gabby’s Guppies in Hancock. The space will open, fully licensed, and care for 43 kids in the Copper Country.
After Gabby Hodges lost her child’s care provider a couple years ago she started her own in-home childcare center. Gabby’s Guppies is one of the first childcare providers to work with the Start Small Build Your Childcare Business program with the Copper Country Great Start Collaborative. Hodges began working with Start Small Coach Abby Carlson around October last year toward state licensing to become a larger childcare provider in the area.
But she got us in contact with a bunch of local community people that wanted to grant into our business to make it be what it needs to be. There’s a huge gap in our community for childcare. Currently we have 95 kids on our wait list. There’s a lot of different companies that have been trying to get through our door. – Gabby Hodges, Director, Gabby’s Guppies
And so it was really like one of the main motivators we had with this building because we knew it was so big and we know that that’s one of problems with getting a child care going is having enough space and having it be licensable in the way that the state requires. – Sara Lahti, Secretary, Hancock Community Hub
Earlier in the year CCGSC Director Iola Brubaker noted the need for childcare provider in the Keweenaw Peninsula has continued to rise since reporting to the Houghton County Commission in 2022 the need for 500 new slots. The County was able to earmark 200,000 dollars of ARPA funds for childcare solutions.
Solutions for childcare needs in the Copper Country have happened through community effort. Gabby’s Guppies is a large example of the community coming together. Hodges added support from the Hancock Community Hub, contractors, the Great Start Collaborative, and Copper Shores kept her motivated throughout the set-up process.
They’ve been so supportive and just me being like, hey, I’m in over my head, I need someone to vent to. There’s been so many people within this building that are just down to earth and kind and that want to see the community do better. – Gabby Hodges, Director, Gabby’s Guppies
So yeah, it’s been a lot of excitement. We’ve seen it from the beginning where it was filled with nursing supplies and, you know, kind of hauling out boxes all the way to today where you see all the toys. And yeah, it’s just, it’s a good day. – Sara Lahti, Secretary, Hancock Community Hub
Hodges says she hopes to see her business continue to grow and address the need for childcare. The Start Small:Build Your Childcare Program aims to address a need for more than 500 additional slots in Houghton County. The free mentoring program helps guide potential in-home or facility providers through Michigan’s licensing process. Learn more about Gabby’s Guppies and the Start Small Build Your Childcare Business program with the Copper Country Great Start Collaborative online.
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