In 2016 Minnesotans were alerted to a serious lack of child care by the Center for Rural Policy and Development. Since then, there have been many efforts to work toward solutions. At
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
(SMIF), we have been supporting the communities in our
20-county region
through various programs and trainings.
In SMIF’s region alone, we have a potential need of more than 8,000 child care slots, according to a
2018 study
by First Children’s Finance. One of the areas where we have been able to work toward addressing the shortage is through our new
Communities Addressing the Child Care Shortage Program
. Albert Lea, Austin, Eagle Lake, Watonwan County and Wells were selected through a competitive application process and have been developing actionable plans to address local child care needs. Another way we are addressing the shortage is through providing quality training opportunities for child care providers. Our
Quality Child Care Program
and our Early Childhood Care Conference are important for ensuring current providers have opportunities for continuing education.
We know that change does not happen overnight, but we have seen positive results even in the past few years since this challenge came to the forefront. SMIF recently worked with the Minnesota Department of Human Services to award 14 grants to child care centers and family child care for “shovel ready” start-up and expansion projects, resulting in an increase of 548 slots in the region. This, and the programs mentioned above, give us hope that change will happen.
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Celebrating diversity in a small town
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Marta Zelaya moved to St. James, Minnesota in 1994 after fleeing a violent war in El Salvador. A town that has Scandinavian and German origins, St. James is now home to large populations of Latinos, many of whom moved there to work in the meat processing industry. With these changes, the town has experienced growing pains and, at times, divisiveness.
Zelaya and a group of both Latinos and Anglos received a $10,000
Small Town Grant
from SMIF two years ago to launch the Uniting Cultures/Uniendo Culturas organization. The group plans programs and events – from community meals to a popular town-wide “fiesta” – that bring people together and create a welcoming environment.
Uniting Cultures/Uniendo Culturas is now seen as a leader and advocate in the community and is largely positive about the future of St. James. The group recently received a second $10,000 Small Town Grant to plan for their future. The inclusivity that they strive for is apparent to people in town. “For the first time in 25 years we feel included in this community,” said Zelaya. “I feel like now we live up to the name, that we’re really uniting cultures.”
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Growing a mushroom farmer: one man's healing new career
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Efraim Cadriel joined the military in 1995 and served for nearly 19 years as a combat medic and x-ray technologist. When he returned from Afghanistan, he worked in the Mayo Clinic Health System as a nuclear medicine technologist. At first, he didn’t realize he was experiencing PTSD and depression, but eventually discovered his trauma was triggered by working at the hospital, and in 2016 retired from the medical field.
A few years ago, Efraim and his wife, Jessica, moved to 2.8 acres in Kasota, Minnesota. They enjoyed foraging for wild mushrooms throughout the area and were disappointed that their new property didn’t have any morels, a highly sought-after mushroom that only grows in the spring. Efraim started to research the possibility of growing morels on their property, and quickly became absorbed in learning about the mushroom-growing process.
The couple co-founded
EJ Mushrooms
- E for Efraim and J for Jessica – in 2018. They started growing Oyster, Chestnut and Lion’s Mane mushrooms, all of which are considered gourmet with medicinal properties.
They applied for a Grow a Farmer loan through SMIF which offers support for small scale, sustainable farmers in southern Minnesota. EJ Mushrooms used their loan to convert a detached garage into a year-round mushroom farm, in addition to purchasing necessary supplies.
As the business continues to grow, Efraim hopes that one day they will be able to employ other veterans who are dealing with PTSD. “I know what it is to be at the end of your rope and not have hope,” he said. “The program and the mushrooms have given me hope, and I want to share that message with people who have lost it.”
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Thank you to everyone who participated in our database clean-up! We appreciate your support as we transition to a new database in the coming months.
Also, congratulations to
Chuck Hunt
, winner of our $50 Visa gift card!
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Bergan Transport LLC,
Owatonna | Trucking
Phraze Inc
,
** Rochester | Automated medical scribe
Safe Rides,
Austin | Non-emergency medical transportation
*Grow a Farmer Fund
**Seed Fund Investment
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November 14
St. James
We know that the future of our next generation depends on the strength of our region's early care providers. That is why SMIF is offering this results-oriented training to all area family child care providers.
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December 6 - 7
Rochester
Local food vendors will be in Rochester showing off their amazing products! The festival is open for the public to enjoy on December 7.
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Support Southern Minnesota's Future
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SMIF's
Love Where You Live
campaign will strengthen our region’s future. Won’t you join us in creating vibrant communities where more than 581,000 people call home?
Watch the video below to learn why John Peterson, FEAST! Marketplace exhibitor and SMIF Board Vice Chair, from Ferndale Market in Cannon Falls loves living in southern Minnesota.
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