Outcomes That Move Communities Forward
Business of Child Care helps communities move from awareness to action, delivering measurable results that strengthen workforce participation, support families, and build long-term economic stability.
Impact Snapshot
communities engaged across multiple states
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new licensed child care slots created
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existing slots strengthened or retained
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additional slots in development through facility and feasibility planning
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provider organizations supported, including more than 100 stabilized through direct consulting
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Communities in Action
Completion of Stages 1, 2 and 3
From early conversations to fully implemented solutions, these communities demonstrate how structured strategy leads to measurable outcomes.
Moultrie County, Illinois
Jackson County, North Carolina
Crawford County, Illinois
Moultrie County, Illinois
In partnership with Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development, Moultrie County advanced from early readiness to measurable results over a two-year period.
- Challenge: The county faced a significant shortage of licensed child care, low participation in quality programs, and limited support for providers. These gaps constrained workforce participation and strained families.
- Plan: Beginning in 2022, leaders developed and activated a Child Care Solutions Plan focused on expanding capacity, strengthening providers, and aligning funding.
- Action: The community implemented targeted strategies including provider expansion, quality engagement efforts, and development of new family child care capacity.
- Outcome: By early 2025, 56 new licensed slots were created, quality participation increased from 18 percent to 83 percent, and more than 100 additional slots were in development.
Website: Moultrie County Kids
Jackson County, North Carolina
Jackson County demonstrates how a community moves from alignment into active implementation with new infrastructure models.
- Challenge: Growing demand, limited capacity, and geographic gaps created barriers for families and employers.
- Plan: County leaders developed a Child Care Solutions Activation Plan aligned to workforce pathways, provider support, and rural facility models.
- Action: The community advanced into implementation, including development of a four-unit FlexPlex within the Webster Early Education Center.
- Outcome: New capacity projects are underway, with providers engaged and a scalable model positioned to expand licensed supply.
Website: Jackson County, NC
Crawford County, Illinois
Crawford County reflects a full-cycle effort from early engagement through facility development and activation.
- Challenge: Workforce growth increased demand while existing supply and infrastructure fell short.
- Plan: Beginning in 2022, leaders launched a countywide strategy focused on stabilizing providers and creating new capacity.
- Action: The community advanced provider supports, built a local organization, and developed a new early education center.
- Outcome: A 120-slot child care center opened in Spring 2025, with continued expansion of family providers and a stronger countywide system.
Website: Crawford County Kids
How Communities Progress
Business of Child Care supports communities through a clear progression from understanding to implementation.
Stage 1: Understanding Impact
Building awareness, shaping conversations, and helping leaders understand child care as essential infrastructure.
- Shaping the Conversation
We work with leaders to position child care as a workforce and economic issue. Through facilitated discussions and presentations, communities move from general concern to shared understanding. - National and Regional Leadership
Our work has been featured at national and regional events, including the 2026 Next Move Group National Economic Development Conference in New Orleans. These engagements help leaders connect child care to workforce strategy, housing, and long-term growth. - Ongoing Insights and Engagement
Through virtual events and public content, we highlight current challenges, emerging trends, and practical solutions that communities can apply locally. - Early-Stage Guidance
Communities receive early guidance to understand local impact, assess opportunities, and identify realistic pathways forward.
Stage 2: Building the Plan
Communities moving from alignment into structured planning, partner coordination, and investment readiness.
Henderson County, North Carolina
Hermosa, South Dakota
Springfield, Minnesota (SEEA)
Paris, Illinois
Henderson County, North Carolina
- Challenge: Persistent staffing shortages and financial instability limited providers’ ability to meet growing demand and weakened workforce stability.
- Plan: County leaders and partners advanced a strategy focused on workforce stabilization, including wage supports, professional development, and coordinated provider engagement.
- Action: The community engaged providers and stakeholders to define priorities, align resources, and implement workforce support strategies.
- Outcome: Stabilization efforts are underway, strengthening provider capacity and positioning the county to move into broader implementation.
Website: Henderson County Government
Hermosa, South Dakota
- Challenge: Families faced significant gaps in access, with no sustainable model to meet local demand.
- Plan: Developed a right-sized child care strategy aligned to the scale and needs of the community.
- Action: Community leaders engaged schools and civic partners to define priorities, identify feasible solutions, and align local support.
- Outcome: The plan has been adopted, with leadership aligned and actively preparing for implementation.
Springfield, Minnesota (SEEA)
- Challenge: Provider retirements created risk for long-term capacity and access to care.
- Plan: Established the Springfield Early Education Association to serve as the local structure for recruitment, coordination, and system support.
- Action: The organization began building provider pipelines, coordinating community engagement, and developing support strategies.
- Outcome: A local leadership structure is in place, with recruitment and provider support efforts actively advancing.
Website: City of Springfield, Minnesota
Paris, Illinois
- Challenge: Licensed supply was significantly below demand, with added barriers for families needing nontraditional-hour care.
- Plan: Designed and launched the Paris Area Child Care Start-Up Support Program to recruit new providers and expand capacity.
- Action: Community leaders initiated provider outreach, program design, and alignment with employer needs to support new program entry.
- Outcome: Implementation is underway, with new providers entering the pipeline and expanded capacity in development.
Website: City of Paris, Illinois
Stage 3: Activating Solutions
Communities implementing projects, opening facilities, and stabilizing providers to deliver measurable child care capacity and long-term sustainability.
Beresford, South Dakota
Mapleton, Minnesota – Child Care House
Northfield, Minnesota (Hosted Spaces Model)
Yadkinville, North Carolina – EarlyEd FlexPlex Model
Langlade County, Wisconsin
Beresford, South Dakota
Challenge: The community faced limited child care capacity and needed solutions aligned to its size, workforce demands, and rural market conditions.- Plan: Community leaders developed a strategy focused on diversified capacity, provider recruitment, and coordinated investment, including formation of a local structure to guide implementation.
- Action: The community has launched a structured deployment that includes hosted spaces for near-term expansion and development of a long-term facility model, supported by funding alignment, operator recruitment, and program coordination.
- Outcome: An 18-month implementation phase is underway, positioning the community to bring new capacity online, establish multiple providers, and build a sustainable child care system.
Mapleton, Minnesota – Child Care House
Challenge: The community had no available licensed child care capacity, limiting options for families and constraining workforce participation.- Plan: Community leaders advanced a Child Care House model to deliver a right-sized, turnkey facility aligned to rural market conditions.
- Action: The project moved through funding, design, and construction, creating a fully license-ready environment for a new provider.
- Outcome: The Child Care House opened in January 2026, bringing new licensed capacity online and establishing a replicable rural infrastructure model.
Website: Mapleton Child Care House
Additional Links:
Northfield, Minnesota (Hosted Spaces Model)
Challenge: Prospective providers were ready to enter the market but lacked access to licensed, affordable space, while existing community assets remained underutilized.- Plan: Local partners developed a hosted-spaces model to convert unused classrooms into licensed family child care environments.
- Action: Classrooms were renovated and paired with provider recruitment, training, and business support to enable new program launch.
- Outcome: 24 new licensed slots were created, new providers launched, and a scalable model was established for other communities.
Website: Northfield Childcare Partnership
Website: Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
Website: Three Rivers Community Action
Yadkinville, North Carolina – EarlyEd FlexPlex Model
Challenge: A significant gap between child care demand and available supply, including limited options for nontraditional work schedules.- Plan: Community leaders advanced a FlexPlex model to create a multi-unit facility supporting independently operated small child care businesses.
- Action: The concept was refined, funded, and advanced locally, with facility planning and development led by regional partners.
- Outcome: Groundbreaking is scheduled for May 2026, with the project positioned to deliver new licensed capacity aligned to local workforce needs.
Website: Shallow Ford Foundation
Langlade County, Wisconsin
Challenge: Three child care centers faced potential closure due to financial and operational instability, threatening immediate loss of capacity.- Plan: County leaders partnered to implement Stability and Growth programming focused on financial modeling, operational support, and sustainability planning.
- Action: Providers engaged in structured business support, including cost modeling, staffing strategies, and operational adjustments.
- Outcome: All three centers stabilized, preserving existing licensed capacity and strengthening long-term viability for families and employers.
Website: Langlade County EDC
Regional and Multi-County Impact
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF)
From 2019 to 2024, work across 20 counties strengthened providers, developed infrastructure strategies, and increased recognition of child care as economic infrastructure.
Website: www.smifoundation.org
Initiative Foundation (IF)
From 2020 to 2024, work across 14 counties supported provider sustainability through technical assistance, business tools, and community strategy.
Website: www.ifound.org
Itasca Area School District Collaborative (IASC)
Through 2024, collaboration redesigned early education delivery with cost modeling, planning, and stakeholder alignment, creating a foundation for long-term progress.
Website: www.isd318.org
What This Means for Your Community
Wherever your community is, whether understanding the challenge, building a plan, or implementing solutions, Business of Child Care brings proven frameworks and measurable results to move the work forward.