Floodwood (MN) Responds to Child Care Crisis Though Partnerships

When three of the four family child care providers in the Floodwood, MN, area closed down within a year, the community was in trouble. 

The town of 500 people one hour west of Duluth needed a solution. It had become a child care desert – a place where the number of child care slots in the community couldn’t meet current or future needs. 

“We knew we had to do something,” said Danielle Larva, board president of Polar Cubs Childcare Center. “We had to find a way to help our community meet what we all knew was a desperate need.” 

It was 2021 and the community was emerging from the pandemic. Parents were returning to work but child care simply wasn’t available. “We’re a low-income area and many parents work part time, but they still need someplace for their children to be while they work,” Dani said. 

Dani and other child care advocates started their quest for a solution with St. Louis County Commissioner Mike Jugovich. They were looking for any potential funding that might be available. 

Commissioner Jugovich shared some possible funding opportunities and also connected Dani and the group to a friend: First Children’s Finance Business Specialist Patricia Welsch. 

This introduction really jump-started the project. 

Patricia worked with Dani and the group in Floodwood to analyze the child care needs in the area and to determine exactly what type and size of center could meet those needs. Along the way, she also served as a mentor and a coach. 

“I had zero business background; I’m a nurse who had never taken a budgeting or business class in my life,” Dani said. “Working with Patricia I learned how to start a business, create a business plan, get funding, create startup and operating budgets, create a staffing plan, set rates, and even determine contingency plans if we didn’t meet our financial goals. 

“She was amazing!” 

But even with a solid plan in place, there were challenges. 

“The first big challenge was working with the school district. The plan was to rent space within the school, so we had to figure out with them how to do this for the first time,” Dani said. “We had to gain the trust of the School Board. We didn’t want them to just see us as a group of moms who wanted child care. We had to show them we had solid plans to move forward. It probably took a full year for them to believe in us, but it worked out.” 

And – as in many community projects – funding was a factor. St. Louis County and the Northland Foundation stepped in to help to provide enough resources for construction. 

“There were three key points when it became clear that this could happen,” Dani said. “When Patricia helped us identify that there were 45 children locally who needed care, we were able to build our case. Then we got enough funding to cover construction. Finally, we received a bid for the construction. This was going to happen!” 

In September 2024, the nonprofit Polar Cubs Childcare Center opened with capacity for 68 children. 

Looking back, Dani said community support and teamwork are really what made this happen.  

“My life verse right now is: Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisors they succeed. 

“Working with Patricia and FCF was critical. Having wisdom coming from someone who has worked in and managed a child care center made me know that we were going to be successful. 

“And our community was amazing. If it was just me, I probably wouldn’t have persevered. But with a team, we did it.”