Residents and providers urge St. Louis County to invest in child care

Dozens of parents, early-education teachers and child-care providers told the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 26, 2025, that the county’s child-care system cannot meet demand and urged commissioners to allocate ongoing operational funding in the county budget.

Courtney Greiner, who works with child-care providers across St. Louis County, said the current system "was never built to sustain the level of care our economy now demands" and called child care "economic infrastructure." Greiner told the board many centers operate in buildings "no one else wants or can use," struggle for limited funding and rely on personal savings to make payroll.

The plea for county investment drew similar testimony from classroom teachers, center directors and parents. Abby Adamic, a toddler teacher in Duluth, said bluntly, "I can't afford to stay in it," and described choosing another career path because early-childhood pay is not enough to cover rent and groceries. Kaylee Spencer, executive director of Lakeside Early Learning, said the center has space to expand but cannot because of deferred maintenance and staffing…