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Committee urges council to pursue childcare supports and state RWIP funds amid workforce concerns
Summary
The committee voted to forward recommendations to City Council encouraging use of state RWIP grants and exploration of local matching grants to expand childcare capacity, citing childcare shortages as a key workforce constraint and reporting nearly $1.75 million in state childcare funding used by area providers in recent years.
The Economic Development Plan Review Committee on May 9 voted to advance recommendations to City Council aimed at addressing childcare shortages tied to workforce constraints, asking staff and partners to pursue state Regional Workforce Improvement Program (RWIP) funding and to explore whether local grants could complement state funding.
Committee member Tyler moved to forward the item; the motion was seconded and the committee approved it. The motion specifically directed staff to note that other communities are using RWIP and similar state programs for larger childcare facilities and to consider local grant options to expand capacity.
Mark, representing local economic development outreach, told the committee that businesses and childcare providers in the Minot area secured roughly $1,750,000 in state-funded childcare support over the last three years. He said about half of that total was in the form of loans or low-interest financing, and the remainder included grant funding. Mark listed local providers that had used that funding or been involved in the effort: The Learning Tree, Midwest Montessori, Little Bee's Daycare, Star City Learning Center, Kiddie Corral 2 and Heart of America Medical Center.
Staff and committee members discussed what RWIP dollars typically pay for: Mark and staff said the state program has been used primarily to expand physical capacity (building or renovating space) rather than for wages; wage supports are handled differently. Committee members agreed that navigating the overlapping state and local programs is time consuming for small operators and that additional local matching grants — if funded from an existing economic development or small-business bucket — could help providers access state dollars and add slots.
Committee members also flagged regulatory and market challenges: some suggested reviewing state licensing requirements or other administrative barriers that raise costs or slow openings; others noted that childcare is a low‑margin business and that many center operators need assistance with capital and staffing to expand.
The committee approved the recommendation to send the childcare and workforce language to council; members said funding for any local grant program would need to be identified among existing city economic development buckets.
