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ST. CLOUD U.S. Sen. Tina Smith met with child care leaders and providers Friday to talk about the toll of the pandemic on child care in Central Minnesota.
After touring the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge Friday morning, she arrived at Blooming Kids Care Center off West St. Germain Street to tour the facility and talk with owner Abdi Daisane.
Daisane s center is one of four Somali-owned child care centers in the St. Cloud area. In the pandemic, Daisane said he s seen a drastic drop in attendance.
Since opening in 2017 he said his center was usually fully booked, and sometimes the staff had to turn kids away. Now there s only around 30 kids and 8 employees in the space, a dramatic decrease from around 150 kids and 38 employees who would typically use the space before, he said.
Rural Minnesota facing child care deserts as pandemic makes bad situation worse
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Rural Minnesota facing child care deserts as pandemic makes bad situation worse
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