U.P. county sees shortage of home childcare workers

CALUMET — There’s a shortage if home child care workers in the Copper Country. ABC 10’s Keweenaw Bureau Reporter Rick Allen has this story on what’s being done about it.

It’s a problem most parents face at some point, who will take care of my young child while I’m at work? In the Keweenaw area, many of those parents are finding their choices for licensed child care are few and far between.

The Copper Country Great Start Collaborative is encouraging interested residents to become a Licensed In–Home Child Care Provider.

CCGSC Parent Liaison Tessa Dvorak said, “I have families coming up to me all the time saying, ‘Help me! Where do I take my child? I’m going to have to quit my job. What do I do?’ We are here trying to support, not only these families who are looking for child care, but also the families who are looking to possibly start an in–home child care center.”

At a seminar at the Copper Country Intermediate School District, potential providers learned the basics of starting a child care business inside their own home.

Dvorak said, “Where to start is the biggest question, and it can be overwhelming. Try looking online—there’s a lot of information. So we wanted to break it down and make it simpler for people.”

If you missed the seminar, you can still find out how to get started by contacting the Keweenaw Family Resource Center.