Minnesota
FCF’s Minnesota team is co-located in our national headquarters in Minneapolis, MN. As the oldest state office, the Minnesota team has developed alongside the national vision for our organization. Programs and services have been continuously been offered across Minnesota since our founding in 1991.
Today, Minnesota’s team members can be found in every region of the state, serving child care business clients and communities in rural areas, population centers and the Twin Cities metro area. Although the need for excellent child care exists in every community, the Minnesota team recognizes the need for a diversity of approaches to serve rural child care businesses, BIPOC entrepreneurs, and community partners.
Business Sustainability Services
FCF grows the supply and sustainability of excellent care. Our business development programs and services assist entrepreneurs to launch, stabilize, improve, and expand child care businesses. We approach child care leaders as entrepreneurs, increasing their capacity to start and operate financially sustainable child care businesses.
Child care businesses in Minnesota are eligible to participate in a variety of trainings, workshops, cohorts, and individual consultation at no cost.
We are offering a business sustainability series with varying approaches to child care based on your business.
Learn about FCF’s Impact in Minnesota in 2022 here
Our Services
Individual Business Consultation
Child Care Facility Revitalization Grant
Email us at InfoMN@firstchildrensfinance.org to inquire more about our services, learn more about the business sustainability model or how best we can serve you as an early child care business owner.
First Children’s Finance Community Projects
Check out this feature of work in Minnesota, showing how communities can grow their supply of child care with the right investment.
First Children’s Finance Cohorts
Interested in Business Leadership Cohorts? Watch this video to learn more about how a cohort can impact your child care business.
Rural Child Care Innovation Program
The Rural Child Care Innovation Program (RCCIP) is an innovative community engagement process designed to increase the supply of high-quality child care in rural communities. The purpose of RCCIP is to guide communities in identifying the scope and size of their child care challenges, and to empower and support communities to develop solutions to address these challenges.
Rural communities are selected through a competitive application process that will open in 2023.
Building Rural Child Care
Child care is an economic driver for rural communities across the United States but many communities are facing shortages of high quality child care. Funded by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, First Children’s Finance’s is working to increase the supply of rural child care across Minnesota. Our rural initiative is an innovative community engagement process designed to increase the supply of high quality affordable child care in rural communities.
FCF Releases Report on Status of MN Child Care Business
As one of the nation’s leaders in growing the supply and business sustainability of excellent child care, First Children’s Finance analyzed how the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the sector. FCF-Minnesota conducted surveys of child care business owners in 2021 and 2022 and is pleased to share its analysis of the findings in a new report, The New Normal is Not Enough: Minnesota’s Child Care Providers in Year 2 of the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond.
The New Normal is Not Enough: Minnesota’s Child Care Providers in Year 2 of the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond.
Meet Our Regional Team
Dana Ellingson
Michele Hutchinson
Huda Kahin
Linda Mathiasen
Susan Newell
