Windom School Superintendent Jamie Frank told the Windom School Board on Monday that the community is facing a significant shortage of child care options, with an estimated need for 179 additional slots for children ages 5 and under.
The board discussed a possible solution during its work session, which also included a review of the proposed 2026-27 school calendar.
Child care shortage
Frank said First Children’s Finance, a nonprofit organization that helps rural communities expand child care, identified Windom and Bingham Lake as being short 179 child care slots for children ages 0-5.
“The need for child care is great in our community,” Frank said. “First Children’s Finance has identified that Windom (and Bingham Lake) is in need of 179 additional child care slots for ages 0-5. Windom’s Way Forward Committee has been working diligently on solutions and asks that the board consider approving the use of four classrooms at the Highland Early Learning Center to fulfill 50 to 70 of these slots.”
For more on this story, please see the story in the Jan. 28 edition of the Citizen.
