Drop off routine for Dara Jones and her boys includes some hugs and kisses at the door of their rooms at Iron Range Tykes Learning Center in Mt. Iron.

The family lives in Tower, which is about 30 minutes away.

Owen, who is 4, has been there since he was 9 weeks old. His brother, River, is 20 months. They had to wait for a spot to open up, to get him in.

Dara is a social worker with St. Louis County, and knows the importance and value of good child care. “I see it all the time in my personal life and professional life, how challenging it is to find accessible care. The cost is so high,” she said. “Children are our greatest asset.”

Yet, the providers like Iron Range Tykes are struggling as well, with unfunded mandates and over-regulation.

That’s according to Shawntel Gruba, who loves running Iron Range Tykes. “I definitely feel more momentum,” she said, of people paying attention at the legislature. “We want to be valued.”

Ideally, she said, the state would provide some funding. And not just grants for start up centers, but money to support existing centers.

That’s the message they’ll push at the Day Without Child Care, which is coming up on Monday, March 3rd. Iron Range Tykes and others will close for the day, to send the message that change is necessary.

Last year, they went down to the capital. This year, they’re doing something different. They’ll be holding signs over the Highway 169 bridge in Virginia after a press event on the third.

There is also a National Day Without Child Care. https://www.communitychangeaction.org/what-we-do/child-care-health-equity/childcare-changemakers/day-without-child-care/