The Ripple Effect of Quality, Affordable Child Care

Ari Zaske loves spending time with her two little boys. Charlie is 3, and Noah is 1. They are creative and adventurous. Both love dirt and construction vehicles. They want to know how things work and like to build stuff.

“I’ve always loved little kids, and now having them in my house all the time is amazing. They have the coolest imaginations,” Ari said. “They like to pretend to be superheroes at home. They want to save the world.”

Their mom is something of a superhero herself. Ari is a member of the Hutchinson Child Care Coalition promoting and supporting child care businesses in an effort to increase child care slots in the Hutchinson area. To recognize her work, the Hutchinson Chamber named Ari Volunteer of the Year (after receiving a record number of nominations recommending her).

“Ari moves the needle. She focuses in and does what she says she will, and then some,” said outgoing Hutchinson Chamber President Mary Hodson. “Her ability to network and connect the dots and make things happen is so fun to watch. She really is making the difference for our child care coalition, which directly impacts our providers.”

Solving the child care shortage is a complex task, and the going can be tough. It’s especially challenging to know that comprehensive solutions take a long time. But Ari is optimistic, and she sees positive change.

“There are a lot of good things happening. We’re seeing different parts of the community come together in a way I think we haven’t before,” Ari said. “The need for child care is striking a lot of chords with a lot of people.”

Child care is key for Ari and her husband, Mark, who both have careers. The couple met when they were teenagers working together at the local Papa Murphy’s. To this day they critique each other’s pepperoni placement skills on homemade pizzas. They moved away for college, and eventually came back to town and settled into their careers. Now Mark works at 3M as a Multi-Skills Craftsperson who fixes machines. Or, “Mr. Fix-it” as he’s known at home.

Ari works as a real estate loan administrator at Citizens Bank & Trust Co. in Hutchinson. While she has a degree in literature, she’s always loved math and numbers and has worked in the banking industry for years. Jodi DeMeyer is a real estate loan officer at the bank and works with Ari to help homebuyers. She appreciates having Ari on the team.

“Ari is a benefit to have on the team because she is connected with her coworkers and works well with all departments. She also takes the initiative to research issues, learn something new and make changes as needed,” Jodi said.

Child care not only makes it possible for Ari and Mark to be employed but also empowers Ari’s contributions to the community. In addition to the child care coalition, she’s volunteered with Junior Achievement, the Hutchinson Ambassadors and the Jaycee Water Carnival. Mark has been super supportive of all these volunteer commitments, and so has Ari’s employer.

“I love what I do and having a workplace that supports the endeavors everyone is into is really unique and such a cool benefit,” Ari said.

Meanwhile, Noah and Charlie are pretending, learning and doing some teaching of their own at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. The church campus is home to a birth to school age child care center, which is open to members of the congregation as well as the community.

“I’m a person that needs a work life balance to be my best self. Child care is the workforce behind the workforce. Without child care providers, those of us with kids could not do what we do,” Ari said.

Watching her boys make new friends and grow together has been inspiring for Ari. Charlie’s can-do attitude helped a shy buddy’s confidence blossom. their shared experiences, including the milestone of potty training, have been a testament to their growing independence and the power of friendship.

“Those kinds of character-building skills are really hard to teach at home,” Ari said. “The things they learn from and teach their peers are endless.”

Hutchinson Child Care Coalition

Personal experience informs Ari’s commitment to finding quality child care solutions for everyone. When she and Mark were expecting Noah, Charlie’s child care closed suddenly in 2022. The closure was “so emotional,” with families scrambling to find an alternative. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church made a special waiting list for families affected by the closure, and luckily Zaske’s were able to send both their children there.

In the aftermath, Mary Hodson at the chamber reached out to First Children’s Finance about Rural Child Care Innovation Program (RCCIP). Hutchinson was accepted into the program and convened a local committee in August 2022. Mary called Ari to ask her to join the effort, and her answer was an enthusiastic yes.

“If we could make a difference through this process so other families and other kids don’t have to go through this, I definitely want to be a part of this,” Ari said.

Since 2014, 43 communities, 11 located in southwest Minnesota, have participated in RCCIP, which was previously named Greater Than MN (>MN). The program helps communities identify the scope and size of their child care challenges and empowers and supports them to develop right size solutions to address those challenges. RCCIP brought a much-needed spotlight to the child care shortage in Hutchinson. Over 18 months, a dedicated core committee collaborated with community members to address this pressing issue. First Children’s Finance conducted an analysis and identified that Hutchinson is short roughly 485 child care slots.

Inspired by the program’s momentum, the cohort formed the Hutchinson Child Care Coalition to sustain the progress made. The coalition was established as a chamber committee and has collaborated with the Hutchinson Economic Development Authority.

“Part of our mission is to give parents a choice,” Ari said. “No family should be forced to settle for whatever child care is available.”

In addition to traditional approaches including forgivable loans and grants for child care providers, one innovative project of the coalition is being part of the Harvest of the Month initiative, which introduces early care providers and the kids in their care to fresh produce, at no cost to the provider. Originally focused only on school-age kids, Hutchinson is part of a pilot to expand the approach to younger kids.

Currently, Harvest of the Month partners with 10 child care providers around the state, plus 18 providers just in Hutchinson – four centers plus 14 home-based providers. One fruit or vegetable is highlighted each week for kids to explore. In Hutchinson, child cares also received child safe knives with activities to engage kids in the process of food prep. Deliveries are all done by volunteers.

“Whenever we get shipments, it’s ‘Who can we get on deck to help deliver?’” Ari said. “It’s super cool. I love that my kids get to be a part of it. Both of them are super into cooking.”

Early wins like Harvest of the Month and the opening of a couple new child care programs thanks to the coalition’s funding are hopeful signs, but Ari knows they have just scratched the surface of what’s needed for sustainable changes.

“A lot of our goals are large and are going to take time,” Ari said, undeterred.

A regional partner for child care

Southwest Initiative Foundation has been a partner in the Hutchinson RCCIP and other efforts locally and across the region. Southwest Minnesota has an estimated 13,247 children under the age of five with all available parents in the workforce. According to First Children’s Finance, there is an estimated need for 4,891 additional child care slots in our region. Despite the critical need for early childhood services, the region has experienced a decline in the number of child care programs.

Although many communities are working to address this gap, the competitive nature of state funding, complex community planning and a limited pool of individuals interested in entering the child care industry highlight the urgent need for more robust solutions.

As part of our economic development work, SWIF is a trusted partner in addressing critical child care shortages in southwest Minnesota. In total, the foundation has invested more than $3 million in child care solutions including community planning, financing of local child care projects, investing in appreciation and professional development opportunities for early child care and education professionals, and collaborating with communities to ensure local child care solutions align with their needs.

SWIF also supports child care industry pathways for students, engages in public relations efforts, and advocates for public policies for the betterment of child care programs in the region.

“The foundation’s investments in child care have a ripple effect, strengthening families, boosting the local workforce and nurturing thriving communities,” said Briana Mumme, SWIF Economic Development Manager.

In Hutchinson, Ari is hoping those ripples continue and grow.

“It’s so much bigger than just me or just my family. I think about what the workforce and the child care options are going to look like when my kids have kids,” Ari said. “The time for real change is now, and if we don’t seize it, we’re going to miss our opportunity.”