Cook County child care providers adapting to new and familiar challenges

Maria Carlson has been a child care provider in Cook County since 2009, operating out of her home. She is one of several providers who help ensure parents can continue working while their children are too young to attend preschool.

Earlier this year, Cook County Children and Family Services Supervisor Nancie Deming told WTIP that the county still needed between 75 and 100 child care spots. The shortfall reflects a broader child care crisis affecting much of Minnesota.

“As a parent, I know how difficult it is to find child care. I’ve had both my kids on all the wait lists in the county, and had to get creative for several months at a time, trying to juggle a full-time job and child care,” Adrianna Brisson, board chair of Cooperation Station told WTIP, “and so it was important to me to help other families not be in that same predicament and keep another daycare option open and functioning for families.”

Cooperation Station reopened July 29 and hosted an open house earlier this month. However, the facility reopened under a different license, which reduced the number of available child care spots.

Multiple factors have affected the child care business in recent years, both for private in-home providers like Carlson and larger facilities such as Cooperation Station. The roster of providers has changed, and the local preschool offers parents an affordable alternative for children over age 3.

At ISD 166, preschool tuition costs up to $560 per month, while full-time day care can cost about $500 every two weeks, depending on the provider.

That price gap has pushed some providers to focus on caring for infants and toddlers, but state licensing rules strictly limit those numbers.

“If I’m running a smaller license, I can have two infants and one toddler. Or I can move up to a C2 license, which allows for two kids under two, including one infant,” Carlson told WTIP.

“Financially speaking, it is a little bit more challenging because you have a smaller roster than you used to,” Brisson said. “There’s a lot of people looking for infant care, and because you can only have one or two, that shortens how many you can have. Therefore, there’s a lot of infants that need care, but you have all these preschool spots that you can’t fill.”

To attract workers and manage licensing requirements, some facilities now operate on shorter weeks. Birch Grove’s Seedling program is closed on Fridays, while Cooperation Station is closed on Mondays. Pickup times also vary, ranging from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m., so parents patch together care between multiple facilities and providers.

“I do part-time care,” Carlson said, “so fitting a couple different kids into one licensing spot is sometimes what makes the roster fill.”

Both Cook County and the state have taken steps to support providers. Carlson and Brisson praised the county’s wage enhancement program for child care workers. The state also launched the Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program in 2023. In addition, a local child care mentorship group meets regularly to offer peer support.

Still, the rising cost of living has introduced new challenges.

“The cost of everything for child care providers has also gone up—supplies, food—and I think everybody is concerned about money,” Carlson said. “I’ve worked with a lot of different families in different situations, but yes, it has become a factor. This fall, the dip in enrollment was a little steeper than I’ve seen in past years.”

Despite those challenges, Carlson said she remains committed to helping families and providing consistent care.

“Their kids come in—I get a lot of hugs in the morning and snuggles,” she said. “We have our routines. I have a couple kids who like to sit down and read some books with me, and it starts their day off on the right foot. It kind of warms my heart.”

“As a parent’s perspective, a huge success is having a daycare that is that consistent,” Brisson said.  “You know you can count on them to be open and are there for your kids.”

WTIP’s Josh Hinke interviewed Adrianna Brisson and Maria Carlson in a roundtable conversation. The audio of that interview is below.

Josh Hinke October 27, 2025