The Strib has a nice preview of the conference that offers some add'l context: www.startribune.com/child-care-h... 13/13

On the other hand, one person said their community leaders were people young enough to have young kids and they were on board right away. 12/13

One person said the key is to get "Bob" on your side. That's their nickname for a key leader in the rural community who holds a lot of sway. 11/13

The other thing I took away from the conference is that buy-in can be hard. One person said their community leaders denied child care was a problem. They had to wait for it to get bad enough before people were convinced. 10/13

There were examples of nonprofit groups providing space as well: St. Gabriel's Health in Little Falls has space for 2 providers in a vacant bldg. www.minnpost.com/greater-minn... And a new nonprofit started a child care center in Warroad www.warroadchildcarecenter.org. 9/13

Several people involved in the pods model said it's easier to get started because regulations are less stringent for small providers. Luverne went with a center because it wanted to serve more families. 8/13

Normally smaller providers operate out of their own home but there are lots of barriers: they have to be homeowners, costly upgrades to the home to meet state codes, disruption of family life. 7/13

These examples show two models. One is just a regular child care center. The subsidized space is what's different. The other is the "pod" model, where a bunch of small providers (10-14 kids) operate under 1 roof. 6/13

Luverne will provide space for a nonprofit-run child care center that can care for 186 children. www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/suc... 5/13

New Ulm offers space for 4 providers in a bldg the economic development agency bought: www.nujournal.com/news/local-n... 4/13

Stevens County offers space for 6 providers in a rowhouse it built with grants: stevenscountytimes.com/daycare-pods... 3/13

Hills subsidizes space for 3 providers in a bldg the city got through tax forfeiture: www.siouxfallslive.com/news/sioux-f... 2/13

I explored the issue earlier this year, and found most people concerned with foreign ownership are concerned with a handful of adversaries (e.g., China). Most foreigners buying US land are investors from friendly nations (the MI story mentions Canadians): www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2024... 2/2

Also check out my buddy Jeff's video about another State Fair poll that we conducted. x.com/MinneapolisF... 13/13