Can an onsite daycare center help attract and keep workers at a senior living community in a competitive market?
Ecumen Detroit Lakes in Minnesota thinks so and is seeking a $50,000 grant from the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation to help its plans become a reality, according to Detroit Lakes Online. If the funding is approved, the center would be located in a currently “underutilized area” of the campus that would be renovated to meet daycare regulations, according to the website.
Katie Lundmark, the community’s executive director, said that children of Ecumen employees would have priority for enrollment at the center, which would be opened to the public to fill any remaining spaces. Once it is operating, Lundmark added, the hope is that the center would become financially self-sustaining.
“Having a stable daycare provider — it really makes a difference in your ability to be a successful employee,” she said, noting that she previously worked at an employer that offered onsite daycare.
Ecumen already offers an employee-funded grant program to help workers make ends meet, according to Detroit Lakes Online, and also has a scholarship program to help workers with school tuition.
From the February 01, 2017 Issue of McKnight's Senior Living
