It’s being touted as a unique partnership to fill a growing need.
The Missouri Valley Family YMCA of Bismarck has partnered with Sanford Health, CHI-St. Alexius and Basin Electric Power Cooperative to provide day care services to their employees.
“We have a big, big deficit in the community," said YMCA CEO Bill Bauman. "And they have a great need for attracting and retaining employees.”
Bauman says the Y has purchased the former Rasmussen College building – and will convert it to a licensed child care facility. He says it will provide 240 slots to the three partners.
“We realize we're not the experts in this," said Basin's Mike Eggl. "We realize the Y is the expert in this. They are the number one child care provider in the country. They have the expertise, they have the staff, they have the know-how.”
Sanford chief financial officer Kirk Cristy says this will also open up slots at other day care centers in Bismarck-Mandan.
“Right now, somewhere between 25 and 40 percent of the need for child care in the Bismarck-Mandan area is all that's being met," said Cristy. "This is an effort to respond to a rapidly growing community.”
Bauman says the Y will be hiring 90 people to staff the new day care facility – which is scheduled to open February first.
