Frequently Asked Questions
Our community has recently been the recipient of a childcare grant from the North Dakota Department of Commerce. A newly formed, non-profit corporation, Youth Opportunity Unlimited, Inc. has been created and a Board of Directors has been chosen to direct the planning, building and development of a childcare facility in Milnor. The membership of this corporation is the community of Milnor. Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions:
Who is on the Board of Directors and who do I contact with questions?
The Board of Directors is Nichole Kadoun, President; Tanner Martinson and Mitch Tompkins, Co-Vice President; LuAnn Ellefson, Secretary; Brooke Severson, Treasurer. The Chairman of Fundraising is Carol Peterson.
Why are we building a childcare facility?
At present there are no licensed daycares in Milnor city limits. The two daycares that are closest to the City of Milnor are at capacity and have waiting lists of families needing childcare. If our community is to prosper and grow, it is important to encourage services that will bring families to our town and keep existing families here. Some of the towns in Sargent County will grow in the next ten years and those that do not grow will start losing their Main Street businesses, their young people, their athletics, their school and their spirit.
Where will the facility be built, who will own the building and who will run the childcare center?
The City of Milnor has donated land on the south end of Main Street near the park. Youth Opportunity Unlimited, Inc. will own the building. The Board of Directors will manage the facility after it is built. The Board of Directors is working with several possible managers for the childcare business. Employees will be hired from the local area.
How large will the center be and what services will the childcare center offer?
The childcare center will be approximately 5,000 square feet and include areas for all ages of children up to 12 years. The Board of Directors plans to offer daycare, before and after school care, and full time preschool.
When will we be building and how much will it cost?
The building process began in August 2014 and is expected to be finished and ready for occupancy by March 16, 2015. The estimated cost of the building, fixtures, and equipment is $499,400.
Why are we asking for donations?
The childcare industry is an extremely low margin business. The State of North Dakota has decided to partner with communities by offering grants to help build daycares. It is our responsibility to raise the remaining funds to support a childcare business in our community and encourage reasonably priced daycare for families. Please partner with us, Youth Opportunity Unlimited, Inc. to strengthen our community so it may grow and thrive.
Help us by considering a tax deductible donation to this worthy cause. Please write your check to the "Youth Opportunity Unlimited, Inc." with a notation in the memo of "daycare project". If mailing, send to Youth Opportunity Unlimited, Inc. at PO Box 5; Milnor.
Thank you very much for your help.
Important Facts about Childcare in Milnor
- The City of Milnor does not have a licensed daycare.
- Two of the three rural licensed rural daycare providers have waiting lists.
- Two of the three licensed rural daycare providers plan to retire or change careers in the near future.
- Carol Peterson, Milnor Economic Development Coordinator, Mayor Hap McCleery, the City Council and Donna Johnson have all encouraged and worked with individuals trying to persuade private enterprise to start new daycares to no avail because of the limited profitability.
- Town hall meetings have been held to get input from parents and employers in the Milnor area.
- A survey of parents has shown a need for more childcare in our area.
Do we really need childcare?
Childcare in our community is crucial to allow families the flexibility to live and work in the Milnor area. Offering daycare services, preschool and before and after school childcare aids not only families, but also employers. The Milnor community will be a more desirable location for young families already here, and individuals and families considering moving to Milnor. It will allow our community and school to grow. We have held town hall meetings and have done surveys. The response is overwhelming that we do need daycare. We have two daycare providers living in the country that have plans to retire/change careers. These daycare providers have waiting lists of families looking for daycare. Also a number of families take their children out of the area, but would prefer to have their children closer to home (bad roads in winter, etc) and want their children socializing with the kids that will eventually become their classmates in the Milnor School District.
This seems like a problem for parents – shouldn’t the parents take care of this problem?
Yes, it is a parent’s problem; however without childcare our community cannot attract young people to our town or keep the young people already here. This will have an effect on our entire community as we will not be able to attract new businesses (employees need childcare) and real estate values will suffer. We all want our property values to increase and hold down costs in the community. If we are growing and attracting new people to our community, our community will have more value – it is a never ending cycle whether you are growing or declining. Once we begin a decline we will all be losing out. Our school system will also suffer. If we want our community to grow, if we want to sustain our school and keep sports and school spirit alive we must have services available for young families and encourage growth. The children are our future.
Do we need full time preschool?
In the past, sending your child to preschool was a decision made mostly to socialize children to their peers prior to the start of Kindergarten. Over the years the grade level expectations have continued to increase and the State of ND has now gone away from State Standards and adopted the Common Core Curriculum that most states across the United States have adopted. This is a way of making standards consistent throughout the country. With these standards, we have seen a huge leap in the expectations of our children at each grade level. For many children to be successful at the Kindergarten level, they may need some form of early childhood education prior to the start of Kindergarten. Preschool has become a very important service to help children if they are to be successful and keep pace with their class.
Private enterprise should take care of this problem shouldn’t it?
We totally agree – private enterprise always works best. However Carol Peterson, Milnor Economic Development Coordinator, Mayor Hap McCleery, the City Council and Donna Johnson have all encouraged and worked with individuals trying to persuade private enterprise to start new daycares. They have worked on this effort for two years with no success. Understand that many people do not want to have a daycare in their home. If a spouse works a 2ndshift, daycare in the home doesn’t work well and many people do not want the 3 high chairs, numerous toys, potty chairs and all the other things that become a part of their living space. Childcare is an all encompassing business that takes up a lot of room in a home. It doesn’t always work for all families. It is also a very high stress job and not everyone is interested in working from their home with no relief help and no time off.
Why do we want a daycare if it isn’t a money making endeavor?
The childcare center will be a service to our community. This would be very similar to the swimming pool or the MACC. These facilities are not money making endeavors, but add to our community, making it a more enjoyable place to live. Having a reliable daycare service for employees makes for a more productive and skilled workforce, hence more profitability for area employers. This is being recognized across the country with many large businesses adding their own daycare centers.
Why doesn’t the State of North Dakota or the City of Milnor do more?
Fortunately the State of North Dakota and the City of Milnor already have. The State has committed to giving Milnor a grant for $187,500 to build a childcare center. The State had 77 applications for childcare and only 22 applications were approved. Our community was one of those 22. The City of Milnor is giving the land and free water/sewer/garbage for the first two years to help get the business up and growing.
Is Milnor growing – are other businesses investing in our community?
Milnor is growing …………….. In the last 10 to 15 years we have seen the building of 10 new commercial buildings - Erickson Farm, Sheyenne Veterinarian Clinic, Dahlstrom Funeral Home, Sakry’s Plumbing, U-Store-It, Dakota Plains Co-op, Buskohl Construction, Lakeview Golf Course cart storage, and the Milnor Harris Lunneborg Airport has a new hanger and terminal.
First National Bank, Lakeview Golf Course, Side Street Saloon, Crossroads, and Bison C-Store and Motel have all seen major renovations. Milnor Grain has added onto their existing facility with additional storage capacity of 2.7 million bushels and added a second grain receiving facility.
The City has created a Renaissance Zone with 44 completed projects, with an additional 6 in process, annexed 24 acres into our community, added new sidewalks and handicap accessibility, created berms/dikes for flood protection, and planted over 250 trees. In 2006, all new sewer infrastructure was completed, which with the 1991 water project, has taken care of Milnor’s basic infrastructure needs.
In the last 10 to 15 years our community has added 32 apartments and 40 new homes with 17 in the Renaissance Zone (RZ) area and an additional 23 new homes outside the RZ area.
Our award winning Fire Department acquired new equipment, including a fire truck, tanker truck, tracked vehicle and extrication equipment. The Ambulance Dept has recently purchased a 2014 ambulance.
The Satre Memorial Library, which is open to the public but is strategically located next to the school, has begun using the latest technology by scanning books in and out using a bar code system, with automatic emails sent when books are overdue.
In the last 10 to 15 years, the Park District has built a new pool, skateboard park, basketball court, picnic shelters, added playground equipment and improvements have been made to the softball field backstop and dugouts. Freedom Park was built on Main Street which includes a gazebo, a variety of trees and a monument recognizing the veterans from our community. This facility is frequently used throughout the summer for community functions, as well as by the school for Homecoming coronation and a “Meet the Bison/Bulldogs” each fall.
What is the cost of this facility and will it be difficult to raise the funds?
The estimated cost for the daycare is $499,400. We have received a grant commitment from the State of North Dakota for $187,500 and a commitment from Bison Boosters for $50,000 (to be received over a five year time span). We have been fundraising within the community since early 2014 and have raised just over 90% of the money needed for this project. We are proud that the community has a strong vision for the future and sees the need for daycare and preschool in Milnor.
Who will build the daycare? Why is it so large?
We will use local contractors for all work on the daycare. North Dakota has some of the highest standards for childcare. They want the very best interests of care and safety for children. We must go by regulations set up by the State of North Dakota for the number of square feet required for the children for indoor and outdoor space. The childcare center will be licensed for up to 49 children. This will include not only daycare, but before and after school care and preschool.
How will you recognize donors?
All donors have the option to have their name listed on the Children’s Caring Wall, which is a designated page on the YOU Website. Only names as designated by the donor are listed. No donation amounts are listed.
All donors giving donations of $25,000 or more have the option to have their name listed on a plaque that will be located at the YOU daycare building.
I can’t afford to give a donation – how can I help?
We are glad you are interested in helping us. Do you think you could make a small donation….say $100? Would you be interested in helping with prepping the daycare such as putting up fencing, landscaping, clean up, donating gravel or fill, professional services, hauling services, etc? We can add your name to a list of individuals that want to help us.
Who do we write a check to and is it tax deductible?
Youth Opportunity Unlimited, Inc. has a 501 (c) 3 designation from the IRS. All donors’ gifts for the daycare project can be itemized as a donation on your federal income tax. Checks can be written to Youth Opportunity Unlimited, Inc.
What is Youth Opportunity Unlimited, Inc. (YOU) and what is its purpose?
Youth Opportunity Unlimited, Inc. is a non-profit corporation. The purpose of the corporation is –
- The organizations is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
- To encourage growth and learning for children and youth in the Milnor community through childcare services and activities for children.
- To encourage growth and learning by leasing or operating a childcare facility and employing personnel and staff that provides daily care for children in a safe, dependable, affordable, secure and nurturing environment.
- To encourage growth and learning by operating a preschool program for children.
- To facilitate programs for children and youth in our community, encouraging opportunities to grow socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically in a supportive environment by forming partnerships with parents to compliment their role.
- To own, buy, sell, mortgage or lease real estate, to construct buildings thereon that will be instrumental in encouraging the development of programs, services and activities for children and youth.
- To join with, initiate, encourage, assist and enter into agreements for cooperative relationship with any persons, firms, associations or corporations, governmental, municipal or otherwise, in and about the establishment or expansion of enterprises herein.
- To engage in any charitable or educational activity not prohibited by law and to do all other acts necessary to effectuate the foregoing purpose.
