WomenVenture, which counsels and loans money to female-owned businesses, was awarded a $375,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation to establish a pilot program to help establish cooperatively-owned 24-hour day care businesses in low-income areas.
The Twin Cities has high demand for reliable, affordable day care, especially for night-shift workers, and there are skilled day care workers who would like to own their own business but lack the means, according to WomenVenture. The program will allow day care professionals to pool resources and run a sustainable business.
CEO Elaine Wyatt of WomenVenture said: “This grant allows us to take that knowledge and expertise to create an entrepreneurial pathway for women who are interested in starting cooperatively-owned day cares and, in the process, serve the needs of low-income working families.”
