Kandiyohi County with a territory of 800 square miles, and a population of approximately 42,510 is located west of the Twin Cities. Ethnically, Kandiyohi County is made up of 88.8% Caucasian, 11% Hispanic or Latino, and the rest are African American and Asian.

 

About 6.7%, or 2,850 of Kandiyohi County residents are age 0-4 years. Of those children, 44% live in households with income under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, and 17% are at or below the Federal Poverty Level.

 

The lack of affordable and available child care is a serious obstacle to sustaining employment for residents.  The child care shortage in Kandiyohi County is significant, with 1,553 child care slots needed to meet the current need. Through the Rural Child Care Innovation Program, the community is working towards creating sustainable solutions that increase the supply of affordable and high quality child care.