Friend Learning Center gets creative to end childcare crisis in rural Nebraska

FRIEND, Neb. (KLKN) – A childcare crisis spans across the state of Nebraska, and rural communities are being hit the hardest.

In November 2023, the largest childcare provider in Friend had to shut down due to financial difficulties and an inability to hire and retain quality providers.

That void left about 99 kids without access to quality childcare.

To fill that void, the Friend Learning Center is transforming two vacant hallways at the Friend Community Hospital into classrooms.

Katie Spohn, President of the Friend Learning Center, said the empty space presented an opportunity for the town to get creative with childcare.

“Largely, it was only the emergency room that was being utilized,” said Spohn. “That freed up a lot of space within the hospital for other opportunities for economic expansion.”

The learning center will house four separate licensed family home centers, and will have the capacity for 48 kids — ages 6 months to 12 years.

“I said goodbye to my grandma in one of the rooms that will be a classroom,” Spohn said. “Now, maybe one day, getting to see my grandchildren in those rooms is so meaningful and is one of the reasons I get up every morning to push to make sure this gets done.”

The Nebraska Children and Families Foundation has been working with officials in Friend to attract local childcare providers and keep kids close to home.

Marti Beard, Vice President of early childhood programs at the foundation, said a big issue is parents leaving the workforce due to the lack of childcare in the area.

“One problem that comes up is we cannot hire a candidate of choice and we have people leaving the workforce because of the lack of childcare,” said Beard. “Not just spots, but quality childcare. Places where families can feel that their children are safe, that they are learning, that they are nurtured and that they are meeting all those developmental milestones.”

Spohn said even with this new development opening its doors in August, there is still plenty of work to be done.

“The community is in a place where we are dying, and we don’t want to be in that position,” said Spohn. “We have a lot of proactive people in Friend, Nebraska, that want to invest and make this town better, and this is an important way in which we are able to do so.”