Looking For Last-Minute Child Care? Here Are Some Options

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – As schools around Minnesota cancel classes for Wednesday due to the forecasted extreme cold, some parents are scrambling to find last-minute child care.

Luckily for those in the metro, there are dozens of options.

One of those is KinderCare, which has 48 locations around the Twin Cities. They open at 6:30 a.m., and the costs of last-minute care range from $40-$80.

Heather Shorey-Olson, who runs the KinderCare on Cedar Avenue in Bloomington, said she's often spoken to panicking parents who have to work when their kids suddenly have the day off from school.

"If they choose to bring their kids in, we're here for them," Shorey-Olson said.

Another option for parents is to have a nanny come to them. Sheri Poupard, the owner of Jack and Jill Sitting Services, is one of them, and she's ready to take calls 24-7.

"I'm expecting the phone to start ringing at 5, 6 o'clcok, as soon as it comes on the news that school's gonna be closed," she said.

Poupard has been dispatching nannies around the metro for 20 years, charging around $15 an hour for in home care.

Some large local employers also let parents work from home when a situation like extreme cold arises.

3M says that with manager approval employees are allowed to work from home. General Mills says it also offers employees flex-work options under such circumstances.

For others, it's probably a good idea to check with one's employer's human resources department, as some companies will pay for emergency child care.

Here is a list of emergency child care options:

KinderCare
Several Locations

New Horizons
Several Locations

Jack and Jill Sitting Service
1080 Jessie Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
651-429-2963

Nannies from the Heartland
5490 Balsam Lane
Minneapolis, MN 55442
763-550-0219
nanny1@nanniesheartland.com
www.nanniesheartland.com