Growing Roots Early Learning Center Launches in Kalispell

In the last few years, administrators at Immanuel Lutheran Communities, an assisted living facility in Kalispell, have struggled to maintain a full staff of 300 employees as the nonprofit company follows a local and nationwide trend of a tight labor market.

Managers have been steadily ramping up their employee packages, offering standard benefits like health insurance and retirement funds, as well as expanding access to nontraditional perks, such as employee referral bonuses, free meals and on-site gym and pool access.

To further enhance those employee perks, Immanuel Lutheran recently launched the Growing Roots Early Learning Center, a licensed childcare center that will eventually accommodate 40 kids.

Using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, the childcare center launched in early October, providing care for kids at a temporary location on Whitefish Stage Road. Eventually, the nonprofit hopes to expand to a larger, permanent location in Kalispell that will accommodate between 75 and 95 kids.

Early Learning Center Director Leigh Ann Downie has been involved in conversations with the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce Child Care Task Force, where local childcare professionals and business owners have come together to try and meet the childcare demands for parents in the Flathead Valley.

With decades of experience and as an educator at Flathead Valley Community College, Downie has used her knowledge to bring childcare to Immanuel Lutheran on both the childcare side, as well as the business side of the industry.

“I think having somebody that knew the ins and outs of the industry was helpful,” Downie said. “I’ve been doing this since 1989 and that’s made it a little easier to navigate.”

Offering competitive wages to childcare providers has been a significant challenge for business owners who are trying to keep tuition down for parents. Since the Growing Roots Early Learning Center is attached to Immanuel Lutheran Communities, some of the funding is funneled from the assisted living center, allowing providers to earn between $16 and $20 an hour.

“I think that’s one of the big draws,” Downie said. “I think it’s going to be a big change for the early childhood industry in the valley because we have been able to bring employees in at a higher rate of pay.”

The early learning center currently offers childcare for infants at least eight weeks of age up to 5-year-old children for Immanuel Lutheran employees, who receive a $25 per day discount from the standard cost of care. Providers hope to eventually offer services to parents who work outside of Immanuel Lutheran.

According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), an estimated 6% of the state’s labor force relies on childcare arrangements to remain in the labor force, while a state survey reveals that 57% of businesses in Montana indicated a shortage of affordable childcare. In the same survey, 40% of business owners said the shortage was impacting their ability to recruit or retain qualified workers and 30% said inadequate childcare prevented the company from growing.

Talent Acquisition Specialist Jenna Marshall said there’s been more interest in working for Immanuel Lutheran when she tells potential employees about the childcare program. The company has struggled to fill positions ranging from nursing to food service in recent years.

“It definitely sparks more interest,” Marshall said.

In addition to Growing Roots Early Learning Center, more projects are in the works since the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce launched the steering committee last year, including programs with the Kalispell Public School District, Flathead Valley Community College, Light of Life Childcare and Gateway Community Center.

The Birds Nest Early Learning Village is in the process of expanding after receiving a Child Care Innovation and Expansion Grant along with ARPA funds. Owner Corrine Kuntz recently secured a new location on Financial Drive.

“Everyone’s trying really hard,” Downie said. “Unfortunately, there’s only so much space.”

Immanuel Lutheran Communities will host a public event at Growing Roots Early Learning Center on Oct. 24, which will include a food truck, opportunities to tour classrooms and to apply for open positions at the facility, located at 1295 Whitefish Stage Road in Kalispell.