Fergus Falls, MN – On Wednesday (August 14th), U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar visited PioneerKids to experience the unique hybrid of daycare and assisted living facility.
PioneerKids is a daycare on the site of PioneerCare, providing accessible childcare for the employees of the facility while they work.
One of PioneerKids unique features is the intergenerational activities between the kids and the residents of the other PioneerCare facility.
Klobuchar met with Director of PioneerKids Lisa Votaw, PioneerCare Administrator Sara Watkins, and other staff and leadership from PioneerCare and received a brief tour of the facility.
The Senator was also joined by Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer and Lisa Workman, President of the Fergus Falls Chamber of Commerce.
Senator Klobuchar met with the kids and spent some time talking and connecting with them about their time at PioneerKids.
Senator Klobuchar (left) speaking with (in order of left to right) Lisa Votaw, Lisa Workman, and Mayor Ben Schierer. (Derek Sidian, KBRF Radio News)
Afterwards, the Senator held a roundtable with those in attendance and discussed the unique aspects of PioneerKids, how that model can work in both small and large businesses, and how changing childcare laws and pursuing pilot programs for hybrid childcare programs to adapt to a modern style of life can help workers, businesses, and towns.
Regarding PioneerKids model, Senator Klobuchar said, “The concept in general, of trying to build and share facilities, share things, even if it’s not solo daycare, I think is a really good idea. Because the employees can actually go back and forth between the two sides if there’s a need. It’s just more practical. It’s kind of building scale with two different populations.”
After the meeting, the group joined the kids outside and walked over to the PioneerCare Cottages, where Senator Klobuchar got to observe the kids spend some time with the residents before the rain shut down the activities.