Helping to Address the Childcare Crisis
I wanted to pass along some information about Norte you might be surprised to hear:
In 2022, our Summer Bike Camp’s registrations filled up in less than fifteen minutes. Our other camp locations in Glen Arbor, Suttons Bay, and Elk Rapids sold out within the next 24 hours.
On second thought, if you’re a parent, guardian, or childcare professional in northern Michigan, this probably doesn’t surprise you in the least.
Demand for childcare in our region is enormous. According to a 2022 report, northern Michigan is classified as a “childcare desert” and has the longest waiting list for childcare in the state. The problem is only getting worse, with one-third of all childcare providers closing their doors in the last three years.
While Norte can’t solve this problem alone, we’re stepping up as best we can. For the third year, we’ll be a licensed summer camp through the state of Michigan. In 2023, we’re more than doubling the number of Summer Program registration spots available - from 450 in 2022 to 1,080 in 2023.
We’re also maintaining our focus on serving low-income families across the region by holding back almost 10% of all of our summer program registration spots for kids in Big Brothers Big Sisters, Child and Family Services, Single MOMM, and more.
Since our inception in 2014, Norte has never turned away a single kid from our programs for financial reasons. Thanks to our Pacesetters, Monthly Donors, Business Champions, and regional foundations, our ability to offer scholarships to families in need is strong.
Our summer youth cycling programs offer kids of all ages the opportunity to explore their community, make new friends, build confidence in themselves, and enjoy life outdoors in northern Michigan. For their parents, our programs offer reliable, state-licensed, active-education programming to make work-life balance less during the summer months.
This is an enormous issue facing thousands of parents across the region. Thanks to your generous support, we’re doing everything we can to deliver exceptional programs for hundreds of kids who want to spend their summers learning and growing on bikes in 2023.
Thank you so much for believing that together we can take on challenges like this to make living and working in our area better for all.
This post was originally an email to our Pacesetters and Monthly Donors. Want to roll with Norte this summer? Get signed up!
