Unique Partnership in rural Minnesota Addresses Childcare Shortage

PERHAM, MN April 21, 2023 – KLN Family Brands, makers of NutriSource Pet Foods ® pet foods and snackable family favorites like Wiley Wallaby ® and Sweet Chaos®, announced today it has partnered with Perham Health and Children’s Corner Learning Center to launch a daycare initiative for its employees. The new partnership uniquely combines a privately-owned family business, a public entity, and a non-profit to combat a documented childcare shortage across Minnesota.

After months of research and planning, the partnership will offer dedicated childcare spots specifically to KLN Family Brands and Perham Health employees. Both organizations recognize the necessity of improving daycare access in order to recruit and retain staff and hope this venture will help achieve that.

“This is a project we’ve been working on behind the scenes for quite some time,” said Marni Moch, Wellness Coordinator of KLN Family Brands. “In speaking with our employees, we knew they were struggling to find daycare openings. As a proud people-first company, we knew we had to think outside of the box and think “big” in terms of what an opportunity like this could mean for families in need. This exciting partnership is just another way we can better the world by caring for others.”     

“This is just a start - we hope to continue to provide expanded options in the future,” said Sadie Christiansen, Human Resources Director of Perham Health. “The feedback from employees is positive and they are appreciative of the work our team is doing to make daycare more accessible.”

This announcement comes on the heels of a recent expansion of Children’s Corner, which is located in the old Perham Health Hospital building. Since 2012, the center has provided childcare in the Perham community.

“Us being able to expand will offer more to the community than what we were able to before, specifically to Perham Health and KLN as well,” said Sue TenEyck-Stafki, Executive Director of Children’s Corner Learning Center. “I just think this is an awesome opportunity. It’s something that has been talked about at the State level for years and I’ve never seen it put into place. I think this is a really unique opportunity for other communities, especially in rural Minnesota to mimic and copy. I expect that we will get a lot of visitors and people coming to see what this looks like. Hopefully, we can help them do the same thing.”

KLN Family Brands and Perham Health would like to extend their gratitude to Children's Corner for their willingness to assist the organizations with this solution.

About KLN Family Brands

A third-generation family-owned company, KLN Family Brands is located in Perham, MN, and is comprised of Tuffy’s Pet Foods and Tuffy’s Treat Company, manufacturers of NutriSource® and Kenny’s Candy & Confections. Tuffy’s has been proudly producing quality pet foods since 1964. Kenny’s Candy & Confections produces great snack brands that include Wiley Wallaby® and Sweet Chaos®. For more information on KLN Family Brands please visit www.klnfamilybrands.com.

About Perham Health

Perham Health is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital with three primary care clinics located, a 96-bed nursing home, a home care agency, adult day services, memory care assisted living and housing. The medical staff consists of 25 physicians, a nurse midwife, 15 advanced practice clinicians, and three chiropractors. Visit www.perhamhealth.org to learn more. 

About Children’s Corner Learning Center

Children’s Corner Learning Center was established in 1971 by a group of community members who saw a need to provide quality care for children. It has been providing quality child care for over 50+ years to the community of Fergus Falls, MN, and many other surrounding communities as well. Activities are designed to promote emotional, intellectual, social, and physical growth.

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