Cottage Grove’s Learning Ladder day care announced it will close Aug. 23, according to WKOW. Among reasons for the closure, the business cited rising costs, dwindling Child Care Counts payments, and increased competition from other services — like school-based programs and activities offered by local businesses — with different regulation standards.
The center has been operated by the Kudrna family for the last three decades. Jason Kudrna, who oversees the operation owned by his mother, Linda Kudrna, said the Learning Ladder’s state aid has dropped 65% as the state government rations remaining Child Care Counts program funds.
The news comes as hundreds of child care providers statewide have been shuttering in response to economic pressure on the industry, leaving working parents with fewer options.
