A historic building in downtown Bemidji, Minn., is now home to one of the state's first Catholic daycares.
The St.
Philip's Catholic School bought the former RE/MAX and library earlier this year and opened Little Saints Daycare last week, the Pioneer reports.
"We know that working families contribute to the economic development of our town," says the school's principal, Jana Norgaard.
"And if you don't have daycare, you can't work.
It's a cycle....
We need (child care) and we need it badly."
The school bought the building with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, which awarded it a grant to open a daycare as part of the state's Main Street Economic Program.
"That grant was really meant to keep old buildings in good shape in these downtown areas," says Kay Mack, a parish council member who helped plan the daycare's opening.
Little Saints had to add bathrooms, remove walls, and upgrade its building to comply with fire code and daycare licensing requirements before it could open.
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