Bemidji YMCA project clears key funding hurdle, child care still pending

The Bemidji YMCA won formal board approval after reaching the $25 million fundraising threshold, but families will not see new child care openings until the remaining money and operating details are in place. Leaders say the child care piece is still being worked out, even as the project moves from planning toward construction and a future center that could eventually serve up to 100 children downtown.

The full project is priced at $35 million, with $25 million expected from community support and $10 million from YMCA financing. Plans call for a 60,000-square-foot facility on the 100 block of Minnesota Avenue in Bemidji’s downtown rail corridor. Groundbreaking is planned for spring 2026, and construction is expected to be completed in fall 2027.

That timeline matters in Beltrami County, where the child care shortage remains tightest for infants and toddlers. At a Bemidji forum in March 2026, families heard that some waits for a child care opening had stretched as long as a year. Local reporting has also shown that at least half of the county’s 68 licensed providers had openings for children older than 2, a sign that the youngest age groups face the sharpest squeeze.

The YMCA of the Northern Sky already operates child care for infants through fifth grade at more than 30 sites across the region. Its early learning centers are licensed for infants through preschool children, and the organization lists child care hours from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. It also says financial assistance can be combined with state child care assistance in some cases, a detail that could matter for Bemidji families weighing whether they can afford care once the new site opens.

For working parents, the project would do more than add another workout space. It would bring a licensed provider into downtown Bemidji in a county where child care access has become a recurring workforce issue, especially for parents of babies and toddlers. For employers, a new child care option could ease one of the most common barriers to hiring and retention in the region.

The county is already part of the broader response. Beltrami County accepts and processes child care licensing applications, including inspections, home studies and background checks, while the Bemidji Child Care Innovation Program says its mission is to create sustainable solutions that increase the supply of affordable, high-quality care. If the YMCA finishes the fundraising and staffing work ahead, the project could become a major new anchor for families. If not, Bemidji’s child care gap will remain one more promise waiting on paper.