Hibbing daycare relocates to keep serving St. Louis County families

Thirty-one Hibbing children kept their daycare spots instead of being pushed into a thin local childcare market after Hibbing Parents Nursery School and Daycare moved to stay open in St. Louis County.

Hibbing Parents Nursery School and Daycare, Inc. has served families in Hibbing since 1966 as a small nonprofit and parent cooperative. The program takes children starting at 16 months old, offers part-time preschool, and provides after-school care for children up to age 12, making it one of the few providers in town that can follow families across several stages of care.

Northland Small Business Development Center said leadership changes created the need to move, and closing HPNS was not an option because childcare choices in the area were limited. The City of Hibbing’s Community Development Director connected the school with Northland SBDC, which helped identify possible locations, coordinate stakeholders and sort through funder requirements. Northland Foundation and First Children’s Finance also worked with the relocation effort.

Public records from the Hibbing Economic Development Authority show how much was riding on the move. At the authority’s May 12, 2025 meeting, members discussed a presentation by Pia Groszbach, a request for HPNS to forgo rent at 2810 Diane Lane until the end of its 90-day notice period on July 15, 2025, and a resolution request for Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation community development partnership grant funds for shovel-ready site work at the same address.

Earlier that month, the Hibbing Planning Commission held public hearings tied to 2810 Diane Lane, including a real-property review on May 5 and a zoning amendment request on May 19. Those steps showed that keeping the daycare alive was not just a matter of moving furniture. It required property approvals, financing help and coordination across city and regional agencies.

For Hibbing parents, the move meant continuity of care for toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children rather than the scramble that comes when a provider closes. HEDA materials listed enrollment at 31 children in May 2025, including 5 toddlers, 16 preschoolers and 10 school-age children, a reminder of how many working families depended on the program.

The relocation kept a long-running childcare co-op in place, but it also exposed how fragile the childcare system remains in Hibbing. One move preserved 31 spots; the larger test is whether the community can keep those slots available without another emergency rescue.