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Money is being made available to boost staffing for licensed child care programs in Carlton County and the region as northeast Minnesota continues to be mired in a major shortage of child care openings.

The Northland Foundation announced Wednesday that it has received $300,000 in funding and can provide eligible programs grants of $1,500 to $12,000 for spending on staff recruitment and retention strategies.

Data released in June from First Children’s Finance, an advocacy group for improving child care opportunities, showed that northeast Minnesota needs 3,739 more child care openings to...