Mission 

Energy Capital Cooperative Child Care is a non-profit, employer-assisted parent cooperative.  The mission of Energy Capital Child Care Center (ECCCC) is to provide high quality, developmentally appropriate child care in a nurturing, safe, and supportive environment.

Program Goals 

  • Energy Capital Cooperative Child Care is committed to offering full time child care and scheduling options that meet the needs of employees and community members
  • Energy Capital Cooperative Child Care is committed to providing high quality, developmentally appropriate child care and enrichment programs for children with consistent, quality caregivers
  • Energy Capital Cooperative Child Care is committed to weaving parent involvement into the program in a way that offers parenting education, respects parents, and ultimately provides added benefits for children and their families

Mission Approach 

The mission of Energy Capital Child Care Center is based on the recognition that Social Competence is the key to all learning.  Children’s early interpersonal relationships determine their understanding of the world.  The development of positive relationships based on respect for the individual is the foundation of the program.  All children should have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to participate in satisfying relationships and activities with their peers, teachers, parents and other significant adults.

Specific components of the program include:

  • Weaving parent involvement into the program in a way that offers parenting education, respects parents, and ultimately provides added benefits for children.
  • Integrating a preschool curriculum that is designed to meet the cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and creative needs of the children at their various developmental levels.
  • Offering play-based high-scope curriculum that provides choices for children and meets them at their interest level.

Parenting education is most effective when it involves hands on application of knowledge.  This includes implementing curriculum, interacting with children, learning appropriate teaching and caregiving practices learned in part by observing children and teachers.

Program Purpose 

Energy Capital Cooperative Child Care Center (ECCCC) opened in May 2017. ECCCC was formed by a coalition of the following community businesses and institutions: Basin Electric Power Cooperative and subsidiary Dakota Gasification Company, Sakakawea Medical Center, Coal Country Community Health Centers, Knife River Care Center, Union State Bank, Hazen Schools, The Coteau Properties Company and Coyote Creek Mining Company, and Coyote Station. Technical assistance in cooperative development was facilitated by the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives’ Rural Development Finance Corporation.

The employers involved in starting ECCCC were motivated by the child care needs they saw in their employees and members of the community. They wanted parents to have a community resource that provides high quality child care. Because employers wanted to be certain that ECCCC would remain responsive to parent needs and were also committed to a non-profit model, the employers chose to establish ECCCC as a non-profit cooperative.