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S5:E21 - Innovative Community Childcare Ideas with Alexandra & Tyler Rupe


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Childcare is a huge challenge for many families, and this is of course true for small towns. When Alex and Tyler’s daycare closed their small town of Ottertail, MN (pop. 500), Tyler half-jokingly said, “We should just start our own daycare.”


Well, that’s pretty much what that did. Two days later, he had a plan and three years later, they’re opening a nonprofit daycare to serve their community that could change how rural communities approach childcare.


And we are so here for it!

About Tyler & Alex:

Tyler and Alex Rupe have been married for nearly a decade, bringing together roots from Grand Forks, North Dakota and the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. Shortly after their wedding, the couple relocated to Ottertail and quickly fell in love with the close-knit community. In 2020, Tyler purchased Battle Lake Refrigeration, Heating & Cooling, while Alex has built a career in marketing and event planning before recently becoming Executive Director of the Ottertail Community Center.

Together with their two children and their beloved Labrador, Daisy, the Rupes have become integral members of the Ottertail community. They share a profound passion for community service and are dedicated to creating positive, lasting change that will benefit generations to come, working actively to strengthen the bonds that make their adopted hometown such a special place to live and raise a family.


In this episode, we cover:

  • How a childcare crisis sparked a community movement

  • Why they chose the nonprofit route

  • The “pod model” for childcare

  • The role of collaboration and philanthropy

  • Why a community center is next!

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Sponsor Spotlight: Brodie Mueller and Market on the Plaza

In small towns, coffee is more than caffeine. It’s community! Market on the Plaza roasts beans locally in Aberdeen, in small batches for the freshest, richest cup to start your day or for an afternoon pick-me-up. Stop in to grab a bag for home or linger over a cup with neighbors. Proudly local, always welcoming. Want to be a podcast sponsor? Get in touch with Rebecca: director@growingsmalltowns.org


This week's Small Town Shout-Out is:

Raymond, SD, population 789. Katie shares that last year, they hosted the first Raymond Redwing days, complete with a color run, vendors, live music, food, the works! It was such a hit that this year’s event is already in the works. There is so much love and work involved in these kinds of events, so we know it’s no small feat, but it’s such an amazing way to build community and celebrate small towns. Snaps to Raymond!


We want to hear from you!

Some of the best parts about radio shows and podcasts are listener call-ins, so we’ve decided to make those a part of the Growing Small Towns Podcast. We really, really want to hear from you! We’re have two “participation dance” elements of the show: 

  1. “Small town humblebrags”: Call in and tell us about something amazing you did in your small town so we can celebrate with you. No win is too small—we want to hear it all, and we will be excessively enthusiastic about whatever it is! You can call in for your friends, too, because giving shout-outs is one of our favorite things. 

  2. “Solving Your Small-Town People Challenges”: Have a tough issue in your community? We want to help. Call in and tell us about your problem, and we’ll solve it on an episode of the podcast. Want to remain anonymous? Totally cool, we can be all secretive and stuff. We’re suave like that. 

If you’ve got a humblebrag or a tricky people problem, call 701-203-3337 and leave a message with the deets. We really can’t wait to hear from you! 

Subscribe and Review The Growing Small Towns Show!


Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Growing Small Towns Show! If the information in our conversations and interviews has helped you in your small town, please click on the images below for Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Spotify, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver relevant, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more small-town trailblazers just like you!




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