​Ginger Olson, with her sister Amy, are the founders and operators of Compass Child Care. Ginger is a kid at heart. Her love of children can be traced to an earlier time in her life and was influenced by Mrs. Dempsey, her High School Preschool class teacher. Love of children though must be balanced with the ability to plan, maintain order, and design play with a purpose to run a successful child care facility. Ginger focused on learning these aspects and applied her knowledge as an employee and/or volunteer wherever there was a need including church, corporate schools, and other child care programs. Becoming a mom herself provided practical experience about the needs of children, and importantly, the parents of those children which she applies every day at Compass. Ginger and Amy brainstormed about how to build their dream and how it would be set apart from others. Their combined passion was based on building a safe, educational environment that would be a home away from home, and rarely was any time spent on whether the venture could be profitable for themselves. Ginger feels they are laying the groundwork for the educators that will one day work with the children that started at Compass. She intends that children will start school with a foundation built at Compass where kids developed a love of learning. She is reminded that she has the best job in the world every time a child get's that "I get it!" look in their eye. When a child is successful at zipping their own coat or tying their shoes or taking their first step gives a feeling of pride and accomplishment to Ginger and reminds her of the incredible trust granted to her by the parents of these children. Being flexible during times of growth or dealing with a pandemic has been challenging, but the goal of providing a safe, positive and educational environment are ideals that Ginger is determined to maintain.

The story of Compass Child Care begins with two sisters: Ginger and Amy. 

• Ginger is a creative, natural leader who thrives at building and directing teams--and has always preferred sitting at the Kid's Table. 
• Amy is an observant nurturer, gifted at meeting the needs of children, staff, and families. 

These two Minnesota sisters have worked in child care and early childhood education and development since they were practically children themselves! As they married and had their own children, they noticed the child care industry had some problems. 

Ginger and Amy started building the solution: Compass Child Care. 

Problem: Child Care Centers and Daycares were either too focused on academics, or too focused on snuggles and cuddles. 

Solution: Create an environment that is equally enriching and comforting.

Problem: Child care facilities were so different from a child's home, that the transition was stressful and difficult for both kids and parents.

Solution: Offer a facility and daily program that is the best home away from home for children while offering a stimulating kindergarten-readiness curriculum. 

Problem: Early Childhood Education was dismissed, while communities emphasized a need for better school-age and high school education. Preschool-level teachers were not respected in their field. 

Solution: Create a program that raises the child care standard for infants to Pre-K children. Hire and train staff to carry themselves with professionalism as educators working with children in the most crucial stages of their lives. 

Problem: Child care centers experience high staff turnover. 

Solution: We allow staff to feel fulfilled and empowered to flourish in their gifts and to work as a team to meet the needs of the children and families. We offer training and support to our staff. 

Problem: The child care industry seemed to dismiss the needs of parents, in terms of convenience, affordability, and transitions from home to care and back.

Solution: Compass is dedicated to offer child care centers in convenient locations, honor the needs of parents and families, and provide a stable place for children to grow and learn.

Child care is family care and Compass considers it an honor to be a part of each family in their care.