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Catalyzing worker co-ops & the solidarity economy

Cincinnati childcare center becomes worker-owned

Shine’s 5 worker-owners, all of whom are women, will now run the childcare center by themselves. This business model, known as worker-ownership, has been shown to create resilient jobs, generate wealth, and boost the local economy.

“I’ve definitely been celebrating all month and telling my kids, ‘Your Momma owns a business!’” said worker-owner Mary Wilder, who has been at Shine for two years. Before now, paperwork discouraged her from owning a childcare center. She changed her mind because Shine was “such a wonderful place to work.”

“If I plan on being here for 10 years, why not be an owner?” she said.

Other worker-owners at Shine cited the benefits of the worker-ownership model and the strength of the childcare center’s team.

Beth Heeg, who has been with Shine for 1 year, was attracted to the worker-ownership model because of the emphasis on “wealth redistribution,” while Trisha Hay, who has worked at Shine for 3 years, said she decided to become a worker-owner because she felt she was never going to find another place like Shine. “I was all-in immediately,” she said. “I feel like we all communicate and work really well together.”

Read the rest at NCBA CLUSA

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