Child care access and affordability were challenges for families long before the COVID-19 pandemic, as were workforce shortages and profitability for providers.

But for many of those involved, the impact of the coronavirus on those issues has been enough to cause a full-blown child care crisis, creating a “dire” situation the state must act quickly to address.

Rep. Dave Pinto (DFL-St. Paul), chair of the House Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee, outlined the problem for the panel Thursday while discussing HF150, a bill he sponsors to bolster the child care system by appropriating more than $30 million to help both families and providers alike. No committee action was taken.

“This is applying a tourniquet to a gaping wound,” Pinto said. “There’s a lot that we need to do in addition, but let’s at least get families the child care they need and stabilization for the sector.” Read more.