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  • Monday, November 13, 2023 9:52 AM | Anonymous

    A new, user-friendly web platform is making it easier for child care providers to complete licensing forms online, as Minnesota continues to implement improvements that support the child care industry.

    The new Provider Hub from the Minnesota Department of Human Services enables certified and licensed child care providers to apply for or maintain a license or certification, submit required reporting and register with the state’s Child Care Assistance Program.

    Click HERE for more information.

  • Monday, November 06, 2023 9:46 AM | Anonymous

    The cost of child care takes a huge chunk out of parents’ paychecks. But at the same time, many child care workers make barely enough to support themselves. And, now the costs are rising.  Click HERE to read more

  • Monday, October 09, 2023 9:51 AM | Anonymous

    Click HERE for more information.

  • Thursday, October 05, 2023 9:17 AM | Anonymous

    MOORHEAD (KFGO/PRAIRIE PUBLIC) – A Moorhead lawmaker says as much of the nation prepares to go over what’s being called a “daycare cliff,” Minnesota is well poised to meet the ongoing challenges. 

    State Sen. Rob Kupec said part of the challenge comes from COVID relief funds which are set to expire.

    Kupec said childcare is one of the biggest workforce issues in the state and – for working parents – daycare is vital, but expensive. It is something he said lawmakers tried addressing in last year’s legislative session.

    Read More

  • Friday, September 29, 2023 10:16 AM | Christine Strak (Administrator)

    (FOX 9) - With a massive childcare funding program set to expire in the coming days, early learning centers across the United States are warning of rising prices and permanent closures. In the upper Midwest, the impact varies by state as the response by lawmakers in Minnesota varies greatly from that of Wisconsin.

    In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz along with the Democrat-controlled legislature passed legislation that essentially extends the pandemic-era federal funding known as the Childcare Stabilization grant program. Read more.


  • Thursday, September 28, 2023 4:14 PM | Christine Strak (Administrator)

    When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Abdi Daisane watched enrollment at his St. Cloud day care center plummet.

    By the end of 2020, most children at Blooming Kids Child Care Center were gone, and with them, tuition that paid the bills. Like child care providers across the U.S., Daisane credits his ability to stay open during the darkest days of the pandemic to federal aid, including a monthly grant through the American Rescue Plan.

    "Without that grant, we would have closed down," Daisane said. Read more.

  • Thursday, September 14, 2023 6:58 PM | Christine Strak (Administrator)

    BEMIDJI — As part of the Rural Minnesota Child Care Tour headed by statewide organization Kids Count On Us, child care providers, teachers and parents gathered at Pine Pals Intergenerational Learning Child Care and Preschool on Wednesday to share their child care experiences and learn more about recent legislative changes surrounding child care throughout the state.

    According to its website, Kids Count On Us is a coalition of providers, parents and teachers aiming to create quality, affordable child care across Minnesota. Read more.

  • Monday, September 11, 2023 6:59 PM | Christine Strak (Administrator)

    St. Paul residents will be able to approve tax increases to fund childcare services at the ballot box in 2024, as the city council voted on Aug. 16 to override the mayor’s veto. The vote came weeks after the mayor vetoed the council’s resolution to place a proposal to pay for low-income childcare subsidies by raising property taxes on next year’s ballot. 

    During the vote to override the mayor’s veto, Councilmember Rebecca Noecker of Ward 2 spoke to the commitment many in the room shared to get the proposal on the ballot. 

    “This is a vote that honors the incredible amount of work done by so many people over so many years, many of whom are here in the room today, and most recently, our early learning legislative advisory committee,” she said. “We’ve asked and answered dozens of questions about how this program will work over the last seven years. and I look forward to answering dozens more over the next 18 months.” Read more.

  • Friday, September 08, 2023 1:56 PM | Christine Strak (Administrator)

    MINNESOTA, USA — On Sept. 30, a federal program that helped childcare centers stay open during the pandemic will end and some experts say the loss of federal funding could force thousands of daycares to close.

    The American Rescue Plan, a pandemic aid package, included around $40 billion for the childcare industry, which included Child Care Stabilization Grants.

    These grants helped providers pay their workers to prevent them from leaving the profession.

    "This had been a really important lifeline to keep their doors open, keep them operating,” Child Care Aware Minnesota Executive Director Ann McCully said.

    That federal funding is set to expire on September 30th as the program comes to an end. Read more.

  • Thursday, September 07, 2023 8:28 AM | Christine Strak (Administrator)

    MINNEAPOLIS – Experts warn the country could be on the brink of a child care funding "cliff" next month when COVID-era relief money expires.

    The American Rescue Plan, a pandemic aid package, included $40 billion for the child care industry to stay afloat, including Child Care Stabilization Base Grants, or payments to providers mostly so they can pay their workers more and keep them from leaving. But that funding runs dry Sept. 30.

    The consequences could be severe: The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, estimates 70,000 programs nationwide could shutter and three million children could lose their spots. In Minnesota, that translates to nearly 71,000 children and more than 2,700 day care programs expected to close, according to the report. 

    An analysis by the Minnesota Department of Human Services found 96% of providers who received the grant funding said the support helped them stay open.

    "They did find that both center-based programs as well as individual home providers that got the grants were less likely to close," said Jennifer Valorose, research manager at the Wilder Foundation, a nonprofit in St. Paul. "There is some indication that this infusion of money is helping folks stay open and continue to provide that important care for families."

    Chad Dunkley, CEO of New Horizon Academy — the largest child care provider in Minnesota — and president of the Minnesota Child Care Association, added that the state would probably have half the child care providers today compared to pre-pandemic if not for the federal funding.

    But he said Minnesota is a bright spot in the national crisis: The state legislature this year approved a similar grant program of their own, where all funding — not at least 70%, like the federal grants — must support higher salaries for educators. Read more.




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