A group of St. Paul elected officials, educators and business owners is reviving its push for a special property tax levy to cover the costs of child care and early-learning programs for low-income families.

A City Council-appointed Early Learning Legislative Advisory Committee (ELLAC) has been studying what such a program might look like since last year, when a petition to place a proposal on the ballot fell short on signatures. Read more.

For the first time in several years, child care providers are holding out hope state lawmakers understand the importance of early childhood education.

Earlier this year, Governor Tim Walz proposed a handful of child care system investments to help families and providers across the state.

Chad Dunkley is the CEO of New Horizon Academy and President of the Minnesota Childcare Association. He says even before the pandemic, the state has been fighting a child care crisis and these investments let him hope change is coming. Read more.

Gov. Tim Walz has made a simple — but ambitious — pledge in his second term: to put an end to children living in poverty in the state of Minnesota.

The DFL governor's inaugural promise aims to lift roughly 139,000 children in the state above the poverty threshold and keep others from falling below that level, a change that experts say could be transformational for the trajectory of their lives and have wide-ranging benefits for the state. Read more.

As someone who served in the Minnesota House and now works for Ramsey County, I have seen firsthand the impact that our state’s lack of investment in early care and learning has had in our communities. 

Families across the state are struggling to access and afford high-quality child care. 

Businesses are struggling to attract and retain employees due to a lack of child care slots. 

And providers are struggling to make ends meet due to low wages. 

Ensuring that families with young children have access to quality, affordable early care and learning opportunities is the best way that leaders can support our workforce, grow our local and state economies, and improve the educational and health outcomes of children in communities across Minnesota. Read more.

There’s great excitement as Alissa Kretsch hides purple hearts around the playroom in her home day care. 

Kretsch has been a child care provider in New Ulm for more than a decade and runs the business from her home. Her services are in demand, and it’s only getting busier. 

“I get calls like at least three [times] a week of people not being able to find day care,” she said. “Some of them are even crying because they know they’re gonna lose their job. Also, I’ve heard that there’s some businesses that haven’t come to town because of lack of day care.” Read more.

They met with children, observed classrooms, and held a roundtable on child care costs and the Gov’s budget proposals with parents & staff.

Gov. Tim Walz has proposed billions to expand a child care tax credit, increase subsidy rates for low-income families and provide monthly payments for child care teachers. How much will pass the Legislature? Read more.

The workforce shortage exists everywhere in the state, but it is especially acute in Greater Minnesota. One way to reduce that shortage is to have affordable child care available to parents so they can return to the workforce, says Rep. Jeff Brand (DFL-St. Peter).

But he said the low population density in Greater Minnesota makes it very difficult for child care centers to be economically viable, resulting in a shortage of 42,000 child care slots in rural areas. Read more.

State leaders are redoubling their efforts to prop up struggling daycares and help families pay for child care.

Governors and lawmakers in both red and blue states this year have proposed increasing child care subsidies for low-income families, raising reimbursement rates for providers that serve subsidized children, expanding publicly funded kindergarten and preschool, and creating new child care-related tax breaks. Read more.

ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota House Monday passed two bills designed to bolster childcare providers, including one that would increase payments to in the Child Care Assistance Program for lower-income families.

Childcare advocates, teachers, parents and others chanted and cheered as lawmakers made their way into the chamber for the afternoon session. Read more.