Investing in affordable child care so Minnesota families can find the care they need
The Minnesota Budget Project has long sought public investments in making child care affordable to more families. To ensure the best future for children and families, we support policy changes so that all Minnesotans have affordable child care so parents can work or go to school, children get off to a strong start, and employers can attract and retain the workers they need.
We support the Great Start framework to achieve the following goals:
- Affordable and accessible child care and early learning for families;
- High-quality child care and early learning for all children, regardless of race, income, or zip code; and
- A child care and early learning system that equitably compensates and supports a diverse early childhood educator workforce.
Our policy priority: Great Start Affordability Scholarships
Great Start Affordability Scholarships are a new policy solution designed to lower monthly child care costs for families across Minnesota. Here’s how they could work:
- Families could qualify if they have children under 5. Children receiving scholarships would receive them for a 12-month period.
- Great Start Scholarships would reach a wide income range of families.
- The amount of Great Start Scholarships would be determined on a sliding scale based on family income, providing more support to families with more modest incomes.
- Great Start Scholarship payments would go directly to a family’s child care provider, reducing the amount of the family’s monthly child care bill. These payments would be paid prospectively to ensure providers have the upfront resources to care for the children.
- Great Start Affordability Scholarships would use public infrastructure already in place to make it easier for families to apply.
What’s at stake?
Affordable, dependable child care helps children thrive, parents work or go to school, and employers fill essential job openings. The strength of the state’s economy depends on greater participation of Minnesotans in the labor force. Minnesota can’t afford to leave working parents on the sidelines because they lack access to affordable child care.
Public policy solutions should address the fundamental problem that Minnesota families struggle to afford child care while, at the same time, those working to provide this essential care and early education are paid notoriously low wages.
Sign up to learn more! Subscribe to the Minnesota Budget Project’s weekly newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest analysis and advocacy news about affordable child care in Minnesota.
Read more on this topic
Our Great Start Scholarships issue brief looks at this new policy solution designed to lower monthly child care costs for families across Minnesota and how they could work.
Great Start MN is a group of organizations working together to help Minnesota implement the Great Start framework and recommendations to transform Minnesota’s child care and early learning system so that every child gets off to a great start.
Content about this topic
Post
In 2024 session, policymakers progress toward improving health care and child care
May 29, 2024 • Jessie Luévano
Child Care, Health Care, Minnesota Budget
While 2024 was not a budget-setting year for the state, policymakers made use of the limited resources they had to build on last year’s transformational investments and took steps to set the state up for a brighter future. This blog takes a look at the policy and budget decisions made this year to make affordable health care and child care available to more Minnesotans.
![Young child in hospital gown holding stuffed teddy bear at medical appointment](https://mnbudgetproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/child-stuffed-bear-health-care.png)
Post
Decisions in session’s final days should strengthen health care and child care for Minnesotans
May 14, 2024 • Jessie Luévano
Child Care, Health Care, Minnesota Budget
In 2023, policymakers made transformational budget investments for the well-being of Minnesotans and their families. While 2024 is not a budget-setting year for the state, there are policy decisions at play in the final days of the legislative session that could set the stage for further progress next year.
Post
Powerful stories show child care is unaffordable for many; Great Start Scholarships are a solution
April 17, 2024 • Jessie Luévano
Child Care, Minnesota Budget
This legislative session, families, lawmakers, advocates, and more have drawn attention to child care affordability as an urgent problem that requires solutions.
![Portrait of father with two small children drawing pictures at home](https://mnbudgetproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/parent-with-two-kids-drawing-together-on-floor-1024x683.jpeg)