TO: Representative Tina Liebling Senator Michelle Benson Representative Jennifer Schultz Senator Jim Abeler Representative Aisha Gomez Senator Paul Utke Representative Dave Pinto Senator Mark Koran Representative Joe Schomacker Senator John Hoffman
May 6, 2021
Dear Members of the Health and Human Services Policy and Finance Bill Conference Committee:
As you consider HF2128, Greater Twin Cities United Way would like to provide its support for legislation that will invest in and increase access to early care and learning for our youngest children, to ensure a robust early childhood system that supports families and our economy.
At Greater Twin Cities United Way, we know that one of the biggest drivers of a family’s stability and overall well-being is their child’s early access to quality care, learning, and socialization opportunities, which provide long-term benefits such as strong social skills, improved academic success, and healthy brain development.
Despite these benefits, nearly 35,000 children in Minnesota still do not have access to quality early care and learning opportunities. And as COVID-19 continues to strain struggling child care providers through increased safety costs and lost revenue, the number of children without access to these opportunities is expected to grow. Before the pandemic, Minnesota had lost 12,000 net child care slots in recent years – one of the most severe shortages in the nation, forcing parents to leave their jobs or reduce their work hours.
This lack of affordable, accessible care is also affecting Minnesota’s ability to build a vibrant economy that works for everyone. Limited options for affordable early child care and programming disproportionately affect families of color and contribute to the state’s unacceptable opportunity gap. It also greatly impacts parents in rural communities, who have reported missing work due to having to drive one hour or more to find early care and learning for their children.
As you finalize HF2128, we ask that you increase reimbursement rates for child care providers for the Child Care Assistance Program that serves children from low-wealth households; expand opportunities to access high-quality programs through increased funding for early learning scholarships; and support home visiting, which provides voluntary support, resources and education for families with children prenatal to age three. Investing in our youngest children now is our best investment in Minnesota’s future.
Thank you,
Acooa Ellis Greater Twin Cities United Way