Minnesota needs to prioritize funding for child care, just as it does for education. On May 13, I closed the Iron Range Tykes Learning Center in Mountain Iron temporarily, joining three other child-care centers in a national Day Without Childcare protest. This left only two centers open in the Iron Range that day.
We didn’t take the day off; instead, we went to the Capitol in St. Paul by bus. We met with Gov. Tim Walz, held a press conference, rallied, and made our voices heard outside the House and Senate chambers. Making noise is sometimes necessary to get attention and transform how child care is viewed in Minnesota.
Our efforts paid off when Gov. Walz visited Iron Range Tykes on May 21, spending 45 minutes with us. He toured our center, read with the children, and thanked every teacher for their dedication. This recognition is important because child care is more than babysitting—it’s an investment in our future workforce and leaders.
But the reality is grim for many child-care workers. One of my teachers has to take on a third job just to make ends meet. Child care is expensive for families too; the actual cost for infant care is nearly $25,000 a year, but centers only receive around $14,000 per child annually. This gap is unsustainable.
Child care is essential for working families, yet 26% of Minnesota families lack access to it. This shortage is particularly detrimental to rural communities, where families can’t relocate or expand due to the lack of child-care options. Many families at my center can only afford one child because of the high costs of care.
Affordable child care should be a public priority. Minnesota invests approximately $14,000 per student in public schools but allocates much less to child care. While the Legislature made some investments in 2023, more funding is needed to make child care affordable for all families.
High-quality child care benefits everyone, just like public education. It’s time for Minnesota to treat child care as the essential public good that it is.
