Make Free Preschool Accessible For All Of Minnesota

 

This act will create a preschool system without any eligibility restrictions on income by allocating $1 billion in

initial funding to school districts to contract private childcare services to be used for their preschool programs plus

additional annual funding to support operations. More opportunities to support preschool workers will be established to

increase the amount of preschool workers. These measures will help lower the cost of preschool programs for Minnesota

families while supporting the private childcare industry to increase the amount of available seats.

 

 

Private childcare is threatened by expanding public services, causing a lack of available workers and providers. Today,

the cost of childcare is, on average, a larger expense than rent or sometimes even college tuition annually, creating

affordability issues. Many working parents with children under 5, especially multiple-income households, rely on

childcare programs, and even just at the age of 4, preschool programs are found to dramatically boost success in school

and life by teaching children skills that their peers haven’t acquired when starting kindergarten. By expanding training

for preschool workers and working with private childcare, this act spurs job growth & success in the private childcare

industry while making childcare more affordable and accessible.

 

 

Preschool: an early childhood program for children that ranges from infancy around age three to until they are eligible

for kindergarten around the ages of five and six. Many preschools and childcare centers include care starting at birth

as well.

Childcare: programs that care for and supervise children, typically younger children. This bill refers to childcare in

terms of preschool programs for all children from three until eligible for kindergarten.

Private childcare: childcare that relies on private funds, which are usually tuition paid by the parent/guardian for the

child’s spot or “seat” at the school.

Contract: a legally binding and formal agreement where individuals or organizations provide a good or service to the

state’s agencies, usually in exchange for payment.

Head Start: a federal early childhood education program providing grants for states to develop school readiness for

children from birth to five-years-old coming from low-income families.

 

 

Funding for this bill will come from allocating $1 billion from the Department of Education and the Department of Youth,

Children, and Families to districts based on per pupil enrollment while taking into account districts with the greatest

accessibility gaps. Additional annual funding will come from redirecting 5% of the state’s total funding to school

districts and 10% of funds from federal grants (i.e. Head Start) to these new programs.

 

 

Penalties for mishandling childcare funds in this bill are having to pay back double any mishandled funds. This will be

enforced by the Department of Education and the Department of Youth, Children, and Families.

 

 

This act shall take effect on August 1, 2027.