(KNSI) – Governor Tim Walz is pressing lawmakers to increase funding for childcare providers.
On Monday, Governor Walz asked state officials to grant nearly 48-million dollars to help boost what the state pays providers.
The Governor and Lieutenant Governor stressed the urgency and importance of passing an ongoing Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) rate increase this session.
CCAP provides financial assistance to help families with low incomes pay for child care so parents may pursue employment or education leading to employment and children are well cared for and prepared to enter school. 4,500 providers across Minnesota are registered for CCAP, and nearly half of those are family child care providers.
CCAP primarily supports child care access and family economic stability for BIPOC children; nearly three-quarters of children served by the program are BIPOC and more than half of children served by CCAP in 2020 were Black or African American.
During his plea, Walz noted that Minnesota ranks near the bottom when it comes to how much providers are reimbursed for their services.
Governor Walz says the state must act now or risk seeing its federal childcare aid go to other states instead.
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