Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan to Visit St. Cloud Friday Touting Child Care Plan

(KNSI) — Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan will be in St. Cloud today to tout the administration’s plan to make child care more affordable and accessible.

Under the plan Governor Tim Walz released in January, families would get up to $10,500 to help with costs. The proposal would include $539 million in tax credits for 2024 and 2025 and $547 million in 2026-2027 to expand the Child and Dependent Care Credit. It would also expand public pre-K seats for nearly 25,000 eligible children, invest in early learning scholarships, and improve childcare access for Minnesota families by increasing childcare assistance payment rates. It would also increase staff compensation at childcare facilities and support those starting childcare businesses.

Lieutenant Governor Flanagan will be joined by Senator Aric Putnam, Representative Dan Wolgamott, Initiative Foundation President Matt Varilek, United Way of Central Minnesota Child Care Coordinator Sara Hagen, Reach Up Executive Director Mary Mackedanz, child care providers and parents.

Opponents say they like the idea of expanding the early learning scholarship program but call the money for daycare providers a bailout and say the grants are helpful to commercial childcare programming but aren’t helpful in preventing providers of in-home daycare from leaving the industry.

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