More investment in early childhood education is needed

As leaders in the Twin Cities early learning space, we believe now is the time to make changes that would improve Minnesota’s current early care and education system and provide the infrastructure to move toward affordable, accessible, high-quality early education. . care and education for all Minnesota children. Walz’s administration Supporting children and families The proposal is a good start, but we urge the Legislature to go further and take full advantage of an unprecedented state budget surplus to invest in systemic changes in Minnesota’s early care and education infrastructure.

We urge Minnesotans to support investments in these three infrastructure changes to ensure the proper management and operation of a quality, mixed-delivery system of children’s programs. We are advocating to establish an Office of Early Learning, transform the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and modernize program administration through new technology.

Establishing an Office of Early Learning will promote solutions to the overly complex and fragmented collection of programs identified by the Legislative Auditor’s Office in Minnesota Early Childhood Programs. A single Office of Early Learning can align program requirements to reduce bureaucratic complexity for families, providers, and administrative agencies. In addition, it will reduce unnecessary administrative duplication and promote effective data sharing and program evaluation. Improving the overall system will reduce long-term costs and make this year’s program investments sustainable.