OUR 2026 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Advance solutions to Greater Minnesota's child care crisis.
- Advocate for $10 million in additional funding for the Greater Minnesota Child Care Facilities Grant program in the bonding bill.
- Advance a tax credit that supports local child care solutions.
- Support common sense solutions to barriers for child care providers.
- Support efforts to make child care more affordable.
Click here to view the full list of GMNP legislative priorities for 2026.
2025 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES & OUTCOMES
After significant progress in the child care space during the 2023 legislative session, GMNP priorities for 2025 centered on continued funding for key programs and ongoing efforts to support child care providers and capacity expansion. With the state facing significant budget headwinds, GMNP was focused primarily on preserving key funding and protecting programs from cuts.
Outcomes
- Child Care Economic Development Grants Program - preserved $3 million base funding for both FY26-27 and FY28-29.
- Office of Child Care Community Partnerships - preserved $1 million base funding for both FY26-27 and FY28-29.
RECENT CHILD CARE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
$13 million for Economic Development Child Care Grants.
These grants, awarded by the Department of Employment and Economic Development, support a wide variety of projects that work to reduce the child care shortage in our communities. At least half of these funds support projects in Greater Minnesota.
$7 million for the six Initiative Foundations to support their child care efforts.
The six Foundations serve all 80 counties in Greater Minnesota, and support their individual regions in building economic prosperity by providing grants, business loans, and programming.
An increase to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) reimbursement rate from 35% to 75%.
Providers will now be reimbursed more than double the previous rate for CCAP-eligible families. This increase has a significant impact on the ability of child care providers to build sustainable and financially stable businesses.
The creation of the state Office of Child Care Community Partnerships.
An initiative of Governor Walz, this new office serves as a conduit between community leaders - local governments, businesses, and nonprofits - who are looking to support the expansion of their local childcare capacity.
LATEST UPDATES
RFP for early childhood facilities now open through DCYF
The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), through its Child Care Services Division, is seeking proposals from qualified responders to predesign, design, construct or renovate facilities for early childhood learning programs under the Early Childhood Facilities Grant Program. The Department expects the term of any contracts resulting from this Request for Proposals (RFP) will…
MoreDEED to host webinar on child care infrastructure
As part of Business of Child Care‘s ongoing virtual series highlighting opportunities of the moment, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) will be hosting a focused conversation on child care as economic development infrastructure. The session will be hosted by Jeff Andrews, President of Business of Child Care, and will feature Jack Wheeler, Community…
MoreMinneapolis Federal Reserve Bank announces Child Care Capacity report
Late last month, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis released its Child Care Capacity Report detailing the results of its child care tracking initiative. The report compares Minnesota child care capacity trends with those of other states in the Ninth District, including Northwestern Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.…
MoreFirst Children’s Finance – Annual child care supply/demand gap analysis released
First Children’s Finance (FCF) recently released its annual Child Care Need Summary. A key takeaway from this year’s report is that the Greater Minnesota child care shortage remains dire, with the region being short of 42,581 child care slots as of June 2025. It is not the worst year for Greater Minnesota’s child care shortage, but these persistent gaps continue to underscore the need for lawmakers to redouble…
MoreFunding available through Rural Child Care Innovation Program
First Children’s Finance (FCF), in partnership with the MN Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), is now accepting applications for funding from the Rural Child Care Innovation Program (RCCIP). The RCCIP program is an innovative community engagement process designed to address the challenges of child care in rural America. Child care is an economic driver for…
MoreChild Care Economic Development Grants Announced
Congratulations to members and your partners who were awarded this second round of Child Care Economic Development Grants funding to support the startup or expansion of child care slots! I hope you saw that 84% of the funds will go to Greater Minnesota, estimated to create 1,337 child care slots. What an important reflection of…
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