Senator Mark Koran (R–North Branch) today responded to new data from the Department of Human Services showing that from 2014 to 2024, the number of licensed in-home child care programs in Minnesota dropped from 10,000 to just 5,781.

“Over 40% of in-home child care programs in Minnesota have shut down in the last 10 years,” said Sen. Koran. “This is a flashing red warning that our state has become a hostile environment for in-home child care. Families are struggling to find care, and others are being forced to delay starting or growing their families because the care they need isn’t available. Providers are being regulated out of business, families are being priced out, and the state’s response is to send out a survey asking them why. It’s clear that government red tape is a key culprit driving providers out of business and families out of affordable, family-based options for care.”

A recent MPR report noted that Minnesota “is the third most expensive state in the country for child care, with costs here averaging about $1,900 a month for an infant, according to the Economic Policy Institute. That’s $9,474 more per year than the cost of in-state tuition for four-year public college, and 31-percent more than average cost of rent in the state, according to EPI.”