State Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) today issued the following statement regarding her forthcoming bill to use federal American Rescue Plan funding for Early Learning Scholarships and quality child care improvements.

“Minnesota is poised to receive an unprecedented amount of aid from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). It is imperative that Governor Walz works with the legislature to ensure those dollars are used in the most effective ways to help Minnesotans in every corner of our state. And we must act quickly. 

“Accordingly, I will soon introduce a bill to invest $524 million of federal ARP child care funding over the next two years in desperately needed child care improvements. A substantial share of the investment will provide Early Learning Scholarships to some of the 35,000 low-income Minnesota children who currently can’t access the quality early learning programs they need to be ready for kindergarten. 

“Investing in these children and providing them with high-quality care will help us close the early learning opportunity gaps that have plagued Minnesota for far too long. Preparing these particular kids, who are facing the highest barriers, for kindergarten and beyond is the best way to help them succeed in life. But scholarship investments go even further – they free parents to re-enter the workplace, which we need in order to fuel a vigorous post-pandemic economic recovery. 

“Additionally, this bill invests in grants and other supports to help stimulate the retention and growth of quality early learning programs in child care deserts, which are especially a problem in Greater Minnesota. And requires measurement and evaluation to ensure we learn as much as we can about the impact of these unprecedented investments. 

“I call on the DFL leaders of the House to join me in fighting to direct these child care investments. We must take advantage of this unique opportunity to make an investment in our youngest children, their parents, and child care providers that will grow our economy for this generation and the next. Minnesota’s children have lost enough over the past year. If we don’t invest in these children now we will all pay for it later. We need to work on a bipartisan basis to get these dollars out the door so Minnesota families can get back on track. “