Letter - Childcare providers need better support
Sometimes it’s not all about the money, it is about the children. Improving early childhood education requires greater public investment in childcare.
To the editor:
Sometimes it’s not all about the money, it is about the children. Improving early childhood education requires greater public investment in childcare. Minnesota’s family childcare providers need better support, on-going training, and greater capacity to work together to improve the life of every Minnesota child and family.
Minnesota’s history is full of collective action. Dairy farmers started marketing co-ops. Immigrant groups established fraternal organizations to provide insurance coverage to their members. Churches started nonprofit organizations to address systemic poverty and cultural challenges. Neighborhoods organized crime watch programs to reduce crime in the area they live.
Everyone wins when we come together to work together, improving our lives. It’s time to help Minnesota’s licensed and unlicensed family childcare providers do the same. We have a collective self-interest in improving childcare quality.
Raising kindergarten readiness is the first observable outcome but real success is realized in 20 years as today’s preschoolers become tomorrow’s workers. Child care providers are uniting to provide quality child care that parents can afford.
Please urge your legislators to support the Child Care Collective Bargaining Act to ensure this happens. Kids benefit. Families benefit. Childcare providers benefit. Businesses benefit. Minnesota benefits.
Lynn Barten
Alexandria, MN
More from around the web
RSS Feeds