Child Care Roundtable: What Minnesota Is Doing to Increase Availability of High-Quality, Affordable Child Care

St. Paul – Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove and Department of Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead were joined by staff of the Minnesota Children’s Cabinet and child care advocates and providers at a roundtable to discuss challenges providers have faced during the pandemic and the importance of high-quality, affordable child care in Minnesota’s economic recovery.

This roundtable was part of a broader series of discussions the agency is hosting called “The Next Minnesota Economy,” focusing on inclusive economic growth, reskilling our labor market and creating good jobs.

“We are about 80,000 slots short in the state of Minnesota for child care right now, and it is one of the Governor’s and Lt. Governor’s big goals for their administration to drastically increase the number of slots we have in Minnesota so kids and their families have more access to child care,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “DEED has made this a big area of focus through our Child Care Economic Development Grant Program and a big part of our ask for this legislative session is more money for that grant program.”

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