Child care funding increased for providers and families this year in Minnesota.
But public testimony to the House Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee this week shows affordability continues to be a serious issue for middle class families.
Shawntel Gruba is chief executive officer at the Iron Range Tykes Learning Center in Mountain Iron. Gruba told the committee she needs to raise rates at the center to make ends meet and expects to lose families in the process. These are families with solid jobs in mining and health care.
"At what point do they not make enough money to pay for child care?" Gruba said. "At what point do they decide that in order to make ends meet, they need to find a child care option that has much lower quality? This is a horrible decision to be forced to make."
Brittany Kjenaas of Mountain Iron, a parent of one, reinforced the challenges families face.
"She is our only child, and unless something changes in the cost of child care she will remain our only child," Kjenaas told legislators. "We pay more for child care than we do our mortgage and there's no way we could double that and still afford to live."
The Legislature already invested $300 million, including in early learning scholarships for 25,000 low-income and vulnerable children. But advocates say the income threshold is too low and leaves the majority of Minnesotans struggling.
DFL State Sen. Grant Hauschild of Hermantown is one of the legislators working on a proposal to ensure no family would pay more than 7% of their income on child care and early learning. Hauschild said child care concerns are a top issue for his rural constituents, not only for cost reasons but also availability.
Lack of affordable housing and child care combined make it harder for families in Greater Minnesota, he said, and limits economic development opportunities.
"If we want Minnesota to be the best place to raise a family, and support businesses, workforce and our economy, we must address the child care affordability crisis," Hauschild said.
The proposal is expected to be considered in the 2024 session.
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Events this week include storytelling at Long Lake Conservation Center and kick sledding at Lake Bemidji State Park. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEBemidji Area Reporter Larissa Donovan reflects on her work covering stories in northwestern Minnesota and beyond in her ninth year as a journalist. -
Bemidji Area Reporter Larissa Donovan looks back on her work reporting for northwestern Minnesota in 2025 during her ninth year as a journalist. -
Lorie ShaullKAXE reporter Megan Buffington foregoes naming a favorite story and instead examines a favorite beat — and how she answers the oft-asked, "Why did you become a journalist?" -
KAXE reporter Megan Buffington foregoes naming a favorite story and instead examines a favorite beat — and how it answers the oft-asked, "Why did you become a journalist?"
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Andrew Dziengel/KAXE“Area Voices” is a segment on the KAXE Morning Show that focuses on the art and history of Northern Minnesota. Host Andrew Dziengel looks back at some highlights in 2025. -
Contributed/Kari HedlundFrom Southern Avenue to Geese and Valerie June to Obongjayar, check out the top albums and songs you heard on KAXE in 2025. -
Our No. 1 and No. 2 stories of year follow the wide-ranging local impacts of sometimes swift and surprising decisions in Washington, D.C., and a severe natural disaster changes the landscape in the Bemidji area.
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Contributed/Illustration by Christopher Larson / Photo by Liz Fish, Little Movie CompanyMinnesota James Beard award winning authors and chefs Amy Thielen and Hank Shaw talk about the new cookbook "Borderlands: Recipes and Stories from the Rio Grande to the Pacific." -
Our No. 3 and No. 4 stories of year examine the state's wild rice sulfate standard as U.S. Steel seeks a variance from the MPCA, and the arrest and subsequent resignation of former state Sen. Justin Eichorn.
