Friends and neighbors, I’m excited to announce that I’ve reintroduced the Great Start Affordability Act again this year, a bill I first introduced last year with Sen. Hauschild last term. The Great Start Affordability Act is a package that would increase the affordability of high-quality early care and learning for families with children from birth to kindergarten, aiming to meet the federal recommendation that no family pay more than 7% of their annual income for early care and learning. Both Co-Chair West and I recognize that as leaders of the Children and Families committee, we have the opportunity to make a huge impact on the lives of thousands of Minnesota families, and we intend to do so.  Advocacy for Children Day at the MN State Capitol The bill would make monthly subsidized per-child payment directly to providers, reducing the amount families have to pay up-front. I’m incredibly proud of our nation-leading Child Tax Credit, and the Great Start Affordability program goes a step further by providing direct support for childcare year-round. Payment amounts would be based on the family’s income, topping out at 150% of the state median income, which is about $175,000. About 85% of Minnesota’s families with children under the age of five would be eligible in some way on a sliding scale. Every family deserves access to quality childcare they can afford. The Great Start Affordability program will bring us one step closer to making Minnesota the best place to raise a family. Currently, care for one infant is around $17,000 per year across the state. That’s more than a year of college tuition at the University of Minnesota. We shouldn’t be asking young parents, who are often at the beginning of their careers, at their lowest earnings potential, to shoulder this cost alone. I also introduced a bill to provide grants for ParentChild+ programming, which uses evidence-based and research-validated early childhood literacy and school readiness programs for children ages 16 months to four years. We know that the best way to invest in our future is to invest in our kids, and this does just that.  Advocacy for Children Day at the MN State Capitol, courtesy of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota I am authoring the Building Families Act to require IVF insurance coverage, which has bi-partisan co-authors. I also introduced legislation to help re-development of the Eden Prairie Center and a bonding request to fund a regional public safety storage garage located at the Eden Prairie Police Department. |