From St. Paul's North End to north Minneapolis to Wayzata to Blue Earth County, a number of projects aim to get more daycare workers introducing 3- and 4-year-olds to what they'll be learning in kindergarten.
"Right now, we've got about 50 percent of our kids not ready for kindergarten," said state Sen. Tarryl Clark, DFL-St. Cloud. "For many families, child care is today's preschool. And with very high percentages of parents working, we can make a difference here."
According to the Children's Defense Fund, 670,000 Minnesota children under 12 spend some time each week in child care. Officials estimate that 40 percent of preschool children in Minnesota attend child-care centers. Why not use child care to help close the achievement gap between low-income and minority students and their more affluent white peers?
Several public and private efforts are coming together to do that, Clark said, and Minnesota could make real progress.
Several pilot efforts are training child-care providers and creating a rating system to help parents choose high-quality care programs.
A St. Paul project is already showing progress, with children starting school ahead of peers in the same demographic.
Clark authored a $6 million bill during the last legislative session that gives low-income parents $4,000 in annual assistance to help pay for high-quality care in St. Paul, north Minneapolis and the Blue Earth County-Nicollet County area. At the same time, the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation, formed from contributions by some of Minnesota's top employers, has launched or helped fund quality care projects in those same places -- as well as in the Wayzata School District, said Barbara Yates, director of programs and operations for the foundation.
"With so many children in child care, let's make sure that care supports their learning," Yates said. "Let's get them ready. And let's make sure the providers can get them ready."