EXCERPT FROM: PRNewswire
By PRNewswire
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Area law enforcement officials will hold a news conference Tuesday to release a new report showing that investing more in voluntary high-quality pre-kindergarten programs not only reduces crime over the long run but also saves millions of dollars in the state's education budget in the short term. The report will document that investments in pre-k programs can reduce the need for special education placements and other K-12 education expenses when pre-k children advance to later grades.

EXCERPT FROM: Fox 9 News
By Dawn Stevens
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. - Arena Early Learning Center in Brooklyn Center started because of growing demand from parents who worked second and third shifts. The daycare caters to kids 24 hours a day and has extra security.

EXCERPT FROM: Twin Cities Daily Parent
By Mary Turck
In Minnesota, paying for quality childcare has gotten much more difficult since 2003.  Unaffordable childcare and lack of government support means lost time for workers and employers, and increases in the achievement gap for lower-income children. According to the "Status of Women and Girls in Minnesota" report, "Minnesota accredited childcare costs exceed college tuition."

EXCERPT FROM: Austin Daily Herald
By Linda k. Smith
I was deeply troubled when I read that a Plymouth, Minn., man charged with possession and distribution of child pornography has worked and volunteered in a number of child care facilities in Minnesota. As a mother and grandmother, it concerns me that an individual — now charged with a horrible crime — had numerous opportunities to be in contact with small children.

EXCERPT FROM: St. Cloud Times
By Kirsti Marohn
Stearns County will get less money this year to help low- and moderate-income families pay for child care despite a growing number who are waiting for aid.

EXCERPT FROM: The Caledonia Argus
By Craig Moorhead
In the midst of the worst economic climate since the Great Depression, a local couple has chosen to open a new business in Caledonia. Troy and Emily Schroeder opened Kid’s Corner Daycare, located at 519 Old Highway Drive,  Nov. 2. The business provides full-time employment for Emily and five staff members, and is currently licensed for up to 42 children, with space for more. Emily talked about what the first month has been like during a recent interview.

If Olmsted County wants to look for an example of outsourcing its child-care licensing, it can view Mower County's experience.

another indication of Central Minnesotans’ financial struggles, the number of Stearns County families awaiting child care assistance is growing at a record rate.

Child-care costs in Minnesota are the third highest in the nation, based on the price of care as a percentage of the median income for a two-parent family, according to a new report from the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.

After 20 years of providing quality day care for children, Someplace Special Childcare will close in June.