Walz announces $316 million childcare program

Governor Tim Walz announced a new program Monday that will bolster wages and benefits for childcare providers and early education around the state. 

Starting Monday, 8,000 childcare providers can begin applying for Great Start Compensation Support Payments, making Minnesota one of the first states to provide direct funding to the childcare workforce. 

The program will provide $316 million over the next two years, and $130 million each year after that. 

Minnesota’s median wage for childcare workers is $14 an hour, one of the lowest median wages for positions requiring at least a high school diploma, according to a press release from Walz’s office. Roughly a quarter of Minnesota’s young children live in areas with a severe lack of child care, according to the release.  

The governor says the program will address a longstanding workforce crisis that makes it challenging for families to get childcare. 

MORE INFO ON THE COMPENSATION SUPPORT PAYMENT PROGRAM