Child Care Advocacy and Action Guide

Written By Charity Anderson

This guide was created for rural Minnesota communities because child care isn’t working for families, providers, or educators.

It’s time for lasting change.

Why Advocate?

The current child care model is broken. It relies on families paying unaffordable rates, providers operating on razor-thin margins, and child care workers being chronically underpaid. While these challenges exist statewide, their impact is especially acute in rural Minnesota. Rural areas face longer waitlists, fewer licensed providers, limited infant care options, and geographic isolation that compounds staffing and sustainability barriers.

Rural areas have also been significantly impacted by the loss of family child care providers. Minnesota has seen a 50% decline in licensed family child care homes over the past 20 years. At the same time, rural centers often operate below full capacity due to workforce shortages, even as they remain vital to local families. Rigid staffing licensure requirements limit flexibility, making it harder for small centers to adapt and remain open, particularly during times of illness, staff turnover, or fluctuating enrollment.

Minnesota's rural families, providers, and early educators face increasing pressure from limited access, high costs, and staffing shortages. Despite some recent policy wins, including stabilization grants and emerging tax credit proposals, rural communities remain underserved.

This guide will help you:

  • Share your story with legislators

  • Advocate for policy and funding solutions

  • Organize your community for action

We’ve seen progress. Now we need to ensure that funding, reforms, and support systems reflect the experiences of rural Minnesotans and center their voices.

 

How to Take Action

Photo by Glen Stubbe | Star Tribune via AP file

1. Contact Your Legislators

  • Find your Minnesota State Senator and Representative.
    Sample Email Subject: Support Sustainable Child Care in Greater Minnesota
    Sample Introduction: Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I live in [Town], ZIP Code [#####]. I’m reaching out to thank you for your efforts to address the child care crisis and to ask for your continued leadership to support rural solutions.

 

2. Submit Testimony to the MN Legislature

Testify in-person, virtually, or submit written comments. For updates, follow:

 

3. Join a Grassroots Movement

Kids Count On Us, an initiative by ISAIAH, brings together over 600 family child care providers and centers across the state who advocate for equitable early education policies.
They’ve been instrumental in raising provider voices and advancing reforms rooted in racial, economic, and geographic equity.

Moms First is a national grassroots initiative advocating for systemic change in child care, paid leave, and economic justice. They work with communities across Minnesota to build momentum for bold policies that center working families and caregivers.

 

Your Story Matters

Whether you're a parent, program operator, child care worker, or business owner, decision-makers need to hear what’s happening in Greater Minnesota. Use the following table to identify relevant story prompts and aligned policy priorities for your sector:

 

Policy Solutions That Matter

Let lawmakers know what solutions you support:

 

Partner Organizations and Resources

Charity Anderson
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