Advocates for early childhood education are now asking Gov. Mark Dayton to do administratively what lawmakers didn't do legislatively -- tie child care scholarships to the performance of child care facilities on a statewide quality rating system.
The request to Dayton by the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation came Wednesday morning, after the legislature approved state budget bills in a special session but didn't act on the proposed Parent Aware child care rating system. Foundation executive director Duane Benson said in a statement:
While the legislature approved scholarships to help low-income families afford child care, Benson said the ranking system is needed so that families use those scholarships on proven, top-quality child care programs. That in turn will increase the rate of low-income children who are ready to learn by the time they reach kindergarten, he said.
The urgency of the business-funded organization comes in part because it is scheduled to cease operations later this year. Through private investment, the organization tested the ranking system in select Minnesota communities and found that it increased the rate of low-income children using top-quality child care and increased the rate of children ready to learn by kindergarten. The ranking system also motivated child-care facilities to work harder to gain top rankings, the organization reported.
The concept is opposed by Education LibertyWatch, which is against increasing government regulation and intervention in child care choices and programs. The organization has punched holes in MELF's research, stating that it never proved that the rating system actually caused any improvements in school readiness that took place. The opposition group also pointed out that a low rate of people in the test communities actually used or knew about the ratings.
