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Representatives, rural providers urge support for rural child‑care stabilization bill
Summary
Representative Purcell presented House File 2732 to establish a rural child‑care stabilization and support payments program. Multiple rural child‑care owners testified about financial strain and the potential of the bill to help keep rural centers open; the committee laid the bill over for further consideration.
Representative Purcell opened a presentation on House File 2732, a proposal designed to extend stabilization and support payments to rural child‑care providers modeled on the Great Start compensation program. Purcell told the committee the bill expands eligible uses to include rent, equipment, training and compensation, and targets smaller communities (population thresholds appear in the draft language).
Two providers testified by video: Tana Schneider, owner/director of Village Learning Center in Dundas, described local demand outstripping available childcare slots and urged the committee to support payments that would let providers "maintain and enhance our services" and possibly expand capacity. Karen DeVos, director of Little Learners in Norman County (northwest Minnesota), said her operation will serve roughly 110 children across three sites and described operating without a salary for several years to keep centers open; she called rural childcare "in crisis" and said House File 2732 would provide "direct ongoing support to rural providers."
Members questioned program design, including eligibility amounts for nonlicensed providers and overlap with existing programs. Representative Purcell said the bill is not fixed on specific dollar amounts and is open to negotiation; she referenced existing Great Start compensation averages as context. The committee recessed briefly for technical issues, then laid the bill over for further consideration.
