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Committee hears pleas to preserve early learning scholarship funding; sponsors lay bill over
Summary
Public witnesses, providers and the central payment administrator urged the committee to preserve early learning scholarships funding; House File 470 was laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill.
Parents, providers and program administrators urged the House Children and Families Committee to preserve funding for Minnesota's early learning scholarship program during a March 26 hearing, saying cuts would remove slots and destabilize providers.
Why it matters: early learning scholarships subsidize tuition for low‑ and moderate‑income children attending prekindergarten and licensed child-care programs. Witnesses told the committee that scholarship funding enables parents to work and supports program stability in smaller communities.
What witnesses said
Corinne Martin, who identified herself as a parent and scholarship recipient, described how a scholarship helped her transition from residential treatment and regain custody of her child: “Getting a scholarship changed our lives and marked the start of our family's independence,” Martin said, adding that the program allowed her to pursue employment and education while her daughter gained social and language skills.
Athena Mijas, chief financial officer for Greater Twin Cities United Way, described the organization's role as the state's centralized payment administrator for scholarships. She said: “Beginning July first of 2024 through the February this year, we have successfully processed 14,177 invoices for payment. We have paid out over $55,000,000 in scholarship funds. We have served 10,377 children and supported 1,347 childcare providers and programs.”
Erica Moss of Think Small told the committee the average scholarship amount is about $15,000 per child per year and estimated roughly 10,500 scholarship recipients in a typical month statewide.
Allison Geddings, chief executive officer of Red Wing Shoe Company, tied the scholarship program to workforce availability in her region, saying hundreds of children in Goodhue County are eligible and that preserving scholarships supports local employers’ ability to hire.
Provider perspective
Viridiana Anguiano, program director at Listos Preschool and Childcare in Rochester, said 14 of 37 students at her center receive scholarships (about 40% of enrollment) and that a reduction in scholarship funding would “have a devastating impact” on programs that have only recently balanced budgets.
Budget and committee action
Representative West, the bill's sponsor, described House File 470 as a proposal “that essentially continues the funding that was brought forward in the last budget for early learning scholarships” and said the bill includes a roughly $96.6 million appropriation for the next two years. Committee members voiced bipartisan support for keeping the program; Representative West moved to lay over House File 470 for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill.
Committee staff and testifiers described program administration costs and recent administrative changes: Greater Twin Cities United Way became the central payment administrator and reports weekly payment volumes; DCYF said statute provides a roughly $2.1 million administrative portion for the department and additional funding flows to area administrators and the third‑party payment processor.
Ending
The committee laid over House File 470 for possible omnibus inclusion and asked DCYF and payment administrators for ongoing details about administration costs, recipient counts and waiting‑list impacts.
