From Barriers to Breakthrough: A Better Future for Child Care Licensing and Quality in Minnesota

After careful consideration, we have decided to cancel our January 23 Small Talks session — From Barriers to Breakthrough: A Better Future for Child Care Licensing and Quality in Minnesota.

Given the unrelenting instability facing children, families, and early educators in Minnesota—including heightened ICE enforcement affecting educators, families keeping children home out of fear, and increasing volatility in our communities—we are centering children’s well‑being, safety, and ability to learn above all else.

Instead of the scheduled Small Talks event, we invite early educators, partners, families, and policymakers to learn about and engage with the findings and recommendations from this year-long WeVision Minnesota initiative in several ways:

Report release on Friday, January 23. The report and recommendations will be sent to all Small Talks registered attendees by email. We will also make it available on our website and social media.

Save a date! We will host three online sessions. At each, there will be a brief presentation about the WeVision Minnesota process and recommendations with time for questions. Opportunities to register will be shared through email to Small Talks registered attendees and our website and social media accounts. Please save the date for one of the following dates:

• Friday, January 30, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, February 3, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, February 11, 10:00-11:30 a.m.

We remain committed to this work and are excited to share these breakthrough recommendations which aim to move Minnesota beyond decades of gridlock toward real, workable solutions for children, families, and programs. If you have questions or would like to connect directly, please reach out to Dr. Nicole Smerillo, Think Small’s Director of Data, Research, and Policy at nsmerillo@thinksmall.org.

Why this matters 

For years, Minnesota has felt stuck when it comes to child care licensing and quality recognition. Programs, families, and partners have been asking for clearer, more workable solutions that keep children safe and help quality care thrive.

WeVision Minnesota, a six‑month, community‑driven effort, regularly brought together nearly 40 leaders in three workgroups to develop a set of breakthrough recommendations to move Minnesota beyond decades of gridlock toward real, workable solutions for children, families, and programs.

These workgroups included leaders who focus on the overall early care and education system and those with deep experience running licensed family child care and child care center programs. Their work was supplemented by a robust community engagement effort that lifted up the perspectives of parents and families, people with experience in Tribally licensed early care and education settings, those working with family, friend, and neighbor caregivers, and others across the field.

Together, this work produced recommendations that would:

• Realign how early care and education is overseen
• Right‑size child care regulations
• Shift to an industry‑led approach to recognizing quality
• Better connect supports for programs and educators

All in line with the goals of the Great Start Task Force—and now ready to be shared publicly for the first time at this event.

What you can expect in the online sessions 

• A first look at breakthrough recommendations to move Minnesota beyond decades of gridlock in child care licensing and quality recognition
• A clear, plain‑language overview of proposed changes to governance, regulations, quality recognition, and supports
• Insight into how nearly 40 leaders and a broad community engagement effort shaped these recommendations
• Time to react, ask questions, and offer input that will inform next steps
• Ways to plug into a growing effort to champion these recommendations in policy and practice