St. Paul, MN – 1/13/2026
Think Small Calls on Leaders to Preserve Child Care Stability
Think Small is dedicated to making sure young children in Minnesota can learn, grow, and thrive in stable, quality early care and education settings. Recent online allegations about fraud in child care programs, along with heightened activity by federal agents in our state, are highlighting and exacerbating the fragility of Minnesota’s child care system. As that fragility is tested, children and families are suffering.
Families rely on stable, affordable child care to go to work and provide for their loved ones. Children do best when they have consistent, reliable access to early care and education without interruption. In Minnesota today, providers and families are reporting disruptions tied both to federal funding threats and to immigration enforcement activity: uncertainty about continued CCAP subsidy payments, programs facing possible closure, families keeping children home out of fear, and staff questioning whether it is safe to travel to and from work. Together, these disruptions are destabilizing access, interrupting children’s relationships with trusted educators, and undermining the safe, predictable environments every young child needs to learn and thrive.
Think Small fully supports the efficient and legal use of all public dollars invested in Minnesota’s early care and education system. We support our state agencies in conducting fair, evidence‑based reviews and addressing any confirmed fraud in ways that are targeted and proportionate. Responses to potential misuse of funds must be designed so that young children do not bear the greatest burden for adult systems’ failures, and so that families’ access to care is preserved whenever possible. That includes clearly distinguishing between intentional fraud and paperwork or systems‑navigation errors and resolving the latter through technical assistance and corrective action rather than the same punitive tools used for deliberate abuse of the program.
At the same time, any enforcement practices – of any kind – that remove educators from classrooms, detain parents and staff in front of children, or create fear around traveling to and from child care are incompatible in a system that depends on trust and stability. Federal and state leaders must ensure that necessary enforcement actions do not destabilize children’s care and learning environments, and must establish clear guardrails to keep child care programs safe, accessible places for families.
In these times, Think Small will be a steady source of support for families with young children and the educators who care for them. Centering children’s well‑being, safety, and ability to learn, we will continue to listen closely to families and providers, bring what we hear to decision‑makers, and offer concrete solutions that help maintain stability in children’s daily lives – both while reviews are underway and long after they are complete.
For questions or media inquiries, contact:
Kim Sheagren
Director of Marketing and Communications
ksheagren@thinksmall.org
651-523-7284
