Across Minnesota, families, employers, and communities are feeling the strain of a child care system that is increasingly unaffordable and difficult to access. That’s why any vision for universal child care in Minnesota must start with what we know: the earliest years of a child’s life are critical to long-term success. Think Small envisions a future in which economic and achievement gaps are closed and every child is ready for kindergarten, ultimately realizing their full potential. Achieving this vision requires a system of early care and education that is affordable, accessible, and high-quality while making the best use of limited public dollars.
As momentum builds around the idea of universal child care, Think Small sees an opportunity to strengthen Minnesota’s early care and education system, but how we get there matters. Expanding access must go hand in hand with prioritizing children with the greatest need and preserving quality, flexibility, and family choice.
A Foundation for Progress
The recommendations from the Great Start for All Children Task Force provide a strong foundation for building a more universal system. These recommendations center on a shared goal: ensuring every family has access to affordable, high-quality early care and education.
They outline key elements of a stronger system, including clear affordability benchmarks for families, resources to deliver effective programs for children, improved compensation for early educators, and creating more access to effective programs. They also recognize the importance of a mixed-delivery system that includes child care centers, family child care providers, Head Start programs, and schools so families can choose what works best for them.
Think Small believes these recommendations offer a politically feasible path forward.
Universal and Targeted: Better Together
Families across income levels are struggling to afford and access early care and education. Universal approaches can help stabilize the overall system, increase political support, and ensure more families benefit.
At the same time, Think Small’s work has long focused on prioritizing children and families facing the greatest barriers to opportunity.
These goals are not in conflict: they are complementary.
A universal approach can strengthen the system as a whole, while targeted investments ensure those who stand to benefit the most from public investments in early learning opportunities are served first and fully. Together, these strategies can create a more equitable and effective system.
Guiding Principles for a Stronger System
For Think Small, any move toward universal child care must be guided by principles that ensure the system works for children, families, and educators.
Protect and Strengthen Targeted Investments
Universal systems should not replace programs that prioritize children with the greatest need. Instead, they should build on them. This means fully funding targeted programs, maintaining clear pathways for expanding eligibility, and making it easier for families to understand and access their options.
Ensure Quality Across the System
Access alone is not enough. Children benefit most from early care and education environments that are consistent and support their development, nurture relationships, and prepare them for school. A strong system must identify and maintain a baseline of quality that promotes children’s development, invest resources in the early childhood workforce, and support those serving diverse populations and learners.
Preserve Family Choice and Flexibility
Families have different needs, schedules, and preferences. Minnesota’s current system allows funding to follow the child, empowering families to choose from a range of providers. Any universal approach should preserve this flexibility and expand it, ensuring options are available across settings, schedules, and communities.
Create a Minnesota Board of Early Care and Education
As the system evolves, it is critical those most impacted, including families, early educators, and community members, have a voice in shaping it. A Minnesota Board of Early Care and Education could provide this shared governance by working alongside state agencies to identify challenges, elevate field perspectives, and guide continuous improvement.
Align Funding with Diverse Needs
Not all children and families require the same level of support. A well-designed system should reflect this reality, directing additional resources to families who need them most. This includes children with disabilities, children with neurodivergence, and families requiring more comprehensive services.
Partner Across the Field
No single organization can build this system alone. Think Small is committed to working alongside policymakers, partner organizations, advocates, providers, and families to develop solutions that reflect shared goals and a balanced approach, expanding access while protecting quality, prioritization, flexibility, and choice.
The Path Forward
Think Small believes Minnesota has an opportunity to lead by creating an early care and education system that is both intentional and inclusive:
- Intentional in ensuring low- and middle- income children, and children facing other barriers, are served first
- Inclusive in ensuring all families can access quality early care and education
We support exploring a path toward universal child care that expands affordability and access for all Minnesota families. At the same time, we emphasize that universal and targeted strategies must work together to achieve equitable outcomes.
By protecting targeted investments, maintaining a strong focus on quality, and preserving flexibility and family choice, Minnesota can build a system that works for everyone.
You may read Think Small’s Position on Universal Child Care here.
Written by Dr. Nicole Smerillo, Think Small’s Director of Data, Research, and Policy
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