Reader Response: Cities shouldn't subsidize community child care

June 17--Cities such as Mapleton may be trying to find ways to provide child care, but area readers don't think cities should subsidize community day care, according to a Free Press online question.

Out of 328 total respondents, 236 -- almost 72 percent -- did not think cities should subsidize community child care. Another 92 voters supported the idea.

The city of Mapleton is considering a tax increase to reopen a child care center. The Child Care Center of Mapleton would continue to operate as a nonprofit but would receive support from the city and the Maple River School district. District officials would provide and oversee staff.

Minnesota went from more than 11,000 providers to less than 8,500 over the past 10 years.

The Mankato-based Center of Rural Policy and Development found Greater Minnesota lost more than 15,000 spots for children at child care businesses between 2006 and 2016. The majority of that came from in-home providers.

Losing in-home providers is especially significant for Greater Minnesota, where more than 2/3rds of children are cared for by family providers rather than child care centers. In the metro area, it's the child care centers who care for a majority of children.

Mapleton is conducting an online survey to gauge residents' feelings. They're not the only community considering this idea, however. More rural communities are looking for community-based solutions to an increasing lack of child care options in Greater Minnesota.

The Free Press online question, sent to readers Friday, asked, "Should cities subsidize community day cares?"

There were two options to answer, "yes" or "no."

Commenters were split on the issue, with some supporting attempts to stop the child care shortage. Others were concerned community child care could drive out private and in-home providers.

"I voted 'no' simply because I am an in-home day care (in another town) and I have never been given anything to support my day care," Judy Boomgarden wrote. "I pay for everything -- including advertising. The day care centers in all of the surrounding towns have been supported by the communities in which they reside. The in-home day cares really struggle to compete with the centers. We give such loving, home-style day care but still need to follow the same rules as the centers. If a day care center is subsidized, then why not also the in-home day cares?"

Dee Michels wrote, "When cities put together and attempt to balance their proposed budget, where are the funds to subside community day care services going to come from? Will other programs or services be cut, will certain taxes or fees need to be increased to cover the cost, etc? "

Paul Brandon wrote, "The evidence show that countries that provide subsidized day care have stronger economies than those which don't, since it allows more qualified workers to participate in the economy. Ideally this should be done on the national level, but given that in the U.S. most social services are managed more locally, community support would be desirable and appropriate."

"Cities have used economic development grants and loans to attract the types of businesses they want in their cities for years," Perry Madden wrote. "This is just more of the same in some respects. But finding quality child care, someone you can really trust with your children, should be a priority both for families and the communities they live in."

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