Minnesota Government shutdown suspends childcare assistance

Note: If you closely follow politics in Minnesota go ahead and skip the next two paragraphs.  If not, tune in and I'll explain some of the shenanigans that have been going on in this frozen, god-forsaken state...

In Minnesota's last election, Republicans took control of both the state House and Senate, while the Democratic candidate Mark Dayton was elected Governor - somewhat similar to the US's national government, but with the Republicans controlling the Senate as well as the house.  Unlike Obama, Mark Dayton came out with a strong budget proposal that would balance the state's budget with two thirds spending cuts and one third tax increases on the wealthiest 2% of Minnesotans (click here for excellent op-ed by Dayton explaining his position).  Republicans rejected this of course, though one would think they had already won with over half of the budget being balanced with spending cuts. The problem with that sentence is the word "think" - there's been altogether too little of that by anyone lately.

Anyway, Dayton and Republican leaders couldn't agree on a budget before the deadline, so the state government has shut down!  Governor Mark Dayton named a list of services that are considered "essential" that would continue during the shutdown, and all other state government functions would stop(which begs the question: If something is not "essential" then why do it in the first place?  But again, pretty much nothing in this whole mess makes SENSE.)  Child care assistance was not on the list of essential services.

Some background is in order on the Childcare Assistance Program, for those who are not in the know.  The Minnesota Department of Human Services' Child Care Assistance Program (commonly referred to as CCAP) pays tuition for over 100,000 low-income children in Minnesota.  These families rely on the program to pay for childcare so that they can go to work.  Without these payments, many families will not be able to afford high-quality childcare (which as I have mentioned here, here and here is extremely important!).  They will be forced to either get unlicensed childcare, which is at best less educational and structured than licensed programs, and at worst dangerous and neglectful of children, [Note: See comments for discussion of this sentence] or quit going to work - a terrible choice that no one should have to make.

In addition, family child care providers and childcare centers are both left not knowing what will happen with their CCAP families.  Many do not have the cash on hand to withstand a prolonged shutdown, and will have to close if there is not a compromise soon.  I personally have worked with providers that have a majority of their children on CCAP, and some childcare centers are almost all CCAP children.  Click here for an article from the Saint Cloud times (hat tip to Anna for the link) about what family childcare providers are going through.

There's some hope on the horizon, as Dayton has now asked that childcare be added to the list of essential services, but no one knows what the Judge will rule (link here).  The Republicans refuse to raise anymore money from at all from millionaires and billionaires, no matter who is hurt.  Sometimes I feel like Will Ferrell in Zoolander: