[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today visited Warrior Early Learning in Baxter as part of his statewide tour highlighting investments made in pre-K this year. Because of this legislation, 9,000 children across the state will attend pre-K that wouldn’t have otherwise, saving families money and expanding access to early childhood education. Without this funding, Warrior Early Learning would have lost 100 percent of their pre-k seats this year.

“Across the state, we are opening classroom doors for 9,000 pre-k students,” said Governor Walz. “This investment gives our kids a leg up early in life while saving middle class families thousands of dollars a year on child care. It’s an investment that will pay off in the here and now and for years down the line.”

This year, Governor Walz secured funding to make permanent 4,000 pre-kindergarten seats across the state that were set to expire in 2024. An additional 5,200 seats will be added in the next two years, resulting in over 9,000 permanent pre-k seats funded in total. This investment ensures thousands of young students have access to high-quality early childhood education and saves families thousands of dollars on child care.

This is the Governor’s second stop on a statewide tour to highlight these investments. Governor Walz visited Eisenhower Elementary in Hopkins last week.