Governor Tim Walz today announced that Minnesota will partner with the YMCA to care for the school-age children of emergency workers in Minnesota. The YMCA will open 38 locations across Minnesota to provide access to distance learning and care to children in kindergarten through sixth grade, coordinating with school districts. The YMCA program will prioritize tier two emergency workers, for which some school districts have not been able to accommodate and be open to other school age children.

“ Folks across Minnesota are pulling together to help each other through this pandemic,” said Governor Walz. “ I want to thank everyone at the YMCA who is stepping up to ensure the workers on the front lines of this pandemic have access to care for their children. ”

“It’s critical that our school-age children are learning in a safe and supportive environment, especially during a pandemic” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “I’m grateful to the YMCA for helping to fill the gap where our school systems are not able to serve all emergency worker needs.”

Starting Monday, March 23 the YMCA sites will begin providing licensed care from 8:30 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday for ages over five. The program will follow social distancing and cleaning guidelines from the Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program will be prioritized for children of emergency workers, including educators, grocery store workers, utility workers, essential state and local government staff, etc.

A full list of locations is available at ymcamn.org/mnchildcare . The cost is $40 per day and locations will coordinate with school districts on food drop-off sites. Registration is open and accessible at ymcamn.org/mnchildcare or 612-230-9622.