The Great Start for All Minnesota Children Task Force was proposed by early care and education advocates and legislators, and signed into law in 2021 by Governor Walz. The legislation establishing the Task Force had bipartisan support. The purpose of the Task Force was to develop a state plan to accomplish the goal for “all families to have access to affordable, high-quality early care and education that enriches, nurtures, and supports children and their families” (Minnesota 2021 Session Law, First Special Session, Chapter 7, Article 14, Section 18, Subd. 2). The Task Force was comprised of 11 voting members appointed by the Governor, 4 voting members appointed by legislative leadership, and 22 non-voting members appointed by varying individuals.
The Task Force completed their work by the statutory deadline of February 1, 2023. You can find their final materials here:
The Task Force was tasked with developing a plan and implementation timeline to achieve the following goals, with the implementation timeline set to start in July 2025 and finish no later than July 2031:
Creating a system in which family costs for early care and education are affordable;
Ensuring that a child’s access to high-quality early care and education is not determined by the child’s race, family income, or zip code; and
Ensuring that Minnesota’s early childhood educators are qualified, diverse, supported and equitably compensated regardless of setting.
Task Force Timeline:
December 1, 2021: Date by which the first Task Force meeting must be held.
December 15, 2022: Deadline for the Task Force to submit preliminary findings and draft implementation plans to the governor and legislative committees with jurisdiction over early childhood programs.
February 1, 2023: Deadline for the Task Force to submit final recommendations and implementation plan to the governor and legislative committees with jurisdiction over early childhood programs. The Task Force expires upon submission of this final report.
The co-chairs of the Task Force hosted 4 virtual listening sessions to hear feedback and input from members of the public. These listening sessions began with a brief presentation about the work of the Task Force, followed by time for feedback from attendees. Please see below for listening session dates.
For additional information on the Great Start for All Minnesota Children Task Force, you can contact us by email at this address: GreatStart.Taskforce.MMB@state.mn.us.
