According to a report released by the federal government on Wednesday, Minnesota was ranked fifth in child well-being among all states. Minnesota was ranked 18th for education. This means that the state still has a lot of work to do before it can be considered the best place to raise children. Tim Walz, along with DFL legislators, declared this at the beginning of the recent legislative sessions.
The Kids Count Data Book is an annual report that ranks states based on the well-being and education of their children. It also includes benchmarks such as family and community, health and education. This year, the report included data from 2021 — giving states an idea of how children did during the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Debra Fitzpatrick is the policy and research director at Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota. She said that the data looked at the entire state, but Minnesota had distinct gaps in opportunity based on race, which aren’t included in the report.
Fitzpatrick stated, “While we are doing well in general, it is really noticeable that we rank lower than the other categories of education.”
According to the report, from 2019 to 2022 the percentage of Minnesota fourth graders who are not proficient readers rose from 62% up to 68%. In the same period, the percentage of eighth graders who were not proficient in math increased from 56% up to 68%.
Fitzpatrick stated that Minnesota’s low education rates and opportunities gaps are due to a lack access to early childhood education and child care.
Fitzpatrick stated that “we invest so little in the early years of a child’s life, even though 80 percent of brain development occurs in these first three years.” “We have made some historic advances this year but we are still far from where we should be.”
Walz, in an effort to combat the lack of early education and child care in Minnesota, signed a bill this session that included $300 million for new spending in early childhood education and scholarships, as well as other programs aimed at preparing young children for school. More than $250 million of the new funding will be allocated to Minnesota’s Early Learning Scholarship Program, which targets 3- and 4-year olds. Head Start and Child Care Assistance Program received additional funding.
The new law provides permanent funding for 4,000 slots of pre-K, which were previously only temporary. It also adds temporary funds to 5,200 additional slots.
In an interview with The Reformer, House Speaker Melissa Hortman stated that the Legislature’s investment in early childhood education was her proudest achievement. Hortman stated that she has been advocating more pre-K seats for 20 years.
Hortman stated, “This year we have invested a lot in the little ones.”
Fitzpatrick noted that the data was dated and did not reflect all the provisions that were passed by the Legislature to improve the well-being of children, such as paid medical leave for families, funding new affordable housing, or universal free meals in schools.
Fitzpatrick stated, “It’s exciting to me that the Legislature didn’t waste an opportunity and that we did some important, bold things which could have a major impact on people’s lives in the long run.”
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