The Department of Human Services will host two listening sessions on child care licensing standards on June 25th in Thief River Falls. The sessions will feature an overview of significant changes in the draft revised licensing standards, followed by an opportunity for participants to share their feedback directly with DHS staff. Feedback from child care providers is crucial in informing the next draft of the standards.
About the draft revised licensing standards
In the 2021 legislation establishing the Child Care Regulation Modernization project, DHS was directed to work with the National Association of Regulatory Administration (NARA) to develop revised licensing standards, which are “grounded in national regulatory best practices,” and which “must protect the health and safety of children in child care centers and family child care and be child-centered, family-friendly, and fair to providers.” (See MN Laws 2021, First Special Session, Chapter 7, Article 2, sections 75 and 81.)
The draft licensing standards were created in consultation with NARA, Minnesota state agencies, and subject matter experts in child development, health, and safety. These documents are drafts, and your feedback is a crucial step in the process. Feedback gathered on the current drafts will help inform the next draft, which will be published in the fall, and submitted to the Legislature during the 2025 legislative session, which begins January 2025. Ultimately, it will be up to the Minnesota Legislature to specify an effective date for any legislation that they pass.
Listening Sessions
Two sessions are planned for June 25: a session for child care centers will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. that day while a session for family child care providers will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. that evening. Both will be held at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. Enter through Door A for either meeting.
Survey
DHS has also released a survey as a means for providing feedback on the proposed revisions. The survey allows you to specify which section and subdivision of the draft you want to comment on, so that you can provide feedback directly on the provisions which you are most concerned about or which you most support. Once you determine which provision you want to share input on, the survey will allow you to comment on the clarity, value, and effort involved in implementing that provision. There will also be an open-ended comment box to share general feedback on that section.
After beginning the survey, you will be given an access code to use if you want to return to complete additional sections of the survey at a later time. Please write down and do not lose your access code.
Survey responses will be considered in evaluating how the draft standards, as they are currently drafted, would impact Minnesota’s child care providers, parents, licensors, and others.
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