Poverty is the cause of the Achievement Gap (AG), and it will cost the taxpayer. The highest cost is to do nothing. Children show up for kindergarten that needs additional services, such as learning English or without executive function (causing behavior problems).

“85 percent of all juveniles who come into contact with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. So are 60 percent of all prison inmates.” Ruben Rosario

There are many benefits to Solving Minnesota’s Achievement Gap; this quote provides one side effect of poor education.

The StarTribune’s article of 2019 is still relevant, “$600M A YEAR, YET ACHIEVEMENT GAP PERSISTS”,

(http://www.startribune.com/despite-targeted-funding-struggling-students-still-experience-an-achievement-gap/510160142/)”.

What was the $600M used for? I don’t know because the Legislative Auditor does not have a legal definition of the AG and cannot audit it.

Comprehensive Solution

1. Educate all parents on how and when children learn.
2. Establish the Minnesota Department of Children; Gov. Walz has already proposed this change.
3. Fund daycare on a sliding scale to income.

Expanding on each point:

1. Educate all parents about how and when children learn from birth. This can be done in birthing centers and hospital maternity wards, using volunteers already in place.
   1. “Indeed, studies show that parents who are knowledgeable about child development are better prepared to support their children’s development. On the other hand, parents with little knowledge are more likely to engage in negative parenting behaviors (e.g., abuse and neglect) that can have harmful long‐term effects on their children’s well-being.” https://www.childtrends.org

• Establish the Minnesota Department of Children, currently proposed by the Minnesota Democrats.
  • Currently, the Minnesota Department of Human Services deals with families. However, it is too large and does not bring focus to the state’s most vulnerable citizens.
  • The state funds daycare for families on a sliding income scale.
  • The funds must be in line with the current price of daycare and need to reflect enough money to feed impoverished children three meals daily ($13,000 to $15,000 yearly)
  • The funds would only be available to fully licensed daycares. In addition, the children would have to be kindergarten ready for the daycare to qualify for future reimbursement.
  • There would be a rush to open new daycare centers with this new income stream.
  • An advantage of this program is that the monies go directly to daycare centers for the children. In addition, with quality audits and kindergarten readiness testing, the program would be manageable.
  • Children moving from daycare to K-12 would need continued support.
  • Cost savings from this program are immense.
    • Half-day Universal Pre-Kindergarten would not be necessary; significant savings. Universal Pre-K for 3 & 4-year-old children could cost up to $900M.
    • English Language Learners would be substantially reduced. Studies have shown that infants and toddlers exposed to one language at daycare and another at home are fluent in both languages by 5.
  • Developing Child at Havard University has shown that properly trained daycare workers can identify early signs of mental illness, and the child can be cured with proper intervention.
  • Roughly estimated that the state of Minnesota needs 800+ daycare centers. There are monies available to get this done.

Current Problems with Daycare

• Scarce, many areas are ‘Daycare Deserts,’ with four children for every daycare spot.
• Due to scarcity, infrastructure should also be considered a problem.
• Management, or the lack of it, is also a problem.
• Supply determines the price. Therefore, an area with a short supply will experience higher fees.
• Expensive for families, the third-largest expense behind only a home and a vehicle. It costs more than most universities.
• Highly regulated industry, which is positive.
• Low-paying jobs, income average less than $12/hour.
• Long hours typically, daycare is expected to provide services from 6 AM to 6 PM
• Only twenty percent of daycares are considered “high-quality.”
• Universal Pre-Kindergarten and Junior (ages 3 & 4) kindergarten are taking the lowest-cost children out of daycare, increasing the financial stress on the industry.

Stakeholders are many and may be the answer to leadership in the daycare industry.

Non-profit daycare is an option for underserved areas. The Board of Directors is filled with qualified individuals from communities. Once a board is in place and a team is hired, the rest should be straightforward.

Studies by Nobel prize winners Scientists show that the Return on Investment for early childhood learning is $7 to $16.

It is essential to understand who will benefit from solving this problem:

• The child
• The Families
• Teachers
• Schools
• Business
• Police, prisons

There are only two ways to get more money for the MDE, raise taxes or reduce costs. Children kindergarten-ready will help lower costs and allow more funds for school boards to disperse.

“We all know how some children arrive at school; will influence how they do for the rest of their academic careers.”

Dr. Megan Gunnar, Department Chair, Director of the Institute, Regents Professor, Distinguished McKnight University Professor, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota.

The education unions have a battery of lobbyists. So call, and email your politicians, state and federal senators, and congressional representatives, ‘Say No to UPK, Fix Daycare”.