Despite the overwhelming opposition from licensed family child-care providers, a bill to unionize the profession will soon be headed to the floor of the Minnesota Legislature for a vote.
Family child-care providers should be aware that they will be required to pay hundreds of dollars in dues or fees per year any time a child they care for receives assistance from the state, regardless of whether or not they choose to join.
Citizens should know that child-care union contracts in other states have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, all with little benefit to anyone but the union. It has not proven to raise quality, stabilize the profession or increase availability. Some reports suggest it has had the opposite impact.
Parents should know that their child-care costs will go up. A recent survey of licensed providers revealed that fewer than 12 percent will not raise their rates as a result of unionization. Minnesota already has the second-highest cost of child care in the country. With the state of our economy right now, higher child-care costs would have devastating consequences.
I urge everyone to pay attention to who votes for this bill so they know who to thank when their child-care bill goes up.
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Jennifer Parrish
Rochester
