Child Care Availability Data for the State of Minnesota
In Minnesota, is child care available for families?
Quality child care helps children develop to their full potential and allows parents to work, which is crucial to our economy. However, many families lack access to care because there are not enough slots in licensed child care programs.
Access to child care is measured by comparing the total number of slots in licensed child care to the number of children under 6 whose parents work.
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Available Slots by Child Age and Child Care Type
In Minnesota, there are 220,886 child care slots. Access varies by the type of care, center or family child care, and by child age:
- Minnesota has 77 child care slots for infants, toddlers, or preschoolers for every 100 children whose parents work.
- Minnesota has 19 slots for infants and toddlers for every 100 children whose parents work.
- Minnesota has 33 slots for preschoolers for every 100 children whose parents work.
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Available Child Care Providers by Program Quality
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Available Child Care Slots by County
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In Minnesota, is subsidized child care available for families?
All families should have access to high-quality child care, regardless of income. That’s not the case for many families who receive child care subsidies, because not all programs accept subsidies. The percentage of licensed child care programs that accept subsidies shows this disparity.
Subsidized child care availability
# of licensed providers offering care to families using subsidies
All licensed providers
Number of Child Care Providers Who Accept Subsidies by Setting and Quality Rating
Minnesota has 9,347 licensed child care providers. 2,123 licensed providers accept subsidies—of every 100 licensed providers, only 23 accept subsidies.
Access to subsidized child care varies by setting type and quality rating.
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In Minnesota, is non-standard hours (NSH) child care available for families?
Increasingly, parents are working non-standard hours (NSH) (i.e., between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. and/or on weekends). The percentage of licensed child care programs that provide care during NSH doesn’t meet the demand.
NSH availability
(the average price of child care vs. median household income)
% of licensed providers that offer NSH care
# of licensed providers that offer NSH care
all licensed providers
Number of Child Care Providers Who Have Non-Standard Hours by Setting and Quality Rating
In Minnesota, 225 providers offer NSH care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. 3 of every 100 providers offer NSH care.
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Data Notes
Conclusion: What does the data say about child care availability in Minnesota?
There are not enough licensed child care slots available in Minnesota to meet families’ needs. There is a particular shortage of slots for infants and toddlers. Subsidy-supported slots are also limited, as is non-standard hour care. These findings emphasize the need for increased child care options to better serve families.
