CONTACT: Katie Gunderson, Child Care Program Officer
email: katieg@nwmf.org
April 24, 2025 (Bemidji, MN) – The Minnesota Department of Human Services will host two in-person engagement sessions in Northwest Minnesota as it continues to solicit input on the second draft of licensing standards for child care centers and family child care programs.
Both sessions will be held on Monday, May 5, at Northland Community and Technical College, 1101 State Hwy 1, Thief River Falls. A session for Child Care Centers will be held from 1 to 3 p.m., and a session for Family Child Care will be held from 6 to 8 p.m.
These sessions aim to capture feedback and input on the second draft of revised licensing standards that were developed in February. Feedback on this draft will be collected through June.
“This second draft is not final language, but a working document designed to reflect the next step of modernizing the licensing standards,” wrote DHS in the report. “Your continued engagement is crucial. Feedback received on this draft will shape the final draft, which will be proposed during the 2026 legislative session.”
DHS set this series of in-person engagement sessions in partnership with the six Minnesota Initiative Foundations, which cover all of Greater Minnesota.
To review the second draft or to learn more about the project, visit https://mn.gov/dhs/partners-and-providers/licensing/child-care-and-early-education/child-care-regulation-modernization.jsp
To connect with a local contact about the Thief River Falls engagement sessions, email Katie Gunderson, Northwest Minnesota Foundation child care program officer, at katieg@nwmf.org
