Minnesota Association of Child Care Professionals - MACCP

22/09/2026

Here's DYCF's September email about child ccare licensing standards.

September update on child care licensing standards Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families sent this bulletin at 09/22/2026 10:29 AM CDT View as a webpage / Share Revised child care licensing standards: September update Office of Inspector General - Licensing Division - September 22, 2...

15/09/2026

Every year, MACCP posts about the loss of licensed family child care providers in Minnesota.

Minnesota has lost more than half of its licensed family child care providers since 2010. In 2010, Minnesota had nearly 12,000 licensed family child care providers. As of September 8, 2026, only 5,251 remain.

That is a 56% decline!

And the loss is continuing. Between May 17 and September 8 alone, Minnesota lost another 167 licensed family child care providers.

For years, MACCP has warned that Minnesota cannot continue losing family child care at this pace; yet, significant, harmful changes to family child care regulations go into effect on July 1, 2027.

This is the time to make sure every legislator understands exactly what was passed, exactly what it will do, and exactly who will be affected if needed changes are not made before implementation.

MACCP is already working on several fronts to secure changes before the new law takes effect. We already have drafted bill language to address the issues. But we cannot do this alone.

We need providers, parents, grandparents, employers, community leaders, and everyone whose family or community depends on family child care to speak up.

Please take these steps:

📄 Read and share MACCP's information.
Our documents explain what is in the new law, MACCP's concerns, and the changes we believe are necessary.
Suggested changes: https://tinyurl.com/MACCPredline
Detailed analysis: https://tinyurl.com/MACCPanalysis

📞 Contact your Minnesota senator and representative.
Tell them why family child care matters to your family and your community. Ask them to learn about the provisions affecting family child care and to support workable changes before July 1, 2027.
Find your legislators: https://gis.lcc.mn.gov/iMaps/districts

📣 Share this post.
This is not only a provider issue. Families need to know what is happening. Employers and communities need to understand what continued provider losses mean for access to child care. Legislators need to hear from the people who rely on family child care every day.

🤝 Join MACCP.
Membership is free, and our collective voice grows stronger with every provider and supporter who joins.
www.maccp.org/membership

We have been warning about this crisis for years. We have offered solutions for years. The time to act is now.

Please stand with us to protect the 5,251 remaining licensed family child care providers and the children and families they serve.

09/07/2026

DCYF just sent this update about the new licensing standards that will go into effect on July 1, 2027. We continue to oppose the attendance requirement for those who aren't taking public funds.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNDCYF/bulletins/41f9fdc

30/06/2026

DCYF sent out this email with updates to the Family Child Care Implementation Plan from the 2025 Legislative Session. These changes go into effect on July 1, 2026.

The legislation passed in 2026 will still go into effect on July 1, 2027, and DCYF will share that separate Implementation Plan later this year, typically in the fall.

Link to DCYF’s update:
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNDCYF/bulletins/41e696e

We encourage everyone to take the time to read the full update.
Here are a few of our initial thoughts:

We are disappointed by several pieces of DCYF’s interpretation. We also want to be very clear that the federal CCDF funding requirements apply only to CCAP providers. Minnesota/DCYF has CHOSEN to apply these requirements to all child care providers.

Unfortunately, DCYF will require technical assistance to be posted on Licensing Lookup, similar to a correction order, even for low-risk violations. This defeats the purpose of the “fix-it ticket” language that has worked well for many years.

Licensors may now complete exit interviews after leaving the provider’s home, including by phone. The purpose of exit interviews, which came from an MACCP bill, was to help ensure providers were not surprised by “gotcha” correction orders based on alleged violations that had not been discussed during the licensing visit. DCYF’s interpretation is disappointing.

One positive piece is that providers may ask DCYF for interpretive guidance as part of the exit interview before a licensor issues a correction order.

Many licensors have warned providers that visits may take much longer because they will all need to use the ECLI tool during visits.

Every caregiver who works any amount of time less than 500 hours must complete at least one hour of annual training.

Another positive change due to 2025 legislation is that correction orders do not need to be posted during the 20-day period when a provider may request reconsideration, or while DCYF is making its final decision.

We will continue reviewing these updates and sharing information as we learn more.

05/06/2026

DCYF recently sent this email regarding the new family child care licensing regulations:
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNDCYF/bulletins/41aa0dc

Unfortunately, the email confirms many of the concerns MACCP and providers raised while urging lawmakers to remove the family child care section from the bill.

To be clear: the language in the law remains concerning. DCYF’s implementation guidance cannot replace or override statutory language. That is why MACCP will continue working to fix this issue before the new requirements take effect on July 1, 2027.

We are especially concerned by DCYF’s repeated use of “not necessarily” and by statements suggesting that most commercially manufactured play equipment will already meet the new requirements. Family child care homes are not public playgrounds, and providers’ yards are not public spaces. Many providers have safe, expensive, brand-name residential play systems that are not “commercial” equipment and may still have openings that fall within the prohibited ranges.

MACCP has asked DCYF for data showing injuries or safety issues in licensed family child care homes related to these new outdoor equipment requirements. To date, we have not seen evidence demonstrating that these sweeping changes are necessary.

We do not recommend that providers remove or replace equipment at this time. The changes do not take effect until July 1, 2027, and MACCP will continue working to correct the law.

Moreover, MACCP warned that the new regulations would expand parent access beyond what federal law requires and create serious safety risks in family child care homes., and DCYF has now confirmed that concern. DCYF states that parents have “the right to enter the licensed child care space at any time,” even when a provider has safety concerns. DCYF’s claim that this simply “aligns Minnesota with federal language” is a lie. Federal law requires access to the child and the provider caring for the child; it does not require unrestricted access to the licensed child care space.

That distinction matters. Under DCYF’s interpretation, providers would be required to allow access to their home-based child care space even when they have immediate safety concerns, including someone who is drunk, a s*x offender, or acting violent. This puts children and providers at risk; providers should not be forced to choose between complying with licensing rules and protecting the children in their care.

DCYF's email makes one thing clear: our concerns were valid.

This language is still problematic. The implementation uncertainty is still real. And without legislative fixes, these requirements will be harmful for providers, children, and families.

MACCP will continue fighting for practical, clear, and workable regulations that protect children without forcing family child care providers out of business.

Please contact your Minnesota legislators and respectfully share how these regulations will affect you. You can find your legislators here: https://gis.lcc.mn.gov/iMaps/districts

29/05/2026

Family child care providers have had an incredibly difficult two weeks.
There have been tears.
There has been anger.
There has been fear.

To every family child care provider feeling that weight right now: you are not alone.

We are deeply sorry that you are being forced to face this.

MACCP warned legislators that if the harmful family child care provisions were not removed this session, there would be no guarantee they would be fixed next year. That is why MACCP fought to have the family child care language removed from the bill until providers’ concerns could be meaningfully addressed.

Unfortunately, that did not happen.

Now, DCYF is moving forward with implementation of a damaging law that will increase costs, liability, paperwork, uncertainty, and regulatory risk.

Many providers will be forced to raise rates substantially. Many others will close.
When that happens:
• Families lose access to care.
• Children lose stable relationships.
• Employers lose workers.
• Communities lose one of their most essential supports.

But this is not the time to give up.
This is the time to get louder.
This is the time to make sure every legislator understands exactly what they passed, exactly what it will do, and exactly who will be harmed if they fail to fix it.

Providers deserve licensing standards that are clear, fair, workable, and focused on real health and safety.
Children deserve safe, stable, relationship-based care.
Families deserve access to affordable options in their own communities.

Minnesota cannot afford to lose more family child care providers.

MACCP is already working on several fronts to secure changes before this law takes effect on July 1, 2027. But we cannot do this alone.

We need providers, parents, grandparents, employers, community leaders, and everyone who depends on family child care to speak up now.

Please take these steps today:
📄 1. Read and share MACCP’s documents.
These explain what is in the law, why it is harmful, and what needs to change.
* View MACCP’s suggested changes to the law: https://tinyurl.com/MACCPredline
* View MACCP’s detailed analysis of the law: https://tinyurl.com/MACCPanalysis

📞 2. Contact your senator and representative.
Tell them family child care providers need their support. Thank those who voted against the bill. Speak with all candidates running for office in your area and find out where they stand on this issue so you can make an informed vote this November.
Find your legislators here: https://gis.lcc.mn.gov/iMaps/districts/

📣 3. Share this post.
Families need to know what is coming. Communities need to know why their child care options are at risk. Legislators need to hear from more than just providers.

🤝 Join MACCP.
Membership is free, and our voices are stronger when we stand together.
Join here: www.maccp.org/membership

We intend to hold accountable the department, lawmakers, and any organization that helped advance language that will eliminate family child care programs across our state.

We hope providers, parents, and communities will do the same.

Because once family child care providers close, they do not come back.

And neither do the options families depend on.

We are not done.
We are not powerless.
And we are not going away.

28/05/2026

MACCP President Hollee Saville spoke with Callan Gray from KSTP about family child care modernization and the serious harm these regulatory changes will cause for family child care providers, children, families, and Minnesota’s economy.

Governor Walz signed SF 4612 into law this week. While a few claim this is “relief” because family child care regulations will now be placed in statute, we need to be very clear:

*Harmful regulations do not become helpful simply because they are organized in one place. *

Minnesota has already lost more than 6,500 licensed family child care providers over the last 15 years. Since this bill passed on May 17, we have already lost seven more. More closures are sure to follow unless lawmakers make significant changes before this law takes effect on July 1, 2027.

We continue to work with legislators and others to fix the law before it takes effect.

This week, Governor Walz signed into law major changes to how family childcare providers are regulated. The full comprehensive set of rules for family childcare providers is now in statute, included in the Omnibus Health and Human Services supplemental appropriations bill.

27/05/2026

DCYF sent this email regarding the passage of SF 4612, which Governor Walz signed into law yesterday. The child care licensing modernization sections will go into effect on July 1, 2027.
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNDCYF/bulletins/41924ec

We are still working with legislators and others to prevent the harm these new statutes will do to family child care providers and the children and families we serve.

We'll keep you updated as much as possible, but please know that we have been working nonstop on this and will continue advocating for our profession. We will share our detailed response to the law and our suggested changes to these regulations tomorrow.

25/05/2026

Today, we pause to honor and remember the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Please join us in remembering those who have fallen and honoring their memory through our words and actions. 🇺🇸 ❤️🤍💙

19/05/2026

We understand how disappointed and concerned you are about the passage of SF 4612. We are, too.

There were very minor changes to the bill that passed last night, but we want to make sure that everyone has access to the correct bill language.

MACCP pulled the family child care section out of the bill to make it easier for you to find: https://tinyurl.com/SF4612final

We also wanted to share information about the next steps for the law and for MACCP/providers.

* The bill was passed by the Minnesota Senate and House.
* It is now awaiting the governor's signature.
* Since the bill included funding for HCMC, federal compliance, and many other proposals the governor supports, he will sign it.
* Once he does, the bill will become law.

After that, DCYF will begin working on an implementation plan where they explain how this bill will be applied in family child care programs.
Historically, these implementation plans have been released in the fall, but this is a huge monstrosity of a law; it could take longer.

MACCP is currently working on an updated analysis of the final language and will share on this page and with members as soon as we complete it.
Not a member? Join for free @ www.MACCP.org.

We are so grateful to everyone who reached out to lawmakers in support of our profession and signed our petition.

You made a difference!!!

* We are NOT done yet.
* We have a long road ahead of us, and we will need your help.
* We will share more information soon.