More day-care programs going beyond holding pattern for kids

James Walsh:

Providing day care was once seen as a way to get low-income parents into the workforce, but now, using child care to pull future generations out of poverty is capturing the imagination of government and businesses alike.
From St. Paul's North End to north Minneapolis to Wayzata to Blue Earth County, a number of projects aim to get more daycare workers introducing 3- and 4-year-olds to what they'll be learning in kindergarten.

"Right now, we've got about 50 percent of our kids not ready for kindergarten," said state Sen. Tarryl Clark, DFL-St. Cloud. "For many families, child care is today's preschool. And with very high percentages of parents working, we can make a difference here."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 4, 2007 12:00 AM
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