First Lady Jill Biden touted federal child-care investments Wednesday during a stop at the University of Minnesota.
Biden and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra visited the U’s Child Development Laboratory School, where they hosted a listening session alongside Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota and Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz.
When Biden and Becerra arrived at Minneapolis−St. Paul International Airport, they met medical staff from Abbott Northwestern Hospital, members of a Federal COVID-19 Surge Response Team and a group of elected officials including Walz, Omar, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.
Biden visited Minnesota multiple times in 2020 on behalf of her husband’s presidential campaign. Education has been a focus for the first lady, a former teacher.
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in March, included $39 billion in relief funds for child-care providers. As a result of the pandemic, providers have experienced both enrollment declines and increased costs, and families have struggled to find affordable care for their children.
States, territories and tribes received the federal money on a formula basis. Minnesota received more than $500 million, and the Legislature created a grant program expected to last until June 2023.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.