Proposed Minnesota legislation aims to ease financial strain of child care: Talking Points
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Thousands of Minnesota parents struggle with the soaring cost of child care. DFL lawmakers hope to ease some of that burden.
A proposal at the legislature would put $500 million into subsidies for families struggling to pay child care costs. The subsidies would give reimbursements to families earning up to $174,000. But Republicans say that would amount to subsidies for the rich.
So, what does it mean for families who earn more than the maximum income requirement?
Esme Murphy spoke with the matriarch of the Temple-Gumm family, who is expanding their family to five with a little girl on the way in May. With three young kids, the couple's day care costs are about to soar.
"When we put it all together with all three of them and day care next year, we're looking at $45,384 for the year," said Suzanne Temple-Gumm.
Temple-Gumm is a high school teacher and while her husband has a good job at a Fortune 100 company, he's taken on another job as a server in a restaurant.
"That third job pretty much exclusively covers the day care costs, which is really hard," Temple-Gumm said.
While they've done the math, if she were to quit her teaching job, her husband's salary would not be enough to pay the bills.
"We have other bills. Child care is going to be 30% of our monthly bills. But that still leaves 70% of other bills. And neither of our jobs makes enough money on its own to cover that other 70%," Temple-Gumm said.
While some could say the Temple-Gumm family seems to be living the "American Dream," Suzanne Temple-Gumm feels reality is falling short.
"We've done everything right. We both went to college, we have the house, we live in the suburbs, right? Like all the things. And it's still harder," Temple-Gumm said.
READ MORE: As the cost of child care soars, parents plead with Minnesota lawmakers to pass more assistance
Democrats in the Minnesota Legislature are proposing raising the cutoff to receive state day care subsidies from the current $60,000 family income level to include families making $174,000.
"But these child care costs are sometimes costing families up to twice their mortgage payment, which is really crazy when you think about it," said DFL Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, a mother of four who co-sponsored the bill.
But Republicans say subsidizing families with that high an income is just wrong. Rep. Anne Neu Brindley of North Branch also points to state regulations that make it unappealing and expensive to run a day care.
"We heard stories of providers leaving the field because they were getting dinged for things like you know, a home day care provider. There was literally a stick in the backyard," said Neu Brindley.
Talking Points airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., live on CBS News Minnesota.
NOTE: Above is a preview of Talking Points presented on "The 4."
