2026 Legislative Priorities
The Sheltering Arms Foundation’s legislative priorities use a racial equity lens on all public policies. We prioritize policies that will benefit low-income children, rural children and families, as well as Black, Indigenous, and children of color and their families, and the programs that serve them.
Affordable, high-quality, flexible, and culturally appropriate early childhood care and education to support families and prepare children to be ready for kindergarten
Childcare and Early Learning Family Affordability & Accessibility
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- Advocate for and defend investments in Early Learning Scholarships that meet the needs of children from low-income households from birth to five years old, prioritizing those with the highest needs.
- Support funding and technical assistance strategies to strengthen the sustainability of the childcare and early learning business model.
Early Care & Education Professionals and the Workforce
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- Support policies and advocate for funding that improves recruiting and retaining early care and education professionals through improved compensation, benefits, professional development resources, and other short- and long-term solutions to support compensation and retention practices, including FFN support, CDA accessibility, Grow Your Own programs, and mental health support.
State & Federal Early Childhood Policy
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- Monitor federal policies impacting the lives of young children and families across Minnesota.
- Monitor state program implementation of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
- Monitor diversified funding streams and investments in Minnesota’s early childhood system.
Community Wellness and Mental Health Supports
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- Support the mental well-being of children, families, and early care and education professionals with early childhood mental health consultation, trauma-informed care, increased resources for community mental health services, and increased investment in the Community Solutions Fund.
- Support increased funding and access to targeted home visiting programs.
- Support increased funding to address barriers to the mental health workforce. Increase mental health training and certification within Black, Indigenous, and communities of color to improve cultural responsiveness and congruency.
- Support increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for home visits by trained and licensed professionals and paraprofessionals, including community health workers, perinatal educators, social workers, and mental health practitioners.
High-quality, developmentally and culturally appropriate out-of-school-time and mentoring programs for Minnesota children
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- Close access gaps to culturally relevant after school and summer programs through consistent and reliable grant funding.
- Understand the potential of Targeted Services after school programs to close equity gaps and ensure coordinators/teachers have access to professional development and capacity-building to ensure high-quality youth development practice.