Child care

The child care industry has a profound impact on families, communities and Minnesota’s economy. It enables parents to work or continue their education by offering a safe, nurturing environment for children.

Despite strong demand for child care, many providers cannot operate at full capacity due to a shortage of qualified workers. For example, as of the first quarter of 2026, there were 10,320 preschool teachers in Minnesota with an anticipated need of 11,903 openings in 2032.

Validated occupational competency summaries

• Early childhood director

• Early childhood educator

• Early childhood culinary supervisor

• School-age care supervisor

The approach to developing competency standards is found in Minnesota law. The information that informs the development of competency standards comes from a variety of sources that include but are not limited to:  Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development; Minnesota laws and rules; Minnesota state agencies and licensing boards; O-NET Online; Competency Model Clearinghouse from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration; state, national and international trade associations and advocacy organizations; job postings and job descriptions; higher education resources; and input from attendees of industry forums, competency council meetings, public events and meetings conducted by DLI staff members. This work includes information from O*NET OnLine and the Competency Model Clearinghouse, used under the CC BY 4.0 license. DLI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL, ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications.

Questions?

Contact us at PIPELINE.Program@state.mn.us.