Anderson to serve District 10 as child care legislative liaison

By Debbie Irmen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Friday, December 15, 2006

Fergus Falls, MN — Time and again, necessity has proven the mother of invention or even prompted a call to legislative action.

Such was the case for Tammy Anderson, director of Children’s Corner Learning Center and Baby Corner in Fergus Falls.

“No one was doing anything (on child care isses),” the Fergus Falls mother of three said. “So I started calling (legislators) and learning more about the issues. We’ve made huge strides.”

Her interest and action caught the attention of Child Care WORKS, which named Anderson a district coordinator for Senate District 10.

In previous years, she has testified before law makers about training disparities among child care workers and expects the sliding fee reimbursement to be a topic when the Legislature convenes in January.

In her third term, Anderson will continue to with others interested in child care issues and take concerns to Senate and House legislators.

“They can’t be experts on everything,” she said, adding the legislators appreciate hearing from people who work in a particular field and who know the issues well.

Child care WORKS is a statewide coalition of parents, children’s advocates and child care providers who work with state law makers to provide quality, affordable and accessible child care.

“We are thrilled that Tammy is rejoining our team. She has been a great addition to our efforts,” Ann Kaner-Roth, Executive Director of Child Care WORKS.

As part of her duties, Anderson will provide information to anyone who cares about what happens with kids and families, she said.

“I’d like to see business owners, city council and school board members, nurses, early childhood workers, pediatrians, anyone with an interest in early childhood to get on the mailing list,” she said.

According to Child Care WORKS, the advocacy provided by Anderson and the other 30 volunteer district coordinators “will be key to efforts to inform legislators about the importance of affordable, high-quality child care” for parents, each child’s development and for the economic health of the community, said Kaner-Roth said.

Three-quarters of Minnesota mothers work — the highest percentage in the country, according to ChildCare WORKS, which translates to more than 670,000 children statewide needing some kind of non-parental care. Despite the high demand, Minnesota has one of the longest child care waiting lists in the country, and has high income eligibility requirements.

To receive regular updates on child care issues contact Tammy Anderson at childrenscorner@prtel.com or call her at 739-2847.