daycare

Authorities say a toddler was rescued from a highway in east-central Minnesota after she wandered away from a day care where the provider was drunk.

A Ramsey County judge has blocked a child care worker unionization vote that was to get underway this week.

A group of child-care providers backed by a coalition of conservative-leaning groups is filing a lawsuit to block a unionization election for some home-based day care providers.

Gov. Mark Dayton has ordered a vote among home-based child care providers about whether they should unionize. His executive order issued Tuesday sets an election for December.

If the government shuts down Friday, many daycare providers and their low-income clients will suffer a serious financial blow. Marcia Reagan runs a daycare out of her St. Cloud home. She says some of her families won't be able to pay for daycare if the state isn't cutting assistance checks.

The state Department of Human Services is notifying 42,500 child care assistance recipients and providers that they might lose their benefits if the government shuts down July 1st. In Stearns County, Human Services Administrator Dave Rooney says there are hundreds of families affected but they have to wait for the courts to rule before they can make contingency plans.

Two Minnesota lawmakers are seeking stricter CPR training requirements for child care centers after a tragedy involving a 4-year-old girl in North Mankato. The bill unveiled Tuesday by Rep. Mary Liz Holberg and Sen. Dan Hall would require the training for all teachers and assistant teachers in child care centers.

Stearns County is trying to improve communication among licensed daycare providers, the county and daycare parents. The county's Department of Human Services is looking for parents of children in licensed daycares to join a work group to help foster that communication.