The child care sector in the United States has been one of the hardest hit industries by the COVID-19 pandemic. 1 Child care providers not only needed to adapt to changing demand for in-person services but also needed to be ready with staff and resources when families started to return. For many programs, temporary or permanent closures have been the reality, and staff shortages continue to be a significant challenge. 2 Amidst this context, many programs have accrued financial debt in order to remain open and safely serve children. 3

We invited all licensed center and family child care providers and certified centersa in Minnesota to complete an online survey from November 2021 to February 2022 to better understand how these providers were faring at that point in the pandemic. The survey included a variety of topics, including closures, financial losses and financial aid, enrollment, professional development, and well-being. This brief summarizes key findings from the survey, as well as previous findings from the Peacetime Emergency Child Care Grant survey, which was administered in Summer 2020 to Minnesota Peacetime Emergency Child Care Grant applicants. We also discuss considerations for policymakers.