A new state law pays mothers to stay at home with newborns.

Monday, September 11, 2000

A new state law pays mothers to stay at home with newborns.

Under the At Home Infant Child Care Program, low-income mothers can be reimbursed for 75 percent of the state’s share of licensed family day care for an infant in the child’s county of residence.

The amount of money depends on the size and income of the child’s family.

In two-parent households, only one parent can qualify for the assistance, which amounts to an average of $3,000 to $5,000 for a year.

Legislators who supported the legislation believe the first 12 months of a child’s life are vitally important to his or her development.

Its intent is to promote healthy development and strengthen family structure by providing state assistance to families participating in Minnesota’s Basic Sliding Fee Program.

Qualified parents must be working, going to school or looking for work before the child is born and they must care for the infants full time in their home.

They also must be 18 years of age or older and must not currently be receiving MFIP or child care assistance.

Richard Mulder, a family physician from Ivanhoe, authored the legislation. The state representative recently earned an award at the Midwestern Legislative Conference for his innovative legislation. The Mulder bill is considered a model for other states to use to develop their own legislation.

Mower County is one of the Minnesota counties administering the program. It would seem a win-win situation for everyone involved. The infant receives the nurturing of a parent during the most vulnerable first 12 months of life. The family has a safety net for the expenses that a newborn infant brings into a household and the working parent is relieved of worries and can focus on employment.

The stay-at-home parent can focus on the child.

Mulder’s law brings everything into focus.