Project Scope and Resources��

Make sure to check out the for the most up to date information. If you haven’t already signed up for emails about the work, be sure to do so! You’ll be informed of updates and opportunities for feedback.

• ��

You can also find information on past work on the project and context on the other components: abbreviated inspections and tiered violation systems. Understanding the full scope and goals of the work will help you give relevant and constructive feedback.����

Draft Regulations and Feedback Opportunities��

Draft regulations were recently released for both and child care centers. The project is now at a time when your feedback and advocacy can help shape its trajectory. Here’s an overview of the next phases of the project and how you can advocate and participate.��

Spring 2024: Draft licensing standards are released for review

• Read the draft licensing standards
• Make notes, talk to others, email the project team with questions or comments: ccregmodernization.dhs@state.mn.us

Summer 2024: Opportunities for public engagement and feedback

• Read the draft licensing standards.
  • ��
  • ��
• UPDATED 6-11-24: for Family ����ֱ�� Care or ����ֱ�� Care Centers

• : Complete . Sign up for email updates for or to be notified of opportunities. Or check the .

Early 2025: Revised standards will be release for consideration in the 2025 state legislative session

Read the revised draft. Follow proposed legislation and hearings. Testify/talk to legislators.

This is a big project with a lot of details, considerations, and stakeholders. It’s not finalized yet, so now is the chance to make sure your voice is heard!��

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Staff Leader

The post Update: ����ֱ�� Care Licensing Modernization Project appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Here’s what to look for in early care and education reports for 2024.����

January 15, 2024����

Office of ����ֱ�� Care Community Partnerships
This will be the first version of a report that will be delivered to the legislature annually. The Office of ����ֱ�� Care Community Partnerships at the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) was established in legislation passed during the 2023 session. The brand new office will produce the report on activities in the previous year including:

• Analysis of current access to child care within the state��
  
• Analysis of the current shortage of child care within the state��
• Summary of the office’s activities��
• Proposed legislative and policy initiatives��

February 1, 2024��

����ֱ�� Care Regulations Modernization Projects
The Department of Human Services (DHS) will submit a report and proposed legislation to the legislature to implement the new licensing models for family child care and child care centers developed by the .��

Information Technology Systems Modernization
DHS and the Department of of Information Technology Services will submit a report to the legislature on the status of the plan, strategy, and funding of the project to modernize IT systems for programs that support children and families. The report will be delivered annually until the funds are spent.��

March 1, 2024��

Department of ����ֱ��ren, Youth, and Families Transition
The Commissioner of Management and Budget (MMB) must report to the legislature on the status of the Department of ����ֱ��ren, Youth, and Families. This is a new department established by the state legislature in 2023. The report will detail the progress on transitioning to a new department and will include stakeholder feedback.��

July 2024��

Parent Aware evaluation report submitted to DHS
����ֱ�� Trends is conducting an required by legislation that passed in 2021. A detailed overview of all evaluation activities, findings, and implications for future improvements to Parent Aware will be included the report. They will submit the report to DHS and also make the information public.��

December 2024��

Parent Aware Evaluation
DHS will submit recommendations to the legislature based on the report submitted by ����ֱ�� Trends in July 2024.��

Parent Aware One Star for all licensed programs (December 31)
DHS must submit a report to the legislature about the cost of implementing a one-star rating for all licensed programs in 2026. This must also take into account funding that may be needed for programs that seek higher ratings.����

Why do reports matter?��

Many of these reports will provide recommendations to the legislature on how to take action to improve early care and education systems in our state. However, they will need advocates from the field to help refine and advance them. You can use the reports as a tool for a conversation with your legislator.����

Early ����ֱ��hood Reports from 2023
Check out these reports from last year that will continue to be relevant.����

• ��
• ��

Did we miss one? Please let us know! Email policy@thinksmall.org with information about other early care and education reports we should be tracking.��

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Staff Leader

The post 2024 Minnesota Early ����ֱ��hood Reports appeared first on ����ֱ��.

These newsletters sometimes include opportunities to give feedback on projects that are underway. Participating in these opportunities is a form of administrative advocacy. After laws are passed, they have to be implemented. The details of implementation can make a big difference, and administrative advocacy helps shape the process. Once you sign up, keep your eyes open for ways to get involved, and be sure to share with others who are interested!����

If you’re not already signed up for ����ֱ�� Policy and Advocacy Updates, ! We send out communications weekly during legislative session and every other week during the interim to help keep you in the loop. ��

Cross-Agency and Big Picture��

These newsletters cover a big swath of the work going on in early childhood in state government. ����

If you’re only going to sign up for one state newsletter, this is the one! This communication is a cross-agency effort to provide updates to child care providers and early educators in Minnesota. By signing up, you can expect to receive a quarterly newsletter highlighting resources, supports and updates on child care and early education from the Minnesota ����ֱ��ren’s Cabinet and Departments of Education, Health, and Human Services. Content will be tailored to licensed and nonlicensed child care, Head Start, and prekindergarten programs. ��

��
The Department of ����ֱ��ren, Youth, and Families is a new agency that will be created over the next couple years. Sign up to follow along with the process.��

��
Minnesota’s ����ֱ��ren’s Cabinet is an interagency partnership that utilizes a whole family approach to support the healthy development of children and families. The work of the Cabinet also involves collaboration with counties, local communities and other stakeholders.��The ����ֱ��ren’s Cabinet works to bring efficiency and effectiveness to state government efforts to improve child and youth outcomes. ��

The Ombudsperson supports and advocates for licensed family child care needs in Minnesota. This office is separate and independent from the Department of Human Services.

Projects Underway��

These newsletters will keep you updated on initiatives currently in progress. ��

Minnesota’s Preschool Development Birth through Five grant is a partnership of the Minnesota Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, along with the������ֱ��ren’s Cabinet��to align education and care systems across the state. ��

��
The Department of Human Services is gathering input and data as part of a project to implement recommendations to improve Parent Aware.��

����ֱ�� Care Regulation Modernization Projects��
The regulation modernization projects support the development of three components: ��

• Key indicator systems for abbreviated inspections��
• Risk-based tiered violation systems��
• Revised licensing standards��

If you would like to receive updates on the ����ֱ�� Care Regulation Modernization projects, please subscribe to the listserv for����or the listserv for��.��

��
As part of their work on , the Minnesota Department of Human Services is working on a Provider Hub. This initiative will help improve and integrate the information technology systems used for the licensing, certification, and ����ֱ�� Care Assistance Program registration of child care providers in Minnesota.��

Department Lists��

Use the subscriber preferences features for the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and/or the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to select additional projects or topics that interest you. ��

Check out the Early Learning section for relevant topics and initiatives.

Subscriber Preferences
The licensing section includes projects mentioned above and some other issue areas.

There are early childhood policies and projects in progress at other state agencies as well. If you find a project that interests you and want to learn more, be sure to look for an email signup

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Staff Leader

The post Early ����ֱ��hood Newsletters–Get Connected! appeared first on ����ֱ��.

The post Tailored Training appeared first on ����ֱ��.

helps families pay for child care costs while parents go to work or school. It is a complex program that receives federal and state funding. ��Minnesota counties administer the program with state and federal oversight.�� We reached out to Deb Fitzpatrick and Clare Sanford to give more context to the ����ֱ�� Care Assistance Program (CCAP) changes that passed during the 2023 legislative session.�� This post focuses on additional changes and ideas for future improvements to the program.

Program Integrity Items

A couple changes to program integrity practices became effective 7/1/23.�� One gives DHS authority to stop payments or close a provider’s registration if it receives information about other investigations, suspected fraud, or exclusion from other publicly-funded programs.�� Remember headlines about how some providers committing fraud with Feeding Our Futures COVID dollars were somehow still receiving CCAP payments?�� This aims to close that loophole.

The second change allows providers to request reconsideration if they feel DHS mistakenly cited CCAP violations in an order of corrective action.

Additional Changes Coming Later… But at Least We Can Look Forward to Them!

Additional Support for Mental Health

As of May 2025 families supported by MFIP (with children under 6) where a primary caregiver has a mental health diagnosis will qualify for CCAP up to 20 hours a week.

More Efficient Provider Registration

Do providers love having to repeat the CCAP registration process with multiple counties?�� Nope. Starting in April 2025 providers will handle registration and renewals directly with state staff rather than by individual county.

Still Left to Accomplish

A lot of the (incredible!) changes to CCAP this session focus on supporting currently served families and participating providers better, not significantly expanding the universe of families eligible for and accessing CCAP.�� Given insufficient appropriations, not all currently eligible families have access to the program and low-income eligibility standards leave behind many families that struggle to afford child care.��

Forecasting

This is a perennial goal and one explained above in further detail.�� At this time only part of CCAP (MFIP) is accounted for in future state budgets with no waiting lists, while BSF CCAP remains a capped allocation requiring families to be placed on wait lists once available funding is used. ��Furthermore, each county has a set allocation so it can make a big difference which one a family lives in.�� Many counties have no wait list while others have a couple thousand families in limbo. Forecasting would create a program families can depend on regardless of where they live.����

Expanded Income Eligibility

Many lower -middle or middle-class families earn just too much for current CCAP eligibility yet still struggle to afford quality care.�� For this reason, we continue to advocate for MN to expand income eligibility up to 85% of State Median Income (around $100K/year for a family of 4), the highest amount allowed under federal law.�� Ideally this change is accompanied by forecasting (see above) or if not additional measures are included to ensure the families and children currently furthest from quality child care opportunities are given priority.

Want to learn about other changes to CCAP this legislative session?�� Check out the rest of the series.

By Clare Sanford, Vice President of Government and Community Relations at New Horizon and the Government Relations Chair for the Minnesota ����ֱ�� Care Association & Deb Fitzpatrick, Policy and Research Director at the ����ֱ��ren’s Defense Fund-Minnesota

The post ����ֱ�� Care Assistance Program: Additional Changes and Future Aspirations appeared first on ����ֱ��.

The post Terms & Policies appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Contact

Empowering early learning for every child: contact ����ֱ�� today!

Whether you have questions, need assistance, or want to explore opportunities for collaboration, our contact page is your gateway to a wealth of resources and support.

Contact FormMultilingual Contact Information

The post Contact appeared first on ����ֱ��.

As Strategic Leader of Equity & Quality Supports at ����ֱ��, my goal is to support the ongoing growth and development of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment for all ����ֱ�� Leaders. In the past year, leaders had the opportunity to engage in a variety of activities that served to deepen our understanding of one another and strengthen our collective commitment to advancing equity in early childhood.������

The STIR Committee is our voluntary team of ����ֱ�� leaders dedicated to continuing and improving upon our agency’s history of Supporting a culture of Trust, Inclusion, and Respect (STIR) for all staff, clients, customers, and partners. This past year, the STIR Committee held monthly virtual gatherings called 3Cs (Come, Cultivate Conversation) to give leaders the chance to join their fellow team members in a series of conversations about identity, race, and privilege. These gatherings allowed ����ֱ�� leaders to recognize our shared humanity, find strength and healing amid everything happening in our communities, and to embrace and honor our differences. The STIR Committee will continue elevating the voices and stories of our ����ֱ�� community by offering more virtual spaces for leaders to learn about one another and the communities we serve.��������������

Throughout this past year, Executive, Strategic, and Program Leaders continued to develop their own critical awareness around diversity, equity, and inclusion by participating in a monthly leadership learning community.�� The first half of the year was spent exploring senior leadership’s role in creating an equitable work environment. Using Awake to Woke to Work’s model of the race equity cycle, leaders broadened their understanding of the role they play in fostering equity within the organization.����

In 2021, I joined the 2021-2022 cohort of the . The residency is an 18-month national program that supports organizations and their leaders to own and implement anti-bias, anti-racist organizational change. During the course of the residency, leaders guide their organizations in developing and implementing equity-focused strategies. ����ֱ�� leaders at all levels were invited to provide feedback in the Spring of 2021 that has served as a springboard for the formation of strategic equity goals. In the Fall of 2021, Executive, Strategic, and Program Leaders participated in Embracing Equity’s Intentionally Racially Diverse Cohort where they explored their own racial and ethnic identities while expanding their understanding of developing anti-racist mindsets and practices. This group created action plans which we combined with the learnings from our staff survey to position our leaders to create meaningful change within ����ֱ��.�� ��

As we look ahead, I am excited to continue our Leadership Learning Community and expand this work to include our organization Team Leaders. The STIR Committee will continue to provide intentional space for staff leaders to engage in meaningful conversations and activities.�� And as we wrap up the second half of the Embracing Equity Leadership Residency, we look forward to assessing the impact of our work in the past year, while working to accomplish the established goals. We recognize the commitment to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment is an ongoing process, which requires commitment at all levels of leadership.����������

Resources:��

More About ����ֱ��:

����ֱ��: Celebrating 50 Years, Innovating for the Future

By Candace Yates, Strategic Leader of Equity & Quality Supports��

The post Equity and Inclusion Efforts at ����ֱ��: An Update appeared first on ����ֱ��.

It’s election season! While there aren’t any Presidential or Congressional candidates on the tickets this year, there is still plenty to pay attention to in your community. People on your ballot in November could have an impact on early care and education policies. It’s a great time to get ready to vote! 

First, the basics 

• Election day is November 2.  

• Many school districts and municipalities across the state will hold elections. Check if yours has a  or  election this year.  

• If you do have an election,  

• Find your  or plan to vote early  

•  to vote or update your registration 

For any other questions related to voting, consult the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website, mnvotes.org 

Local elected officials often make the decisions that most directly affect your life. In the pandemic we have especially seen the ways in which cities, counties, and school districts shape how our communities operate.  

When it comes to early care and education, these local entities have played a larger role than usual during the pandemic. When federal economic relief packages sent money to cities and counties, they made decisions as to how to spend those. This process is ongoing. That means that the people you elect this year will have a say in how to spend federal funds. Some communities are choosing to use at least some of the funds to support child care.   

Here’s a little bit about why school boards and city government matter when it comes to early care and education.  

School Board 

School boards oversee the district’s budget, superintendent and other staff. They make policy decisions about curriculum, facilities, and equipment. These decisions have certainly been highlighted and heightened during the pandemic. 

Districts may have a focus on early childhood education, which could include a relationship with non-district programs in their area. Out of school time care is another area of overlap. With Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) schools can form partnerships with community-based child care settings to deliver programming.  

City Council & Mayor 

City council structure and authority varies depending on the city. While the mayor represents the entire city, council members sometimes represent specific areas, or wards. (At-large means the member represents your entire area, rather than a smaller subset or district). 

Regulations like zoning, street traffic and maintenance (including snow removal), public transportation, garbage and recycling can all have an impact on the well-being of community members, including young children, families, and early educators. Some cities more directly involved in early care and education, e.g. San Antonio, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia. Closer to home, Saint Paul is , Saint Paul All Ready for Kindergarten (SPARK). 

Get Informed and Be A Voter 

Your local newspaper is often the best source of information about candidates. Look for opportunities to attend a candidate forum. You can also go directly to the candidates’ campaign websites to learn about their priorities.  

Remember this process can be a dialogue. If you have the opportunity to talk to a candidate, be sure to let them know what your priorities are. Incorporating feedback from constituents is an important part of being an elected official. 

Your vote truly matters. Just this year the  was decided by two votes.  

Don’t skip the elections this year! Take a moment to learn about what’s on your ballot and make a plan to vote.  

The post 2021 Elections Matter for Young ����ֱ��ren appeared first on ����ֱ��.

For many years, Barb Fabre has recognized the need for advocating for and empowering parents in the family and child care sectors. Throughout her work both inside and outside her tribal community, Fabre has realized how little support and resources tend to exist specifically for parents. Now, as the CEO of Indigenous Visioning living in White Earth, Minnesota, Fabre is committed to amplifying parent voices and developing a foundational cultural base for indigenous parents. So, with the help of the Community Solutions Grant Program through the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Indigenous Visioning is currently developing and implementing a Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) program centered around indigenous parents. 

The Idea
Fabre is a veteran in the early childhood advocacy field, and the current program being developed at Indigenous Visioning draws deeply on her previous work around child care and parent leadership. Fabre served as the Early ����ֱ��hood Program Director at White Earth and created a parent mentor program back in the early 2000’s. Although the program had great success, the funding for it eventually ended, while Fabre continued her advocacy work for parents and children. She had also previously worked for Indian ����ֱ�� Welfare and was involved with the foster care system. She felt that virtually no one doing this type of work was advocating for parents at that time, and she prioritized connecting with parents who were at-risk or had their children removed from their homes. She worked to support them and walk through the reunification process with them. Fabre has also worked with Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) and the jobs program, in which she again worked to advocate for and support parents.  

Eventually, Fabre was invited to an event hosted by the ����ֱ��ren’s Defense Fund sponsored by the National Parent Leadership Institute and learned about a Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) framework through from many moving individual testimonies. A number of at-risk parents shared how the system and the current infrastructure for family and child care had failed to give parents the right tools to become empowered and support their children to their full potential. From then on, Fabre became interested in continuing her journey with parent and child advocacy by developing a Parent Leadership program for her own community.  

The Program
The Indigenous Parent Leadership Training will be offered to parents and caregivers in two Minnesota Tribal communities– the Red Lake Reservation and the White Earth Reservation. The program is grounded in the PLTI framework, which is a two-generational approach that helps parents to understand child development, nurture their inherent leadership/advocacy skills  and help provide civic engagement tools to understand how and where they can use their parent voice to advocate for their children and the communities children. Indigenous Visioning’s project will be a 20-week class of PLTI and Cultural Curriculum that will provide parents with knowledge about indigenous historical trauma, spirituality, lost culture and history, and brain and childhood development.  

The guiding principles of the training builds on many of Fabre’s past projects and echoes much of her prior work with parent empowerment, such as a focus on intervention and prevention, institutional knowledge to become lifelong agents of change, and helping parents regain hope. The training will work to enhance parents’ leadership and civic engagement skills and teach them how to best use their voices to advocate for themselves.  

The Cultural Curriculum is primarily developed by , a renowned author and professor of American Indian Studies. It incorporates feedback from tribal community members and will be led by trainers, community members, and elders. The training is heavily evidence-based and largely centers around the two-year PLTI research project on parent involvement and Dr. Treuer’s research and knowledge. At the end of the course, each parent will participate in a community project to utilize their learned parent leadership skills. 

According to Fabre, culture is a protective and healing process. Her hope for the program is that by uplifting parent leadership and involvement, the lifelong health, safety and learning of children will be uplifted as well, while preserving traditional values, practices, and lifestyles among the community.  

A Perfect Fit: Community Solutions Grant 
The Parent Leadership program at Indigenous Visioning is just one of many community-based and community-informed programs funded by the MDH  at the Minnesota legislature. According to Fabre, the idea for an indigenous parent-centered training program came long before the creation of the program itself, but it was difficult to find grants and funding that would allow for enough freedom to fully implement the initiative. That was, she says, until Community Solutions came along, which she felt was a “perfect fit” for the program.  

The grant program itself is unique from other funds in that it follows the guiding principle that communities understand themselves best and are the most qualified to identify their needs. Thus, Community Solutions Grantees are given high levels of autonomy and flexibility in implementing their program according to their vision. While this type of community-centered, decentralized funding is effective in helping to empower communities and marginalized identities, it is unfortunately in the minority of the existing grant programs. Fabre’s story is not uncommon– there are countless ideas for initiatives and programs that have the potential to make long-term, systemic changes within local communities, but very few actually end up being given the resources and the trust to implement them.   

In addition to funding, Fabre says that there is also a need for more collaborations and partnerships dedicated to sharing goals and resources. The ideas and innovation to improve our communities are already out there and communities are ready for change. Now, we must give them the tools to make their visions a reality.  

If you are interested in supporting and learning about Indigenous Visioning’s work, check out their website: .  

Find more information about other . Check out the work of . 

The post Supporting Indigenous Parents: Community Solutions Grantee Update appeared first on ����ֱ��.

While the state legislative session is heating up in Minnesota, there’s also plenty to discuss about what is going on with Congress in Washington, D.C. To catch us up on the chatter related to early childhood and school age care, staff from Minnesota’s senators’ offices joined Policy Hour. Rommel Lee is the Outreach Director at Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office. Jake Schwizter is the Managing Outreach Director for Senator Tina Smith. They provided updates on what��their bosses are working on.

Congressional Context

The United States Congress needs to set a budget by *October 1 to keep the government running. Right now, they are figuring out what will be included in the budget and how much will be allocated to each item. Their current work is mostly in committees, discussing proposals on various topics. At this time of year, Senators are also working on appropriations requests. Members collect requests from constituents and colleagues to help shape the budget.��

Democrats hold the majority in the House of Representatives, whereas Republicans have the majority in the Senate. This split in party control has led to some bipartisan successes, but it also contributes to gridlock and polarization. 

Minnesota’s Senators

Lee and Schwitzer shared that both senators hear loud and clear that finding child care is a challenge for Minnesota families. ����ֱ�� care deserts, or areas where there are drastic shortages of quality child care openings, are prevalent especially in rural areas. The same lack of access is also common in culturally diverse urban areas. 

Employers tell Senators Klobuchar and Smith that they cannot hire or retain employees due to a lack of child care. They want to be part of the solution but don’t think they can solve it on their own. Parents raise concerns about their inability to find a safe place for their child to go while they work.

The need for child care is nationwide, and many other states are trying to address the issue. Members of Congress have proposed legislation on the topic, including both Minnesota senators. 

Senator Klobuchar’s bill, the , would award competitive grants to states. The grants would support training and retention of the child care workforce and address the building or expansion of child care facilities. Klobuchar’s bill is co-sponsored by Senator Sullivan (R-Arkansas). In the House of Representatives, the bill’s authors are Representative Peterson (D-Minnesota) and Representative Herrera Beutler (R-Washington). 

Senator Smith introduced her bill last year but has not yet reintroduced it this year. The would support new and existing child care facilities through grants and low-cost or forgivable loans. It would provide support to child care providers in the areas of quality and compliance, in addition to business supports. It would also establish a community needs assessment to determine the best way to use the funds. Senator Smith is continuing to collect feedback on the bill and is looking to find bipartisan support.

The big vision bill that would address affordability and accessibility for many families is the . Introduced by Senator Murray (D-Washington) and co-sponsored by both Minnesota Senators, this bill would limit the amount that families have to pay for child care. It would improve care in a variety of settings, expand child care assistance and Head Start, and increase workforce training and compensation. 

A big challenge for all of these bills is their cost. Schwitzer noted that the Senate Republican majority usually want to see cuts elsewhere when increasing spending. It’s unclear exactly where they would find the dollars to fund these initiatives. 

Advocacy Opportunities

It’s exciting to see that early childhood is an important topic for members of Congress! You can participate in this discussion in several ways. When asked if it is better to contact the senators’ staff in Minnesota or DC, both Lee and Schwitzer answered to start with the Minnesota team. Outreach staff in the state spend all of their time connecting with constituents, listening, and reporting what they hear back to the senators. The staff in DC have additional responsibilities and may not be as available. Minnesota staff will connect you with DC staff if it makes sense to do so. 

Lee noted that many bill proposals come from conversations that outreach staff have with residents. It’s important to share your story! Schwitzer encouraged advocates to join together to make their voices louder. Acting in groups makes a difference. 

If you’d like to connect with either of the offices, here is the contact information. 

Rommel Lee, Outreach Director for Senator Amy Klobuchar

Rommel_Lee@Klobuchar.senate.gov | 612-727-5220

Jake Schwitzer, Managing Outreach Director, Senator Tina Smith

jake_schwitzer@smith.senate.gov  | 651-221-1016

 *While the beginning of October is the deadline, Congress rarely completes the work by that time. They often extend the current budget using a series of Continuing Resolutions (CR). 

The post Policy Hour: Federal Update appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Staff from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) joined us for February’s Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour to provide updates on child care. 

Cindi Yang, Director of the ����ֱ�� Care Services Division, gave an overview of the Preschool Development Grant. Minnesota received $4.7 million for this one-year grant. It will allow the state to make a plan for coordinated programming for children ages birth to five. This will be a collaborative effort between the Departments of Health, Human Services, and Education. The Governor’s ����ֱ��ren’s Cabinet is helping to coordinate the effort. 

The process is comprised of five main activities:

1. Conduct Needs Assessment
2. Develop Strategic Plan
3. Design Mixed Delivery System
4. Promote Best Practices
5. Improve Overall Quality of Programs

For more details about what is involved at each step, refer to this handout.  They plan to take an equity approach, with a focus on supporting children facing racial, economic, and geographic inequities. They will work with partners to bring a diverse group into the conversation. When conducting the needs assessment and strategic plan, they will build on past work such as the Race to the Top grant and the Early ����ֱ��hood Systems Reform work group. 

All states that received the planning grant will be able to apply for an implementation grant next year. That process will take place sometime in August-October and is expected to be more competitive than the first round. 

Beth Fraser, Manager of Policy, Legislation & Stakeholder Engagement for Licensing Division, gave updates on their work. 

One recent focus has been certification. Certification is a new classification for centers. Many of them serve school-age children, and they have to be certified in order to accept ����ֱ�� Care Assistance (CCAP). Licensing is working with centers to complete the new background study and implement the process for annual inspections. 

The licensing division is also currently looking to update the list of items that are eligible for a fix-it ticket. A fix-it ticket can be issued for minor licensing violations that do not immediately put children at risk. The violations must be corrected within 48 hours. The DHS Commissioner has authority to make and revise the list of eligible fix-it ticket items. Fraser listed a number of items that DHS is currently considering, which you can view in the video of policy hour. If you have feedback about which items should be included, you can email them to dhs.ccc.licensing@state.mn.us.

Governor Walz will release his budget on February 19, and DHS has been discussing ideas for that process. Each commissioner shares their department’s recommendations with the Governor, who then assembles his proposal. Licensing has been discussing a variety of measures from climbing equipment requirements to use of reusable water bottles. Additionally, they have talked about proposing a license that falls somewhere between a family child care and a child care center. This could allow for flexibility, especially in Greater Minnesota, where population density isn’t always adequate for a center. Fraser noted that these ideas may or may not appear in the Governor’s budget, and many of them would require resources and long-term planning.

Laurie Possin, ����ֱ�� Care Assistance Program Manager, discussed what her division is currently working on and what is coming up. 

Like the licensing division, CCAP is also discussing legislative ideas for the upcoming session. The main priority is to come into compliance with federal regulations. In 2017, Minnesota passed many changes to align with the reauthorized ����ֱ�� Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG). However, a few pieces remain. While CCAP is now operating on a 12 month redetermination schedule, there are a few provisions that would ensure greater continuity for families and children. Expediting applications for children experiencing homelessness is one of those. They would also like to ensure that children moving between counties will receive continuous care, which does not always happen right now. The largest financial component will be updating provider reimbursement rates. Currently, rates are at the 25^thpercentile of the 2011 market rate survey. To be in federal compliance, rates would have to be based on the most recent survey, which is 2018. Minnesota has waivers for some of these items, but the state needs to be in compliance by October.

Another effort that is currently happening, is to review Rules 2 and 3 which govern child care licensing. There haven’t been any major revisions to the rules in about 20 years, so it is an appropriate time to look at them again. There is a formal process for rulemaking which includes public participation and feedback. Over 60 stakeholders have participated so far since the formal opening in the fall. In March and April, DHS will host events to talk specifically with families. They will release draft rules in the spring and collect more public feedback at that time. 

In addition to the 2018 market rate survey, which will be released soon, DHS is working on a cost of care analysis. This method, which has been used in other states, focuses on which factors drive the cost of care for both licensed family child care and child care centers. The study will support the market rate survey and help with policy decisions. For more detail on what CCAP is working on, view the handout that Laurie distributed.

Want to watch all of February’s Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour? You can view on Minnesota’s Future Facebook page.

The post Policy Hour: ����ֱ�� Care appeared first on ����ֱ��.

U.S. Senator Tina Smith introduced a new bill aimed at reducing the child care shortage in Minnesota and across the nation.

The ����ֱ�� Care Supply Improvement Act proposes supports for child care facilities, quality and business supports for child care providers, and support for states and tribes in improving administration and implementation.

We are seeing an alarming crisis in child care availability across the nation.�� In Minnesota, statistics show there is less than one child care slot for��every four children, ages birth to 4 years old, in the state,” said Barbara Yates, President and CEO of ����ֱ��, a nonprofit that advances quality care and education for children in their crucial early years. “Senator Smith’s bill will address critical needs by supporting the early childhood workforce, addressing the concerns of parents and communities, and helping to stabilize the business of child care so that young children have access to quality early learning experiences — greatly influencing their success in school and later in life.”

����ֱ�� is proud to have provided important data, information and feedback about early care and education with Senator Smith during the crafting of the bill.

“As leaders in early learning, ����ֱ�� is honored to share our experiences and expertise with policy makers like Senator Smith,” said Yates.

����ֱ�� first served as a resource to Senator Smith in February 2018 by hosting a round table conversation on child care access and affordability for her, her staff, early education advocates, child care providers, and parents. The event kicked off Senator Smith’s statewide effort to address Minnesota’s growing shortage of child care providers.

The following was supplied by Senator Smith’s office and summarizes the ����ֱ�� Care Improvement Act:

����ֱ�� Care Improvement Act Summary��

Nationally, 42 percent of children under 5 live in childcare deserts, and the problem is severe in rural communities—84% of people living in rural Minnesota live in a place with a child care shortage. Some families have to drive 50 miles to take their kids to child care, or are paying almost one-third of their income toward the cost of child care, for one child.

Low pay makes recruitment and retention for the child care workforce difficult and the high start-up costs create a significant barrier to entry for the average child care provider. Further, the array of regulations needed to start and maintain a child care business are difficult to find, read through and understand—and there is often little in the way of help. To help address these challenges, the ����ֱ�� Care Supply Improvement Act would:

Support for child care facilities��– the bill would establish a program to provide grants, low-cost loans, or forgivable loans to purchase, construct, or renovate child care facilities.��This would include residences for family child care providers if modifications are needed to meet health and safety standards, access for people with disabilities, or hazards reduction.

Support for child care providers – the bill would establish a program to support child care providers in areas of quality, compliance, and business activities.

Quality and compliance support:��the bill would include activities to: support paths to licensure, accreditation, entry into or improvement in a state’s quality rating system, professional development (including coaching, mentoring, peer support, or cohort-based models).�� These activities would be accessible to family child care providers and culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate, and could include cross-sector training and partnerships.

Business support:��the bill would also provide assistance for business start-up activities, including: business planning, orientations to child care and related programs, such as the child and adult care food program, technical assistance, help in getting equipment or supplies, and support for shared service models related to business activities such as accounting and marketing. These activities may include support for innovative models for child care, such as co-located or employer-sponsored child care programs.

Support for administration and implementation��– the bill would support states and tribes in improving administration and implementation, including activities to improve: data collection, coordination between states and tribes, coordination between state and local licensing requirements and the quality improvement system.�� It would also include activities to: increase interrater reliability for licensing inspections, provide licensing inspectors with professional development, identify and eliminate barriers to licensure (such as through lower fees for background checks or translating licensing regulations), and generally improve the functionality of licensing activities through outreach, technology, and streamlining paperwork requirements.

Community needs assessment��– the bill would require a community needs assessment, and to the greatest extent possible, the results of the needs assessment would be used to determine how to use the funds within a state or tribe.

Click to view the official press release from Senator Tina Smith’s office.

Click HERE to view a one-page summary of the ����ֱ�� Care Improvement Act.

The post U.S. Senator Tina Smith Introduces Bill to Improve Access to ����ֱ�� Care appeared first on ����ֱ��.

����ֱ�� Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Marie Huey, speaks to parents during a ��training session at Joyce Preschool in Minneapolis.

Several organizations that serve children and families recently worked together to provide trainings for Minneapolis parents. As part of a grant from Minnesota Comeback, Way to Grow is partnering with other organizations, including ����ֱ��, to engage parents in advocacy opportunities.

Another parent training session was held at Center for Families.

The “My Voice Matters” advocacy trainings covered skills and strategies��that parents of young children can use to enhance their ability to advocate. Parents from Way to Grow and Joyce Preschool attended the trainings, which were simultaneously translated into Somali, Spanish, and Hmong.

May Losloso, ����ֱ��ren’s Defense Fund-Minnesota, leads a training session.

The training addressed power, sharing stories as advocacy, basic legislative process, and advocacy tools and resources. Attendees participated in interactive learning activities and had opportunities to share their own knowledge and��experiences. Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at ����ֱ��, and May Losloso, Senior Organizer at ����ֱ��ren’s Defense Fund – Minnesota, developed and led the trainings.

About 80 parents attended the trainings, and overall feedback was positive. Participants were very engaged, and many expressed interest in additional opportunities to learn more. Thank you to all who participated.

Megan McLaughlin is a Program Director at .

The post Early ����ֱ��hood Advocates Partner to Provide Parent Trainings appeared first on ����ֱ��.

December Policy Hour presenters shared information about state and national initiatives that are working to enhance and improve the early childhood workforce.

Sara Benzkofer provided updates on Power to the Profession.

Power to the Profession
Sara Benzkofer, Director of Policy and Communications at MnAEYC-MnSACA, joined us to provide updates on Power to the Profession. Power to the Profession is a national collaboration to define the early childhood profession by establishing a unifying framework for career pathways, knowledge and competencies, qualifications, standards, and compensation.

The task force leading the initiative is made up of 15 organizations. Additional stakeholder organizations participate in the process, and the initiative also solicits feedback from people in the field.

The process includes 8 decision cycles that build off each other. So far, two cycles are complete. The first cycle focused on professional identity, defining the work as the Early ����ֱ��hood Education Profession within the Early ����ֱ��hood Field. Seven responsibilities of Early ����ֱ��hood Professionals emerged from the work, including the importance of engaging families, observing and assessing children’s learning, and implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum. .

The next three decision cycles will be combined into one and include questions such as: How should the field be structured? What should the preparation programs look like? Surveys should open soon, and NAEYC will collect feedback until April. .

Minnesota was the highest-responding state in the first two cycles. Sara encouraged continued advocacy and engagement, and suggested Early ����ֱ��hood Professionals share the information with Gubernatorial candidates.

Debbie Hewitt presented on the B8 Work Group and the National Governors Association.

Debbie Hewitt, Early Learning Services Supervisor at the Minnesota Department of Education, presented information about two initiatives that are also addressing early childhood education workforce issues.

B8 Work Group
The Birth to eight years old (B8) Team used the 2015 Institute of Medicine report , to inform their work and create a 10 year plan to implement in the state.

The Team now has a draft plan and is seeking feedback on their work.

Debbie introduced a during her presentation, which contains all of the information about the effort. You can watch a webinar on the recommendations, read related reports, and complete a survey about Minnesota’s Early ����ֱ��hood Workforce.��Feedback is due by the end of March 2018.

National Governors Association
Minnesota was one of a handful of states that were selected to work on ECE workforce issues as part of the National Governors Association. The advisory group of this initiative decided to focus on compensation. Wages for the field remain very low, and turnover is high.

Goals of the NGA group recommendations were:

• Raise base pay
• Reward for quality (program level)
• Reward for education (individual level)
• Bring more resources into programs so they can pay better
• Provide other resources for individuals that aren’t base pay but increase their financial well-being.

To address these goals, the group looked at a variety of strategies that other states have used and determined which of those would be most useful and feasible for Minnesota. Their recommendations are:

• Tax credits
• Continue and increase T.E.A.C.H. and R.E.E.T.A.I.N.
• Increase access to business education and shared services
• Tie compensation to increased public funding
• Implement a wage ladder, where pay increases as education increases (More research is needed to figure out if this would be a feasible or useful strategy)
• Increase private sector support, potentially including tax credits
• Collaborate with other groups, including the B8 Workforce Team
• Continue to raise awareness about the critical importance of fair and adequate compensation

The group presented their recommendations to the ����ֱ��ren’s Cabinet and Governor Dayton. Once the full report is finalized, they will share it with stakeholders.

The post Policy Hour – Improving the Early ����ֱ��hood Workforce appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Staff from DHS presented at Policy Hour.

Staff from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) presented at November Policy Hour about the changes to child care in Minnesota. During the 2017 legislative session, many changes passed to help Minnesota come into compliance with federal updates to the ����ֱ�� Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG).

����ֱ�� Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Changes
Nicole Frethem gave an overview of changes to CCAP. Families receiving CCAP will now have 12 months of continuous eligibility, providing more stability than the previous system of redetermining eligibility every 6 months. During those 12 months, copayments will not go up with changes in family income, although they can go down if necessary. Most families will have to report less information during this time about changes in work schedule or child care needs.

����ֱ�� will now have to receive payments within 21 days, which is faster than the previous requirement of 30 days. .

Licensing
Michelle McGregor gave an overview of changes to child care licensing. License-exempt programs that serve children receiving CCAP will now need to go through a . This includes many after school programs and requires them to meet additional health and safety standards, along with some other new requirements.

����ֱ�� Care Centers and Licensed Family ����ֱ�� Care will start receiving annual inspections as part of the new legislation. McGregor explained that DHS is currently hiring additional licensing staff. When a provider receives an inspection next year, the annual inspection will be based on that date going forward.

A new emergency preparedness requirement means providers need to have a plan for how to address emergencies. DHS recently incorporated feedback from providers into their and .

A key component of the federal plan is improved consumer education resources. DHS uses the Parent Aware website to house information about child care in the state. There will be some changes to how information is posted on the site.

Fix-It Tickets were not part of the federal CCDBG changes but did pass the state legislature. ����ֱ�� will receive fix-it tickets at an inspection for minor violations that do not affect the health and safety of children in their care. They will have 48 hours to fix the issue, which will not appear on a correction order if resolved. The department is working with the commissioner on the details.

Exit Interviews are an additional item that passed apart from the federal requirements. These will be between providers and licensors at the end of a licensing visit, where both parties can review the information from the inspection in order to reduce miscommunication. Many licensors already do this in some format, but it is now more widely encouraged.

View additional information for and .

Background Studies
Enhanced background studies will be required for all child care providers. Kristin Johnson explained that the new studies will use fingerprints to search multiple state and national databases for individuals 18 and older.

����ֱ��ren 13-17 who live in a Licensed Family ����ֱ�� Care home will have to receive fingerprint studies as well. Those studies will only go through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in most cases, not the FBI. The state is still working to improve the infrastructure for these background studies. They likely will not be implemented until Summer or Fall of 2018, and providers will be notified in advance.

For more information about the background studies, visit the .

Parent Aware
Nara Topp gave updates about Parent Aware. The first cohort using the is in the process of being rated now. Changes made during the 2017 legislative session allow all programs participating in Parent Aware to be eligible to receive Early Learning Scholarships until July 2020, when programs will have to have a 3 or 4 Star rating.

Policy Hour was presented on Facebook Live. ��To view the recording, click .

Click to see the DHS PowerPoint presentation��regarding the changes.

If you have questions or feedback about these changes, email��DHS.CCDFReform@state.mn.us.

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator

The post Policy Hour – Changes to ����ֱ�� Care in Minnesota appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Small Talks features leaders who will share key insights on early childhood education and discuss innovative solutions to early learning issues in Minnesota.

By Kristie Thorson

Talk to Me: How Early Conversations Impact a ����ֱ��’s Life was the topic of the first ����ֱ�� Small Talks event which took place August 15, 2017, at the University of Minnesota’s Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center in Minneapolis.�� The panel presentation and discussion focused on closing the word gap in Minnesota through simple practices, strategic partnerships, and innovative research.

Scott McConnell, Educational Psychology professor at the University of Minnesota was one of the presenters.�� His research focuses primarily on preschool-aged children, and the skills and competencies that will enable them to learn and participate in school and other settings.�� His work includes implementation and evaluation of LENA Start, a program which��focuses on increasing interactive talk with children because it has been proven to be a key factor in early brain development.

“Families talk more, kids talk more.�� Families talk less, kids talk less,” McConnell said.

Click below to watch some video highlights from the first Small Talks event.

Dianne Haulcy, Senior Vice President for Family Engagement at ����ֱ�� was the second of three panelists.�� She has directed five early childhood programs serving inner-city, low-income, ethnically diverse populations, and was previously the Chief Operating Officer of The Family Partnership.�� Haulcy currently serves on the Governor’s Early Learning Council, the Parent Aware Advisory Committee, and is the co-chair of the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) Early ����ֱ��hood Action Team.

“Both parents and providers have loved to get that real-time information about how they are doing,” said Haulcy.�� “����ֱ�� was actually the first in the country to use the word pedometer and the LENA Start program to work with parents and family child care providers together.”

The LENA Start program features a digital recording device that slips into a special vest which��a child will then wear for the day.�� The device measures the number of words spoken as well as conversational turns between the child and a parent or child care provider.

The final panelist was Gerri Fisher, Parent Engagement Coordinator. ��She spent 8 years in early childhood and family education with the public schools before joining ����ֱ��.

“The device also measures TV and electronic time which I don’t like to spend a lot of time on,” Fisher said.�� “But it can be interesting to see how that kind of sound decreases language in the home.”

Minneapolis parents Deanne and Joe Vaughan��have two young daughters. ��They appreciate the feedback they received while enrolled in a Lena Start cohort through ����ֱ��.

“Getting our children more involved was one of things that made it seem more doable because it was things we were already doing,” said Deanne Vaughan.�� “It’s a snapshot of how we’re interacting with our kids and using everyday moments to increase our conversations with them.”

More than 50 people attended the first Small Talks and organizers hope to see the audience grow with each event.

The post Small Talks – Talk to Me: How Early Conversations Impact a ����ֱ��’s Life appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Parent Aware

June Policy Hour at ����ֱ��

First, Michelle Lenhart and Nara Topp joined us from the Department of Human Services (DHS) to discuss . Parent Aware is Minnesota’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Participation is voluntary for child care providers, and it offers tools and resources to help:

• Families find quality child care and early education
• Programs improve their practices
• ����ֱ��ren benefit from care and education that will prepare them for school and life

The Parent Aware House was adapted from the National Center of Quality Teaching and Learning Framework for Effective Practices, and the Washington Early Achiever’s House.

Recognizing the importance of supporting early brain development, DHS works with the state Departments of Education and Health, ����ֱ�� Care Aware of Minnesota, and other partners like ����ֱ�� to shape and implement the program.

Parent Aware recently went through a revision process, where DHS collected input on program standards. They knew from a that they were on the right track, but there was room for improvement. The outcome is a . Rather than a complete overhaul to the program, the result is modifications to the standards and indicators.

Changes in the remodel aim to provide more flexibility while maintaining the standards that ensure high-quality care and education for children. Highlights of the changes, which will take effect July 1, 2017, include:

• More rating pathways. In addition to the Full Rating Pathway and Accelerated Pathway to Ratings (APR), there is now an Automatic Rating. Head Start programs will be eligible for this rating and will not have to submit documentation to receive a Four Star rating. There is also an option now to make it easier for some programs opening multiple sites to receive the same rating more easily.
• Flexible coaching options. Programs can choose to receive 20-30 hours of coaching over 6 months or 40-60 hours over the course of a year, depending on what timeline and intensity best suits their needs.
• User-friendly documentation. DHS received a lot of feedback about documentation difficulties. In response, they have created more flexible options. They also have worked to clarify the reasoning and goals behind the indicators.
• Simplified training choices. Rather than requiring specific trainings, which could be difficult to navigate, requirements going forward will align with Knowledge and Competency Framework (KCF) domains.
• More robust financial supports. ����ֱ�� will be able to receive $1,000 in quality improvement supports for Building Quality participation {up from $500), in order to make improvements to their program. To move to a higher star level, providers will receive $2,500 in quality improvement supports, up from $1,000.

Four Star-rated programs do not receive Quality Improvement Supports because those are intended to help programs improve and advance, and Four Stars is the highest level. Those program are eligible for other incentives, such as Early Learning Scholarships and higher reimbursement rates for the ����ֱ�� Care Assistance Program (CCAP).

Lenhart and Topp emphasized that Parent Aware is here to stay, and they encourage programs to participate at whatever level works for them.

Legislative Update

Minnesota’s Future members Clare Sanford and Ann McCully provided an update on highlights of the 2017 legislative session for early care and education. Most of their updates are covered in our .

A few additional highlights:

• The education budget included a 2% increase for the school funding formula. It also included new teacher licensure language that the Governor would like to renegotiate (but has already signed into law).
• Presenters shared that the current interpretation of the School Readiness Plus language is that a licensed teacher must oversee the program but does not have to be present in each classroom.
• While many child care provisions passed related to federal requirements, it was disappointing that a reimbursement rate increase was not included.
• The Focus on Five Senate Working Group that met during session discussed promising practices and barriers for young children. Out of that work came funding for a pilot project in Dakota County for kids 0-8.
• There is $12 million for home visiting in the new budget.
• Minor changes regarding notifications of and access to child care for college students passed.
• The Father Project received funding.

For more details, check out the .

For the first time, Policy Hour was recorded on Facebook Live. If you’d like to relive part or all of the fun, .

The post Policy Hour: Parent Aware Changes & Legislative Update appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Dan Solomon

Field Representative to Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota), Dan Solomon, joined Policy Hour in May to provide updates on federal funding and policies that affect the early learning field.

Sen. Al Franken

Sen. Franken is on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee, so he is very close to education issues. Uncertainty continues to be a common thread when trying to understand federal policy.

Budget
President Trump released his budget blueprint in March, which outlines his plans for program spending and cuts. This budget proposes cuts to many programs that affect early learning including:

• Corporation for National and Community Service –��This agency oversees AmeriCorps, which supports members to serve in a variety of organizations that help children and families.
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting –��Provides funding for radio and television which includes educational programming for children.
• National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities –��These organizations provide a variety of programs including early literacy work.
• Museum and Library Services
• 21^st Century Learning Center –��This provides programming for after school and out of school time learning.

Washington D.C. Capitol

The good news is that Congress just passed a spending plan that did not cut any of these programs. It’s important to keep in mind that, like Governor Dayton’s budget for Minnesota, Trump’s budget for the country is a starting point and is very unlikely to be passed exactly as proposed. Also, many constituents all around the country benefit from these programs, and it will be difficult for legislators to support cutting them. Franken is concerned about some programs in the long term. It is important to pay attention.

Appointments
Appointing staff to President Trump’s administration has been a slow process. All secretary positions are now filled, but deputy level openings remain unfilled. And Trump has not submitted candidates for many of them. Gayle Kelly, Executive Director for the Minnesota Head Start Association, was especially interested in the status of the Head Start Director. Solomon said they are still waiting on many positions.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

is the successor to No ����ֱ�� Left Behind. ESSA focuses mainly on K-12 education, but it does allow the option to include Early Education programming in new ways. Additionally, there is $250 million in competitive preschool development grants. Senator Franken realizes that is not enough to meet the need, but it’s a start.

ESSA gives more power to states to decide how to best implement and evaluate��education. The Minnesota Department of Education has held listening sessions around the state to gather feedback. They will submit the state plan to the federal government in September.

Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos, cancelled��rules and regulations around ESSA that the previous secretary put in place. However, she has kept the same timeline for state plans and hasn’t signaled how she might replace Secretary King’s regulations.

����ֱ�� Care
Solomon’s area of expertise is education, and much of the child care policy does not move through the HELP committee. However, when audience members asked about child care policies, he did offer a few notes.

He hasn’t heard any new rumblings about the ��Minnesota is currently under waivers to comply until September 2017. It is unclear as to what the consequences may be if the state is still out of compliance by then. Minnesota may have to seek additional waivers at that time, but it is ambiguous as to any financial penalties that could be implemented.

He also reported not hearing any new information about potential changes to the ����ֱ�� and Dependent Care Tax Credit.

Bipartisanship
A couple of Policy Hour attendees shared their concerns about the partisan climate in Washington and asked about opportunities for bipartisan work.

Solomon noted that it is a partisan time, and that is a challenge. The Senate requires 60 votes to take many actions, and that does force some bipartisan work. Senator Franken has worked with Senator Murkowski (R-Alaska). Together, they are co-chairs of the after school caucus. Solomon also mentioned the bipartisan work of Senator Isakson (R-Georgia) and Senator Murray (D-Washington), a former preschool teacher, who worked together on the preschool grant money in ESSA.

Infrastructure is an issue that has bipartisan support although there are different thoughts about how to fund it.

The post Policy Hour: Federal Updates on Early Learning appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Policy Hour presenters were MnAEYC-MnSACA’s Kathleen O’Donnell and Sara Benzkofer.

Early education is in the spotlight now. That was the message from Kathleen O’Donnnell, Executive Director, and Sara Benzkofer, Director of Policy and Communications, of . The April Policy Hour presenters are from the state affiliate of the National Association of the Education of Young ����ֱ��ren (NAEYC). They talked about the Power to the Profession Initiative out of NAEYC and how the recent attention to early childhood development and education presents both challenges and opportunities to support and advance the profession.

A great turnout for April Policy Hour at ����ֱ��’s Minneapolis office on April 4th.

The Power to the Profession Initiative aims to establish a shared framework of career pathways, knowledge and competencies, qualifications, standards, and compensation that unifies the entire profession, which will lead to a comprehensive policy and financing strategy for their systemic adoption and implementation. It consists of eight decision cycles, each one quarter long. Each decision cycle covers a specific, manageable topic and provides an opportunity for public input.

MnAEYC is working to engage their members and other stakeholders throughout the state. O’Donnell noted that Power to the Profession is only one part of the Minnesota puzzle, and that there is in fact a whole “ecosystem of initiatives” around the early childhood work force. They include:

• ���������������������� B-8 Task Force out of the National Academy of Sciences
• ���������������������� National Governors’ Association Compensation Group
• ����������������������

In Minnesota, the P3 Design Team is the hub where all the initiatives report to. The Design Team is a group of people in the Minnesota early education field who discuss how to support PreK to 3^rd��Grade alignment in the state. They have expanded from their original mission and are thinking more broadly about how to support children ages birth to 8. Because Design Team members participate in other work, it makes sense as a place to share information and ideas.

Many people understand how important early childhood care and education is. found that people value the work of early childhood professionals. However, policies and funds to support early childhood educators have not yet caught up to public opinion. Part of the Power to the Profession Initiative will be trying to move the public opinion into public policy. They will look to other campaigns and professions for examples, including nursing.

Policy Hour attendees noted that it can be inconvenient to fill out surveys to provide feedback because they already have a lot on their plates. Although the Power to the Profession Initiative covers��many topics, some people are most concerned about compensation. It can be difficult to think about professional standards when the wages are inadequate. Presenters heard this feedback and said they will pass it along. O’Donnell has also been encouraging NAEYC to use methods beyond the internet to connect with stakeholders. Because other Minnesota groups are working on the issue, it’s possible that compensation will be addressed earlier. Todd Otis of ����ֱ�� shared that the National Governors’ Association group plans to bring legislation in 2018.

The Power to the Profession initiative is just taking shape. O’Donnell and Benzkofer encouraged everyone to participate however they can to make it successful and reflective of as many stakeholders as possible. ��For more information, contact��Sara Benzkofer at��sarab@mnaeyc-mnsaca.org.

View a PowerPoint from the April Policy Hour presentation

The post Policy Hour: Power to the Profession Initiative appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Senator Melissa Wiklund, DFL-Bloomington, was one of the presenters at the February Policy Hour organized by Minnesota’s Future and hosted by ����ֱ��. Sen. Wiklund talked about a by the Legislative Task Force on ����ֱ�� Care Access and Affordability.

Senator Wiklund presents at February Policy Hour.

Before creating the report, she explained that the committee met to discuss various issues around child care. They learned about the and heard from the Department of Human Services regarding changes to federal law that impact Minnesota’s ����ֱ�� Care Assistance Program (CCAP). They also heard from organization leaders, parents, and providers who on what works and does not work for child care in Minnesota.

The report includes an overview of child care in Minnesota and task force recommendations to address issues of affordability, access, and regulation. Although they touched on these issues at a high level, the task force did not concentrate specifically on the early childhood workforce or how to address quality in early learning settings.

Task Force recommendations include (this list is not comprehensive):

• Develop consistency and uniformity in regulatory enforcement; improve relationships and communication between the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), county licensors, and child care providers; and improve fairness in compliance measures.
  • Develop and implement uniform training for county licensors, including rules, statutes, and providers’ rights.
  • Target changes in policy and procedures that help to create a healthy environment in which monitoring visits are supportive, not punitive.
  • Establish a safe communication process for providers to ask questions without fear of immediate negative actions.
  • Implement an immediate feedback system of potential compliance orders before the licensors leave the home or facility, and allow providers the opportunity to fix issues on the spot.
  • Communicate a clear appeals process to providers.
• Ensure training is accessible, relevant, and affordable; and broaden and deepen the trainer pool.
  • Determine ways to encourage providers from communities of color and American Indian communities to become trainers.
  • Determine ways to provide better access to training that reflects cultural competencies.
  • Align “annual” and “license period” training requirements.
  • Encourage community training opportunities through partnerships with schools, public health, ����ֱ�� Care Aware, initiative foundations, etc.
  • Support mentor programs that are provider-to-provider based.
• Additional recommendations for DHS.
  • Streamline and reduce redundancies in paperwork.
  • Coordinate nighttime and statewide meetings with providers, not just day-time metro meetings, before initiating any changes.
• Reform and invest in the ����ֱ�� Care Assistance Program (CCAP).
  • Increase CCAP provider reimbursement rates.
  • Increase funding for the Basic Sliding Fee program so more eligible families can access assistance.
  • Change eligibility for CCAP from six months to twelve, providing for greater stability for children and providers.
• Determine ways to address costs for middle income families, whether through targeted funding, tax policy, or community/business investments in child care.
  • Consider investing in new or expanding existing child care tax credits for middle-income families.
  • Study and share community success stories to help others.
  • Consider incentives for businesses to invest in on-site child care.
• Long Term
  • Consider the creation of an independent board for child care providers.
  • Encourage more people to enter and stay in the child care provider workforce.
  • Consider ways to address emergency child care assistance for families fleeing abuse.

To read the entire report, .

What’s Next?
In the House of Representatives, the Subcommittee on ����ֱ�� Care Access and Affordability is addressing some of these items. The Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee, chaired by Senator Abeler R-Anoka, will be in charge of taking up the issue in the Senate. includes proposed changes and funding for CCAP as well as expanded child care tax credits.

Senator Wiklund encouraged people to contact their own legislators to advocate for policies that are important to them. She also suggested contacting members on relevant committees.

PreK to 3 Design Team

The second presenter was Erin Gavin, Education and Learning Program Director at the McKnight Foundation, who talked about the work of the PreK to 3 Design Team. The Design Team is a group of people in the Minnesota early education field who discuss how to support PreK to 3^rd Grade alignment in the state. Because PreK has been a priority issue recently, much of their work focused on how to best provide that for children.

The team released an initial report in July of 2016. You can read it here. This week they issued a revised report based on new information and feedback. The core message is the same: A mixed-delivery approach will work best for Minnesota. This means children and families should be able to access high-quality early education in a variety of settings: Licensed Family ����ֱ�� Care, ����ֱ�� Care Centers, Head Start, and public schools. Quality is more important than setting.

Other recommendations include:

• Voluntary Participation.
• Targeted Universalism. This term, developed by john powell, advocates giving resources first to the most in need to achieve success for everyone. The Design Team recommends starting with families at 185% of poverty.
• Local solutions and approaches. Use Local Collaborative Hubs to implement.
• Ensure high-quality programming that is culturally responsive and aligned to K-3 standards
• Families need, want, and deserve choice.
• The early childhood workforce needs support and diversity.

The original report recommended requiring a Bachelor of Arts degree within 10 years for providers statewide. However, the team has rescinded this recommendation in the new report for various reasons. More details in this presentation.

The idea of the Local Collaborative Hubs comes out of work in Oregon and North Carolina that empowers communities to implement solutions that work best for them. They could be led by counties, districts, or cities, depending on what lawmakers and stakeholders decide is best.

Audience members noted the issue of compensation for early learning professionals. Although research supports the importance of quality care and education for children 0-5, many people who provide that care are compensated poorly, at rates much lower than elementary school teachers. Compensation is one of the large barriers to establishing and maintaining a qualified workforce.

Currently there are two national groups with a Minnesota presence that are focusing on the workforce issue. There is a group using the report to look at workforce solutions. Additionally, the National Governor’s Association has a group of state experts meeting about the topic.

Next steps for the design team are:

• Continue to advise state agencies as requested
• Continue as a learning community
• Look closer at workforce challenges and solutions

Policy Hour is a monthly opportunity for early childhood and afterschool professionals to connect with each other and learn about current policy issues in an informal setting. It is��provided to the field at no cost by the Coalition.

The post Policy Hour: Reports Propose Solutions for Early Learning in Minnesota appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Early Education Spotlight is an ongoing series that showcases great work happening in child care and preschool settings across Minnesota. From innovative early learning programs to parent perspectives on what works, check out the Early Education Spotlight for unique examples of Minnesota’s early learning successes.

����ֱ��ren practice skills they will need for Kindergarten.

You could say that Mariyan Jama is a Parent Aware all-star. She participated in the pilot of the program in 2010. She left the family child care business for a while, but when she came back in 2015 she jumped in to participate again. Her South Minneapolis program, Daryeel Group Home Daycare, has the highest possible rating of Four Stars.

Parent Aware is the statewide quality ratings system for early learning programs. It promotes research-based best practices among participating programs through training and coaching, then rates them on a scale of one to four stars. Parents can access the ratings information to determine which early childhood program will be best for their child and family. These best practices are evident all over Mariyan’s program. She also incorporates her own style and background to give it a unique touch.

Relationship with Parents
Mariyan communicates with parents about what their children are doing so that they can coordinate between home and child care. When Mariyan hears a child say a new word, she lets parents know. She helps children learn how to feed themselves and talks to parents about how to reinforce that at home. Parents are sometimes surprised by how much children can do on their own, and Mariyan encourages parents to help their kids be more independent.

Mariyan’s commitment to helping her families succeed goes beyond these exchanges. Many of the families she works with are new immigrants. She helps them navigate their new city, even waking up extra early to provide transportation for their children. Most parents work full-time, so Mariyan provides a safe, nurturing environment that parents trust.

Supporting ����ֱ�� Development
Mariyan works with children of varying ages, from infant to preschool. Within these ages, the children have a range of abilities. Her work with Parent Aware helps her identify where children are and what support they need to advance.

Mariyan gives children fun, age-appropriate opportunities to learn and grow.

For instance, she learned from an assessment that an infant in her care was behind developmentally. By slowly and intentionally increasing tummy time for the baby, she was able to get the child back on track. She notes that having a
variety of ages is helpful because it allows the children to challenge and learn from each other. She intentionally creates the environment to facilitate these exchanges.

School Readiness
A crucial part of a high-quality early learning program is its ability to educate children and prepare them for school. Mariyan accomplishes this in many ways, and she continually improves what she is doing as she incorporates new learnings. For instance:

• With toddlers, Mariyan uses manipulatives to support fine motor development. She also talks with them about the color and shape of the objects to facilitate language and cognitive development.
• They talk about taking turns. Mariyan celebrates when children share. They talk about emotions and practice saying what they need, which are important skills for school and life.
• Mariyan speaks in Somali and English to the children. Most of the children in her program speak Somali at home, but she does have some who speak primarily English. The bilingual environment is great for brain development and leads to cultural exchanges.
• When they are ready, Mariyan gives the children time to practice holding pencils and writing. Here, too, she incorporates two languages. ����ֱ��ren practice in English and Arabic.
• Although she lives in a busy part of town, Mariyan takes the children outside when possible. Their walks around the neighborhood give them more learning opportunities to talk about trees, shapes, bugs, and other objects in the environment.

Mariyan
The real key to Daryeel Group Home Daycare’s high quality is Mariyan herself. Parent Aware has helped her learn a tremendous about how to educate children, but she wants to learn more. She enjoys attending new trainings, especially when she can take what she learned and implement it right away. Her Parent Aware Quality Coach says that the Four Star Parent Aware rating isn’t enough for Mariyan; she wants to do more.

Mariyan is also a leader. Other child care providers who know her, especially other Somali providers, seek her advice. Mariyan encourages and coaches them. Mariyan’s love of learning is a benefit to the children and her community.

The post Early Education Spotlight: Daryeel Group Home Daycare appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Policy Hour was well-attended at ����ֱ��’s Minneapolis location.

New federal policy changes will affect the Minnesota early learning field. November Policy Hour featured staff from the state departments of Education and Human Services sharing updates about the changes.

Head Start Program Performance Standards
The federal Administration for ����ֱ��ren and Families published new Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) in September. The new standards aim to maintain and improve the high-quality services of Head Start. Revision of the old standards was a lengthy process involving a review of research-based practices and feedback from stakeholders. Jeanne Dickhausen, who works on Head Start collaboration for the Minnesota Department of Education, shared some of the changes, most to be met by November 7, 2016:

• Head Start teaching practices will align with the new Head Start Early Learning Framework: Birth to Five. Overall the new changes are comprehensive from birth to five, inclusive of Early Head Start throughout.
• Teacher mentor-coaching is required.
• The new HSPPS prohibit expulsion of children from Head Start and strictly limit suspensions. Dickhausen noted that many programs already have these rules, but the new federal regulations codify them.
• Services for dual language learners and vulnerable populations will be maintained and strengthened.
• Head Start will continue to include and empower parents in the program. They will continue to provide and streamline access to other resources such as health services.

One significant change for many programs will be the amount of time they are required to serve children. Some programs currently offer half-day programming but have been moving toward full day in anticipation of the changes. The new requirements will be implemented gradually. For a detailed breakdown of the timeline, .

For more details about changes to the standards, . For additional information about the process and components of HSPPS, .

����ֱ�� Care Assistance Program
With the reauthorization of the federal ����ֱ�� Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in 2014, the federal government passed new regulations for child care. Each state needs to comply with the new regulations. For Minnesota, that means many changes will need to be passed into law. The state Department of Human Services (DHS) is working to update the bill they introduced last session. It will incorporate stakeholder feedback and clarifications received in September.

As part of this reauthorization, changes need to be made to the ����ֱ�� Care Assistance Program. Stacia Rosas from DHS shared that 30,000 children from about 15,000 families receive CCAP funds in Minnesota. Many of the new regulations are intended to make it easier for families to receive and retain CCAP which in turn provides greater stability for the children. Proposed changes will include:

• Determine eligibility every 12 months, instead of every 6 months.
• Eliminate copayment increases during 12 month redetermination period.
• Require families to certify that assets are less than $1 Million.
• Process applications from homeless families within 5 days and prior to receiving verifications. Waive activity requirements for 3 months.
• Eliminate schedule verification requirements for most families and allow families to choose a child care schedule that works best for them.
• Simplify and reduce reporting requirements.
• Make payments to providers within 21 days
• Update maximum rates after each market rate survey.

����ֱ�� Care Licensing Requirements
In addition to CCAP changes, the reauthorization also affects licensing requirements for providers. DHS is already working to comply with changes that do not require changes to the law. New requirements will impact the four different types of providers: Licensed ����ֱ�� Care Centers, Licensed Family ����ֱ�� Care, Legal Non-Licensed caregivers, and License-Exempt programs. The law requires all groups to meet health and safety standards.

Some of the main changes that need to be implemented are:

• Annual inspections for all provider types. Currently inspections for licensed providers occur every two years and no inspections are required for license exempt centers and legally non-licensed providers.
• Expanded background study requirements. While DHS already has some tools in place to provide this service, they are working to figure out how to make it more streamlined.
• Enhanced health and safety standards and training requirements. Many of these are already addressed in current licensing requirements, and those that are not will need to be added.
• Licensing monitoring and inspection reports must be made available by electronic means, in a consumer-friendly and easily accessible format. Most of this information is already available on DHS Licensing Information Lookup for child care centers, but not for family child care.

The state has already developed an emergency preparedness plan and created a template for providers to create their own plans as required by the new regulations. The Parent Aware website has already been updated with some consumer education information and will continue to be used for that purpose. Most health and safety requirements have to be in place by September 30, 2017. The deadline for consumer education components is November 2017. For additional information on what DHS is working on related to CCDBG reauthorization, read their handout on the topic.

Policy Hour is provided by

The post Policy Hour Highlights New Federal Rules in Head Start and ����ֱ�� Care appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Shifting Roles of County Licensors
Some family child care providers expressed a change in the way they interact with licensors. ����ֱ�� used to be able to rely on licensors as a resource for clarification on requirements. Some of them now feel like that support and advice is no longer the norm.

Safe Sleep for Infants

• Regulations
  New regulations around safe sleep were implemented in 2013. (.) Jerry Kerber, Inspector General, noted that Infant deaths in licensed child care have decreased since then. He also clarified two rules that have caused issues recently:

-If an infant falls asleep before being placed in a crib, the license holder must move the infant to a crib as soon as practicable, and must keep the infant within sight of the license holder until the infant is placed in a crib.

-When an infant falls asleep while being held, the license holder must consider the supervision needs of other children in care when determining how long to hold the infant before placing the infant in a crib to sleep. (emphasis added)

• Enforcement
  On the ground, providers have had different experiences with enforcement of these rules. They report licensors instructing them to turn around right away if a baby falls asleep in the stroller on the way to the park. Beyond the fear of citation, providers noted that the new safe sleep regulations make it very difficult to care for infants. If parents do not practice safe sleep at home (no blankets or toys in the crib, baby placed on back), it can be very challenging for the infant to transition to these standards in child care. ����ֱ�� stated that they want all children in their care to be safe, but practical implementation of the safe sleep rules can be very difficult.

• Implications
  Dakota County licensors hear feedback from many Licensed Family ����ֱ�� Care programs that they do not want to care for infants because they can be such a liability. Meanwhile, the need for infant care in the community is very high.

Inconsistencies in Enforcement
Different counties and different licensors often enforce rules differently. One example was with biting. Biting is a natural developmental stage that many children pass through, and approved trainings cover how to deal with children who bite. However, one provider reported an incident where a colleague was cited for lack of supervision after a child in her program bit someone. Chad Dunkley, CEO of New Horizon Academy and President of Minnesota ����ֱ�� Care Association, reported that his centers had been cited for biting as well. Representative Franson offered that her own son was a biter, and it was difficult to deal with.

Jolene Swan, Dakota County Social Worker and Licensor, noted that the regulations are often written broadly because the need to apply to different settings. However, this can also cause inconsistency. What one county might determine is “inaccessible” may not be considered inaccessible to another county, for instance. Dakota County meets often to discuss and review cases in order to achieve consistency, but it is not an easy task.��

Task Force
The Legislative Task Force on Access to Affordable ����ֱ�� Care was established to address concerns related to child care in Minnesota. Assigned duties include assessing the child care shortage in greater Minnesota, considering uniform training requirements for licensors, and reviewing progress on streamlining paperwork. For a full explanation of the purpose and scope of the TFCC, . See all the documents from past meetings . View the full list of members . The TFCC must submit a report to the legislature and Governor by December 31, 2016.

The post Legislative Task Force Addresses Licensing appeared first on ����ֱ��.

• Click to View Full Report

The post Pathways to Quality: LENA Start Fall 2016 Update appeared first on ����ֱ��.

Minnesota is heralding in an innovative program to help close the word gap. The word gap–a 30 million word deficit between children from low income families and their more well-off peers– is evident by age 3. In order for it to be reversed, children need both parents and caregivers to speak, sing and read to them often.

This new approach to early literacy, originated by the LENA Research Foundation, is designed to make a tangible change to those stats by encouraging parents to be more intentional about into their parenting.��

But how they do it is what’s unique. The program puts a small device on the child for sixteen hours a week that measures interactions and vocabulary with the child. The device doesn’t record what is being said to the child, instead it picks up on who is talking to them, if they interact with humans or audio from a TV more and the frequency of the child’s communication attempts. This information is condensed into a report card, which a trained professional goes over with the child’s parent or caregivers. This real-time feedback shows caregivers where they are excelling and where they have the opportunity to improve. It’s crucial in helping parents understand what they’re doing well and what they can improve.

A recent Minnpost describes how a few families in Minneapolis are participating in a new early childhood class at Northstar Mona Moede Early ����ֱ��hood Center utilizing the technology.

:

“Overseeing the class at Mona Moede, the center’s director, Elizabeth Fields, says families have been receptive because it’s framed as a resource rather than an assault on anyone’s parenting style.”

After just a few weeks in the program, parents had already started adding bedtime stories and songs into their child’s daily routine. They felt their children were responding positively, and it was truly making a difference.

The technology that is used for this program was created by the LENA Start program, part of an early language project conducted by the LENA Research Foundation.

LENA is based on the East Coast but this project marks its first move to Minnesota. The technology is currently being housed at the University of Minnesota, and a range of early childhood educators are collaborating with the project.

����ֱ�� is excited about this step toward improving childhood literacy and closing the word gap. We hope more and more families and early childhood educators use this new technology to change a child’s life.

The post Word Pedometers Brought to Minneapolis to Help Close Word Gap appeared first on ����ֱ��.