 | | | | Child Care & Early Childhood Education
Head Start
The goal of
Minnesota Head Start is to provide comprehensive services to help
families living in poverty enhance the school readiness of their young
children (birth through 5). Children statewide participate in a variety
of educational activities in a safe environment, have healthy meals and
snacks, and get connected to medical and dental services in their
community. Parents are actively involved in their children’s health and
education, receive support to enrich parenting skills, and access
needed family services toward greater self-sufficiency. Parents also
have opportunities to influence the direction and policies of the local
programs. Generally, to meet income guidelines a family has to have an
annual gross income under 100% of the federal poverty level (for
example, a family of 4 would have to have earn less than $19,350 a year
in 2005). However, there are exceptions and you should contact the
nearest Head Start program to find out if your family is eligible.To
find out more about the Head Start programs in Minnesota, or
find the nearest agency to you, click here.
Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)
ECFE
is a public school program that helps to set the stage for parent
involvement and children’s success in K-12 education. ECFE works to
strengthen families and engage the ability of all parents to provide
the best possible environment for the healthy development of their
children. ECFE is open to all families with prekindergarten children,
regardless of income. It is available through almost every school
district in Minnesota. Visit www.ecfe.info.
Child Care Financial Aid
This website can
help parents, providers and employers plan how to pay
for child care, get information about child care quality, find
employer information about child care benefits, and learn about grants,
scholarships and more. The site is sponsored by the Greater Minneapolis
Day Care Association. Visit www.childcarefinancialaid.org.
Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) Network
The
network will help you find the child care that best meets your needs.
CCR&R agencies provide individualized referrals to licensed
family child care homes, centers, preschool programs, and school-age
programs. To find the Child Care Resource and Referral
agency that serves your area of the state, click here or call 1-888-291-9811 (651-665-0150 in the metro area). Parents and Child Care Providers are encouraged to call to access services in Hmong, Spanish and Somali. For more information about the Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network, visit www.mnchildcare.org.
Way to Grow
Way to Grow (WTG) is a Minneapolis
school readiness program that seeks to assist families and children
(newborn to six years old) through a community driven approach that
builds on family strengths and the natural support systems within each
community. WTG connects families with services and resources available
in their community and encourages prevention and early intervention
services. Family Resource Workers establish supportive relationships
with families, help identify family strengths, make referrals and
facilitate access to any needed services such as preventive health
care, parent education, child care and resources to meet basic needs.
Additionally, each Way to Grow site also makes hundreds of referrals
per year for families seeking information only. For more information on
Way to Grow, call 612-588-8893.
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