MINNESOTA CHILD CARE RESOURCE AND REFERRAL NETWORK

CHILD CARE AWARE SYSTEM SUPPORT: COORDINATE AND DELIVER A SYSTEM OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT-CONTINUED TO SERVE AS THE PRIMARY DELIVERY SYSTEM TO DELIVER CHILD CARE AWARE TRAINING FROM BOTH CHILD CARE AWARE STAFF AND CONTRACTED TRAINERS. -COLLECTIVELY (WITH OUR LOCAL AGENCY PARTNERS), WE DELIVERED 877 CLASSROOM-BASED TRAINING EVENTS WITH 7687 ATTENDEES AND 968 WEB-BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING EVENTS WITH 46,001 ATTENDEES. EACH ATTENDEE MAY HAVE ATTENDED MULTIPLE TRAINING EVENTS AND MAY BE INCLUDED MORE THAN ONCE IN THE ATTENDEE NUMBER. -188 OF THE WEB-BASED AND 24 CLASSROOM-BASED TRAINING EVENTS WE DELIVERED WERE TAUGHT IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH. 1212 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THESE ONLINE, AND 294 COMPLETED THE CLASSROOM-BASED TRAINING EVENTS.COORDINATE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PARENT AWARE (PA) QUALITY RATING AND IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM-AS OF JANUARY 7, 2025, THERE WERE 2,056 CHILD CARE PROGRAMS WITH A PARENT AWARE RATING IN MINNESOTA. 975 ARE CHILD CARE CENTERS, AND 1081 ARE FAMILY CHILD CARE PROGRAMS. -WE WORK WITH 21 COACH CHAMPIONS TO ENSURE BROAD SUPPORT FOR THE 59 PARENT AWARE QUALITY COACHES AND TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT THOSE COACHES NEED. -IN SEPTEMBER, THE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT TEAM FACILITATED A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE THAT FOCUSED ON KEY AREAS ESSENTIAL FOR EARLY EDUCATION. THE SESSIONS INCLUDED DISCUSSIONS ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI), REFRESHERS ON THE KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCY FRAMEWORKS (KCFS), AND PROVIDED QUALITY COACHING. THIS INITIATIVE AIMED TO ENHANCE EDUCATORS' SKILLS AND PROMOTE INCLUSIVE PRACTICES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.-OUR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS TEAM REDESIGNED OUR PARENT AWARE WEBSITE. THE PROCESS INCLUDED ONLINE USER SURVEYS AND INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS, UPDATING THE TEXT, NAVIGATION, AND DESIGN, AND BUILDING CAPACITY TO ACCOMMODATE THE UPCOMING REDESIGN. -OUR STAFF PARTICIPATED IN VARIOUS WORKGROUPS AS PART OF THE STATE'S ONGOING PARENT AWARE REDESIGN EFFORT. PROVIDE ALL FAMILIES WITH THE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT THEY NEED TO MAKE AN INFORMED CHILD CARE CHOICE.-THE CHILD CARE INFORMATION SERVICES (CCIS) TEAM COMPLETED 713 REFERRALS THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR, 1,705 ADDITIONAL CALLS (OVER 10,000 MINUTES OF CALL TIME), AND 461 ONLINE CHATS COVERING VARIOUS TOPICS AND REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE. -THE USE OF OUR PARENT AWARE MARKETING MATERIAL INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY THIS PAST YEAR, WITH DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF PRINT ORDERS AND A 15% INCREASE IN VISITS TO THE WEBSITE TO OVER 135,000 VISITS. 10,000 VIEWS, 2,000+ DOWNLOADS OF THE GUIDE, 5,600 BROCHURES DISTRIBUTED, AND 63,000 COMPLETED SEARCHES ON PARENTAWARE.ORG-THE CCIS TEAM COLLABORATED CLOSELY WITH LOCAL SITES AND THE STATE TO COMPLETE THE MARKET RATE SURVEY OF LICENSED PROVIDERS IN MN. FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEY USED A 100% DIGITAL APPROACH. -OUTREACH EFFORTS HAVE CONTINUED TO GROW. PRESENTATIONS, SPECIFICALLY AT THE AVIVO RESOURCE FAIR, YIELDED MANY SUCCESSFUL CONNECTIONS AND INFORMATION SHARING. -WE CONTINUED TO ASSIST FAMILIES AT NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE LOOKING FOR CARE, SPECIFICALLY THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO THE AREA, FIRST-TIME PARENTS, EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, OR HAVE BECOME AN EMERGENCY RELATIVE FOSTER CARE PLACEMENT. PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND OTHER SUPPORT TO THE CHILD CARE SECTOR.-CHILD CARE AWARE OF MINNESOTA ONCE AGAIN PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR THE GREAT START COMPENSATION SUPPORT PAYMENT PROGRAM (GSCSPP). WE SUCCESSFULLY BID FOR THE CONTINUING GSCSPP TA CONTRACT. CENTER-BASED PROGRAMS HAVE BEGUN USING THE LICENSING HUB FOR GREAT START COMPENSATION SUPPORTS.-DURING FY24, CCAOMN RECEIVED 3,302 CALLS (11,704 MINUTES) AND 4,641 EMAIL MESSAGES TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR THESE GRANTS. SUPPORTED INDIVIDUALS IN JOINING THE EARLY CHILDHOOD WORKFORCE. -EMPOWER TO EDUCATE IS A WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT PROGRAM LAUNCHED ON JULY 21, 2022. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES EARLY CHILDHOOD WORKFORCE ADVISING AND RELATIONSHIP-BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND SUPPORT, JOB SKILLS TRAINING AND JOB PLACEMENT SUPPORT, TWO PROGRAM STIPENDS, A MENTORSHIP PROGRAM, DATA AND PROGRAM EVALUATION, AND MARKETING AND OUTREACH. -16 WORKFORCE ADVISORS STATEWIDE HAVE SERVED 866 PARTICIPANTS SINCE THE PROGRAM BEGAN. -40% OF E2E PARTICIPANTS ARE BIPOC AND/OR HISPANIC -697 EMPOWER TO EDUCATE STIPENDS GIVEN IN FY 24 -THE EMPOWER TO EDUCATE PROGRAM CONTINUED A MENTORSHIP PROGRAM TO PROVIDE FURTHER GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT FOR ITS PARTICIPANTS. THERE WERE 49 MENTOR/MENTEE PAIRINGS ACROSS MINNESOTA IN 2024. THE MENTORS RECEIVED MENTORSHIP TRAINING AND STIPENDS FOR THEIR TIME AND EXPERTISE AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM. SUPPORTED EARLY EDUCATORS TO NAVIGATE EXISTING PROCESSES TO ESTABLISH, SUSTAIN, AND EXPAND LICENSED CHILD CARE PROGRAMS.-CHILD CARE WAYFINDER ASSISTANCE NETWORK IS A CAPACITY-BUILDING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO INCREASE FAMILY ACCESS TO CHILD CARE BY MAINTAINING OR INCREASING THE NUMBER OF LICENSED SPACES FOR CHILDREN BY SUPPORTING EARLY EDUCATORS TO NAVIGATE EXISTING PROCESSES TO ESTABLISH, SUSTAIN, AND EXPAND LICENSED CHILD CARE PROGRAMS. AS OF NOVEMBER 2024: -WAYFINDER HAS 33 CHILD CARE STARTUP AND RETENTION NAVIGATORS WHO HAVE WORKED WITH 1,404 POTENTIAL AND CURRENTLY LICENSED EARLY CHILD CARE PROGRAMS. OUR TEAM SUPPORTS THE NAVIGATORS WITH TRAINING AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT. -ASSISTED IN OPENING 443 NEW FCC PROGRAMS WITH 4,558 SPACES AND 42 CENTERS WITH 1,736 SPACES. -CURRENTLY ASSISTING 297 POTENTIAL NEW FCC PROGRAMS AND 135 POTENTIAL NEW CENTERS. -AWARDED $406,115 PROVIDED IN STARTUP VOUCHERS.-A VITAL ASPECT OF THE WAYFINDER PROGRAM IS THE STRENGTH OF PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. THESE KEY PARTNERSHIPS HAVE BUILT OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY TO SERVE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES MORE EFFECTIVELY. PROVIDE LEADERSHIP AND INFLUENCE ACROSS THE CHILD CARE AWARE SYSTEM.-FOCUSED ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ANTI-RACISM (DEI-AR) ISSUES WITHIN THE CHILD CARE AWARE OF MINNESOTA SYSTEM AND BEYOND: -WE CONTINUE TO MEET QUARTERLY WITH DISTRICT AND REGIONAL LEADERSHIP TO CLARIFY ROLES AND DEVELOP A SHARED VISION. -WE SUPPORTED EACH DISTRICT AND REGION IN DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING AN EQUITY PLAN, WHICH RECEIVED FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM DCYF. -THE ANTI-RACISM WORKGROUP AT THE CCAOMN COORDINATING OFFICE (CO) MET TWICE A MONTH TO IDENTIFY CHALLENGES THAT CONTINUE RACISM IN THE COORDINATING OFFICE AND THE SYSTEM AND TO TAKE ACTION TO ADDRESS THOSE CHALLENGES. THEY LED A CONFLICT ENGAGEMENT EFFORT WITH THE CO STAFF, WHICH INCLUDED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CONFLICT ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT AND A TWO-DAY TRAINING. -CONVENED FUNCTION-SPECIFIC FIELD STAFF AND OVERALL COORDINATION/LEADERSHIP STAFF TO SUPPORT AND GUIDE PROJECT WORK AND PROVIDE UPDATES AND SUPPORT AS NEEDED.-LED A SYSTEM-WIDE ADVOCACY NETWORK, WHICH CONVENES QUARTERLY TO LEARN, EDUCATE, AND SHARE ADVOCACY INITIATIVES FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD ISSUES STATEWIDE.

DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORTS: HIGH-QUALITY CHILD CARE REQUIRES SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENTS IN CERTIFICATION, EDUCATION, AND RETENTION OF EARLY EDUCATORS. OUR SCHOLARSHIP AND GRANT PROGRAMS FOCUS ON RETAINING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS AND SUPPORTING THEIR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. OUR FINANCIAL SUPPORTS TEAM HAS RECENTLY BEGUN USING A NEW SALESFORCE DATA SYSTEM. -T.E.A.C.H. EARLY CHILDHOOD MINNESOTA (T.E.A.C.H.) IS A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM THAT HELPS EARLY CHILDHOOD AND SCHOOL-AGE EDUCATORS INCREASE THEIR LEVELS OF EDUCATION, COMPENSATION, AND COMMITMENT TO THE FIELD BY EARNING COLLEGE CREDITS AND DEGREES. -OF THESE, 53 (23%) SELF-IDENTIFIED AS BIPOC, AND 109 (47%) OF T.E.A.C.H. RECIPIENTS ARE CONSIDERED RURAL. -14,605 OF MINNESOTA'S CHILDREN WERE CARED FOR IN SETTINGS THAT PARTICIPATED IN TEACH. -RECIPIENTS COMPLETED AN AVERAGE OF 14-17 CREDITS PER CONTRACT. -RECIPIENTS IN MINNESOTA COMPLETED MORE THAN 2,551 CREDIT HOURS. -OUR T.E.A.C.H. TEAM RECENTLY PILOTED AN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE T.E.A.C.H. NATIONAL OFFICE. THIS PROGRAM SUPPORTS APPRENTICES WITH EMPLOYMENT, ON-THE-JOB TRAINING, COLLEGE COURSEWORK, INDIVIDUALIZED MENTORING, AND ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IN EARNING INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CREDENTIALS AND DEGREES AND APPLYING EARLY CHILDHOOD BEST PRACTICES IN THEIR PROGRAMS. THE T.E.A.C.H. APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM ENGAGED 32 APPRENTICES WHO WORKED WITH 22 MENTORS IN FY24. A PROPOSAL TO IMPLEMENT A CORRESPONDING FAMILY CHILD CARE APPRENTICESHIP IS AWAITING FINAL APPROVAL.-REETAIN BONUSES HELP SUPPLEMENT INCOME FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS WHO HAVE ATTAINED A CERTIFICATE OR HIGHER EDUCATION DEGREE AS THEY WORK TO ESTABLISH A CAREER IN THE FIELD. REETAIN BONUSES CAN BE USED FOR PROGRAM SUPPLIES, TRAINING, OR PERSONAL EXPENSES. -WE AWARDED 971 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS REETAIN GRANTS, 462 MORE GRANTS THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. -OF THESE, 18% IDENTIFIED AS BIPOC, AND 50% ARE IN RURAL AREAS (OUTSIDE OF THE METRO REGION). -CDA AWARDS HELP EARLY EDUCATORS PAY FOR THE REQUIRED TRAINING, APPLICATION, AND RENEWAL OF THE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE CREDENTIAL (CDA). APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED AT ANY TIME. AWARDS ARE DISTRIBUTED QUARTERLY. -WE AWARDED CDA TRAINING, ASSESSMENT OR RENEWAL SCHOLARSHIPS, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST STIPENDS TO 50 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS. -OF THESE, 36% SELF-IDENTIFY AS BIPOC, AND 68% ARE IN RURAL AREAS (OUTSIDE OF THE METRO REGION).-FOREIGN CREDENTIAL EVALUATION SCHOLARSHIPS ARE USED TO EVALUATE RECIPIENTS' FOREIGN EARLY CHILDHOOD CREDENTIALS. -WE AWARDED THESE SCHOLARSHIPS TO 18 RECIPIENTS, THE MOST WE HAVE AWARDED IN ONE YEAR. ONE OF FIVE PARTNERS COMPLETES THE EVALUATIONS AND HELPS RECIPIENTS IDENTIFY AND INCREASE THEIR CAREER LATTICE STEPS WITHIN THE PD SYSTEM.