Child Care Aware of Minnesota is excited to align our work with the national Power to the Profession (P2P) initiative, hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The early childhood education profession is working toward having unified standards and guidelines for our field. We know that high-quality early care and education contributes directly to the common good of our state and has a high rate of return on investment for our economy. Every type of ECE plays a part in this, whether licensed or certified child care centers, family child care programs, legally non-licensed care, or family, friend, and neighbor care. If you work with children ages birth to age 8, you are part of building Power to the Profession.

P2P is a national collaboration that defines the early childhood education profession. With the support and input from several national organizations and stakeholders in early childhood education, P2P established the Unifying Framework in 2020. The framework includes recommendations on educator roles and responsibilities, aligned preparation and pathways, professional compensation, and a supportive infrastructure with shared accountability to advance a unified, diverse, equitable, and effective early childhood education profession.

Following in the footsteps of Child Care Aware of America, Child Care Aware of Minnesota put together a strategic plan group, tasked with determining how the work we do currently aligns with P2P and developing our vision for the future.

We believe that an effective, diverse, well-prepared, and well-compensated early childhood education field is the driving force behind high-quality early care and education experiences for children and families. Our complete commitment statement is available on our website.