Parent Aware has a mission to help families find the quality care and education their children need to succeed in school and life. Parent Aware Recruiters are a crucial part of building the program throughout the state. Alicia Bauman is the Recruiter for northwestern Minnesota, working remotely for Lakes and Prairies Community Action Partnership in Moorhead from her home in Roseau County. Alicia’s job includes promoting Parent Aware by helping early educators make an informed choice about whether or not Parent Aware is a good fit for them.

Since Alicia has been a family child care provider, she is able to relate to potential Parent Aware participants. As Alicia notes, “I’ve been there and I understand what they do day to day. Their job is not an easy job. There are those days when nap time doesn’t happen!” Alicia finds that meeting early educators where they are at and being able to tell the stories of other Parent Aware Rated programs in their region helps build connections and increase participation.

The most challenging thing for Alicia as a Parent Aware Recruiter is to break through the myths that people hold about Parent Aware. She says, “You never really know what Parent Aware is like unless you try the program out for yourself. It’s an entirely voluntary program, so if it’s not a good fit, you can withdraw. You can’t base your decision off what someone else thinks about the program.”