Partnerships that Benefit Programs
Child Care Aware of Minnesota partners with many organizations to help support child care programs across the state. You or your program may be eligible for free or low-cost support provided by these partners:
Achieve, the Minnesota Center for Professional Development | mncpd.org
Helps child care and early education professionals document and plan for their training and professional development. Services include:
- Help applying for an Individual Membership, creating a Learning Record, and receiving a Career Lattice Step using Develop
- Help applying to become an approved trainer, coach, consultant, or mentor
- Virtual career guide to assess skills and identify career options
- Job board listing available opportunities in the childhood care and education field
Center for Inclusive Child Care | inclusivechildcare.org
Offers free relationship-based support, training, modeling, and resources. There are three types of coaching offered:
- Inclusion: support for providers as they seek to meet the individual needs of children through strategies, modeling, and support
- Health and safety: learn about best practices and new illness and accident prevention policies
- Infant and toddler: find new activities, routines, and materials for serving infants and toddlers
Center for Early Education and Development | ceed.umn.edu
Offers the following services and supports:
- Observations and scoring with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®)
- Supports for Parent Aware CLASS® Coaches
- Training on child assessment and CLASS® Observation (Infant, Toddler, Pre-k, and K-3 versions)
- Training on the domains in the CLASS® Observation Tool: Instructional Support, Classroom Organization and Emotional Support
- Training on an overview of the CLASS® Observation Tool
Child Care Assistance Program, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families | mn.gov
A state government program administered by local county or tribal governments that:
- Provides financial assistance to help families pay for child care
- Pays a higher rate for care provided through programs that are accredited, hold certain credentials, or have a Parent Aware Three- or Four-Star Rating
- Find the county office, tribal office, or contracted agency nearest you
Develop | developtoolmn.org
An online toolbox with two main components: Parent Aware and Professional Development.
Use it to:
- Search and register for training and track professional development activities
- Apply for an Individual Membership and establish a Career Lattice Step
- Apply for and submit documentation to earn a Parent Aware Rating
Early Learning Scholarships Program, Minnesota Department of Education | mn.gov
A state government program administered by area administrators, and for Pathway II scholarships administered directly by Parent Aware Four-Star Rated Programs, that:
- Provides scholarships for young children to improve school readiness
- Scholarships must be used in Parent Aware Rated programs
- Find the area administrator nearest you
First Children’s Finance | firstchildrensfinance.org
Provides business development services, including:
- Business training, coaching, consultation, and technical assistance
- Business leadership cohorts
- Low-interest financing to child care businesses
Lead & Care| leadandcaremn.org
An association of family child care professionals that provides:
- Professional development, including leadership opportunities and course offerings
- Business and licensing support
- Public policy advocacy resources
- Networking opportunities
Mental Health Consultation Services, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families
A state government program that offers early childhood mental health consultation to child care providers, teachers, assistants, and directors.
- Consultation includes a combination of training, reflective consultation, and skill building
- Free for licensed child care programs
- Contact your Quality Coach or dhs.ecmh@state.mn.us
Video: Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation in Minnesota
Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children | mnaeyc.org
Supports early childhood and school-age care programs across Minnesota with:
- Accreditation support services
- Curriculum and assessment consultation
- Relationship Based Professional Development (RBPD) on a variety of topics, customizable onsite
- Professional Development, tailored onsite training, and public offerings
- Leadership Journey Series for center-based and school-age care leadership/management
