Parent Aware, Minnesota’s Quality Rating and Improvement System, has a mission to help families find the quality care and education their children need to succeed in school and life. The five Parent Aware Recruiters are a crucial part of building the program throughout the state. Amber English is the recruiter for southeast Minnesota, based at Families First in Rochester. Amber’s job includes promoting Parent Aware by building relationships and increasing knowledge about the program among child care programs in her region. One unique strategy she uses is to collaborate with First Children’s Finance on a training course offered several times each year.

Amber says, “I love meeting new people! I grew up in southeast Minnesota, but I have grown such an appreciation for where I live because this job has gotten me into every small town you can imagine. I love going into child care programs and learning all about them, including family child care programs on farms. When I talk with early educators, I can feel their passion; they love what they do and their faces light up.”

The thing Amber most wishes people knew about Parent Aware is that it isn’t like a Consumer Reports or Yelp rating; the program’s stars represent different learning levels, and the program’s ratings simply represent progression through those levels. “We aren’t coming in to judge you,” she emphasized.

For a complete list of Parent Aware Recruiters and their contact information, please visit the Parent Aware website.