Early Learning ServicesLearning Support :

Study Finds Results Remain Stable as Five-Year-Olds Enter Kindergarten

A Minnesota  School Readiness Study found that the majority of Minnesota children are gaining proficiency or fully proficient with basic skills and knowledge at kindergarten entrance. The report also highlighted the need to improve school readiness for those children most at-risk of entering kindergarten unprepared. The report examines how child and family characteristics may affect children’s ratings. Poverty level, gender, parent level of education and race and ethnicity were shown to be related to proficiency levels. View School Readiness Study Fall 2009.

Minnesota Parents Know Website

MNParentsKnow is a convenient source of trusted information about children’s learning, development, health and safety. The Newborn Web pages feature a free monthly email newsletter, The Baby Express, for parents and caregivers. The site also features videos, podcasts, and articles with a parent focus.  The site is part of the Educate Parents Partnership, an early childhood initiative of Governor Tim Pawlenty.

Resources include Getting Your Child Ready for Kindergarten, a video designed for families who are English Language Learners. It is available in English, Hmong, Somali and Spanish. Viewers will learn how to enroll children into kindergarten, ways parents can help their child get ready for kindergarten, and how to help children stay healthy so they can learn better in school. Two earlier productions, Early Childhood Screening and Special Help for Young Children are also available in seven languages. Our entire video library is available under "Tips" or “Parenting A-Z."  Visit the MNParentsKnow Website.

Help is Now Available for Parents in the Workplace

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Working Family Resource Center (WFRC) and Good Enough Moms (GEMS) radio talk show hosts Dr. Marti Erickson and Erin Erickson. The partnership provides developmentally sound, evidence-based information to parents and nurtures the development of supportive communities among parents in the workplace using innovative Web technologies.

Podcasts on child development and parenting topics are posted every Monday at www.goodenoughmoms.com. Parents are encouraged to engage in an online discussion in the Parent-to-Parent forum at www.MNParentsKnow.info after each podcast. Parents may also have informal GEMs lunch or coffee chats about the topic of the week with other parents at work.

Please contact Debbykay Peterson at MDE debbykay.peterson@state.mn.us for more information about this project.

Finding Minnesota's Early Childhood Programs Made Easier

The early childhood years from birth to the start of kindergarten are an important time of rapid growth. The Early Learning Services Division at MDE has a variety of helpful programs for parents and their children that support children's learning and development for future success in school.

Finding early childhood programs by county is easier with a new statewide interactive map. Users can search for early childhood programs by county by selecting the county on the map, and then the early childhood program in a drop down window. Results are displayed below the map. Search the Early Learning Services map.

Find local program information about Early Childhood Screening, Head Start, Even Start, Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), and School Readiness programs. Individuals may search by county, school district or city to find early childhood programs.