A Huge Passion for Early Childhood
I have been a member of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) since 1980. That is 38 years, longer than almost anything else I have done in my life. What keeps me coming back is passion – a huge passion – not just for children and their families, but for the people…
Recent Posts
Words Matter
When I first joined the early childhood education profession in 2009, my official title was “Child Care Worker.” This title was one step below assistant, and meant I was in a support role to the other staff and should never be solely responsible for the safety or supervision of children. In the years that followed,…
Parent Aware Cohort Summary
As the Rating Team Manager, I coordinate the Parent Aware Rating review process. We review hundreds of examples documenting school readiness practices that programs all over the state are using every day. It is always exciting to see the creativity and passion of so many family child care providers and center-based programs. The Full-Rating Pathway…
T.E.A.C.H. Makes College Possible
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® MINNESOTA is a scholarship program that helps early childhood and school-age care providers increase their levels of education, compensation, and commitment to the field by earning college credits and degrees. T.E.A.C.H. program recipient Ndeye Anta Diop recently shared the following story with us: “I am from Senegal, and I have been living in…
Understanding the Parent Aware Experience
Understanding the experiences that child care professionals have with Parent Aware is the key to creating a program that is responsive to their needs. A recent survey conducted by Child Trends gives us the opportunity to learn more about these experiences. Child Trends surveyed Minnesota child care providers that participate in Parent Aware, that have…
Planning for Emergencies
With summer and severe weather season in full swing, I can’t help but reflect on our work with emergency preparedness. In Minnesota, we have our fair share of situations including tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, blizzards, floods, house fires, and gas leaks which require child care homes and centers to be prepared so that children are safe.…
End of Session Reflection
Reflecting on the outcome of this most recent legislative session, it is truly a test of the glass half-full or glass half-empty perspective. I land on one-fourth full, three-fourths empty, and disappointment over lost opportunities. The year started hopefully, with a new Governor and Lieutenant Governor who both support early education. Their budget had investments…
Friendly Help Finding Child Care
When parents seeking child care dial 888-291-9811, they reach a trio of friendly, helpful Child Care Information Specialists on the other end of the line. And now, they can reach this same help through our new online chat. We recently ask our specialists Jen Goinz, AnnaMarie Schluender, and Debra Spaeth what they love most about…
Access Ambassadors Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Every month since February, a group of twelve Child Care Aware staff volunteers from all program areas have been meeting together as Access Ambassadors. Our goal? To create a system where everyone is welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. We also want our programs to reflect our values of diversity, equity and inclusion. We carefully discuss…
My Experience at the 2019 Child Care Works Summit
Each year, the Child Care Aware national office hosts the Child Care Works Summit in Washington, D.C. as part of their ongoing work to mobilize individuals to advocate for child care policies that improve the lives of children and families. This spring, I was lucky enough to attend. We spent the first day of the…