EMPOWER TO EDUCATE
Support for Beginning a Career in Child Care
Do you love working with children? Are you interested in a meaningful career in child care and early childhood education? Empower to Educate helps current and aspiring early childhood educators begin, advance, and sustain their child care careers.
Explore early childhood career pathways with personalized support from a local Workforce Advisor. Participants also receive financial support, free training options, job placement support, and an opportunity to be mentored by an experienced early childhood educator.
Our 14 workforce advisors around the state have already assisted over 200 aspiring early educators, with another 500 currently in the program.
Empower to Educate is helping me become the best early childhood teacher I can be by providing me with resources and trainings I need and want! Having someone else help guide me in the right direction is the kind of help and gentle push I needed being a busy teacher and busier mother!
– Taylor
Empower to Educate has provided me with resources I didn’t even know were available throughout my learning journey! I always knew I wanted to work with children but didn’t know where to start. Empower to Educate has paved the path for me and is there to answer any questions I have!
– Chelsea
Begin and Advance
- Personalized support from a local Workforce Advisor
- $300 to help complete training requirements
- $600 after working in a Minnesota child care program for six months
- A free training package in English, Spanish, or Somali
- Job skills training like resume writing and interview coaching
- Help accessing and navigating technology
- Assistance applying for a Develop Individual Membership
- Connections to low- and no-cost college classes and early childhood certificate programs
Sustain and Support
- Individualized support from an experienced, trained peer mentor
- Flexible weekly check-ins and monthly meetings with your peer mentor
- 6 to 12 months of support
- $300 for every 3 months of mentorship completed
*Participants can only receive stipends from one pathway at a time. Complete the Empower to Educate Interest Form for help determining which is best for you.
Participants must:
- Be at least 16 years old
- Be able to pass a background study
- Be interested in a career at a licensed or certified child care program in Minnesota
- Complete and sign an Empower to Educate Participant Agreement
Participants working with a mentor must:
- Be employed at a licensed or certified child care program in Minnesota
- Have a current Develop Individual Membership
- Complete a Empower to Educate Mentee Participation Screener
Participants are:
- Individuals interested in beginning careers at licensed or certified child care center programs or family child care programs
- Individuals with some college-level education but have never worked in the child care or early education field
- Educators recently or currently working in the field as aides or substitutes
- Educators recently or currently working in the field with some professional development who are interested in advancing their career with additional coursework or training
Complete an Interest Form
Reach out to your local Workforce Advisor by completing the Empower to Educate Interest Form.
Please note, many of our Workforce Advisors work for our partner agencies and may contact you from an email address other than Child Care Aware of Minnesota.
Attend an Information Session
Attend a Empower to Educate information session in person or online and complete the onboarding process with help from your local Workforce Advisor.
Questions or concerns? Reach out to us at EmpowerToEducate@childcareawaremn.org. We’re here to help!
