Early Learning ServicesLearning Support :

Education and Health Leaders Expand Website for Parents of Young Children

The MNParentsKnow.info Website offers Minnesota parents a convenient source of trusted information about their child’s learning, development, health and safety. The new information for parents of children through age five is in addition to the infant information already available on the Website. The Newborn Web pages feature a free monthly email newsletter, The Baby Express, for parents and caregivers.

MNParentsKnow.info, hosted by the Minnesota Department of Education, is part of the Educate Parents Partnership, an early childhood initiative of Governor Tim Pawlenty funded by the 2006 Legislature. Visit MNParentsKnow.

Expanded Program Directory Search for Minnesota's Early Childhood Programs

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.

Click here to find Early Childhood Screening, Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), Head Start, Even Start, Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), and School Readiness programs and the local contacts for the Interagency Early Intervention Committees (IEICs) throughout Minnesota. Individuals may search by county, school district or city to find early childhood programs.

Governor’s Summit on School Readiness 2006

The Governor’s Summit on School Readiness resulted in a list of themes and opportunities for improvements to Minnesota’s early childhood programs. Ten summit themes and opportunities were identified and have been summarized for this report. Read the report or the combined report with program-by-program analysis by research element. View 2006 Summit background materials.(Scroll to bottom of page.)

NEW Multilingual Early Childhood Screening Web Broadcast

An Early Childhood Screening video is now available for viewing online. Seven 20-minute broadcasts in English, Hmong, Khmer (Cambodian), Lao, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese educate families about the importance of their children receiving early and regular developmental screenings or checkups through a health care provider from birth, and the participation of children in the Early Childhood Screening program when children become three years old.

The broadcast is a talk show format produced by ECHO (Emergency, Community and Health Outreach) and filmed at Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) featuring local leaders as hosts and guests of each segment. The Early Childhood Screening production was made possible through a partnership with the Minnesota Departments of Education, Human Services and Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Blue Plus of Minnesota, Carver County Public Health, City of Minneapolis Health and Family Support, HealthPartners, Medica, Ready 4 K, UCare and United Way Success by 6.

Note: By clicking on the links on this page you will leave the MDE site. Please read the copyright notice at the bottom of the page for our disclaimer regarding these sites.