Resources
More Resources for Parents
Help Me Grow
As parents watch their child grow and develop they may notice when their child smiles, sits up, walks, plays and talks. While all young children grow and change at their own rate, some children may need extra help to learn and grow. If you have concerns about your child’s development, contact Help Me Grow at 1.866.693.4769 or online.
United Way telephone referral
service Call 2-1-1 available 24/7 (Cell phone users can call 651.291.0211)
Minnesota 2-1-1 is a FREE
service that connects you with community services in Minnesota including
childcare, counseling, food, health, housing, legal help, mental health,
transportation and youth services.
Telephone lines for English,
Spanish, Hmong and Russian speaking parents are available Monday-Friday,
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. For English, Spanish or Hmong call 211 or 651.291.0211
(cell). Russian speaking parents call 651.698.9167.
MinnesotaHelp.info
Website
Find information, in both
English and Spanish, on programs and services in your community to help
with health care, child care, job training, education, recreation, retirement,
disability and social services for yourself or other family members on
the MinnesotaHelp.info Website.
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Minnesota Parents Know
Trusted information and activities from the The Minnesota Department of Education to help your children grow, develop and learn from birth through high school.
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Good Enough Moms™
Check out Good Enough Moms™, a weekly talk show hosted by Marti and her daughter Erin. Available in podcast so you can listen whenever you want, a new show is posted every Monday at www.goodenoughmoms.com, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education and the Working Family Resource Center.
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Parent Aware Ratings
Parent Aware Ratings is a terrific shopping tool for parents. Minnesota parents can do free online searching to find the best childcare for preparing children for kindergarten. Childcare providers/early educators are rated on a one- to four-star scale. It’s like a Consumer Reports type service, except focused on school readiness. If you prefer to search via phone,
Parent Aware ratings are currently available for child care/early education providers in: Saint Paul, Minneapolis, the Wayzata school district and Blue Earth and Nicollet Counties.
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Resources for Child Caring
Resources for Child Caring works to raise the standard of early childhood and care and education for children. Services include parent education and referral, professional development for early childhood practitioners , community outreach and access, early childhood care, and education consultation.
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Early Learning Digest
Early Learning Digest is a FREEparenting newsletter available for parents of 0-5 year olds. Each bi-monthly issue offers articles of interest regarding evidence-based child development and parenting tools and techniques. This newsletter is provided through a partnership with Minnesota Parents Know, Help Me Grow, and the Minnesota Department of Education.
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Early Childhood Family Education
Recognizing that parents are a child's first and most significant teachers, ECFE offers a variety of classes and resources for parents and children birth through kindergarten age. ECFE helps build healthy families and sets the stage for parent involvement and children’s success in Kindergarten to Grade 12 education.
Where do I find a local ECFE program?
Click here to link with the Minnesota Department of Education website listing ECFE programs. https://education.state.mn.us/EarlyLearningServices/search.do
Call your local school district or call 651-582-8307.
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BabyCenter
The web's #1 global interactive parenting network. It is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. They have a very helpful monthly newsletter you can sign up for by entering your child’s birth date.
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Help Me Grow
If you have any concerns about your child’s learning and development, contact Help Me Grow (click here to refer a child to Help Me Grow) or call 1.866.693.GROW (4769).
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Early Learning Counts! Webinars
Does your busy schedule make it challenging for you to attend Early Childhood Family Education classes? Are you interested in obtaining some practical, no-nonsense parenting tools and techniques to help you with your parenting journey? Join us for monthly online parenting webinars designed specifically for parents of young children, ages 0-5 years old. These monthly webinars are brought to you through a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Education and the Working Family Resource Center. Click here if you would like to register for a webinar.
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Ready 4 K
Ready 4 K is a voice for Minnesota’s youngest citizens, building the foundation for our future through quality early childhood care and education. Ready 4 K’s vision is that every young child in Minnesota enters kindergarten encouraged, supported and fully prepared for learning success. Ready 4 K works to promote public policy, raise awareness in the community and empower parents to best support their children’s school readiness and become skilled advocates for policy change. Join Ready 4 K.
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Early Childhood Resource and Training Center
The Early Childhood Resource and Training Center (ECRTC) is a grassroots agency established in 1973 as a resource for building up families and communities to ensure the healthy development of all children. We serve communities in numerous ways, all of which incorporate our commitment to children.
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Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network
Looking for Child Care? Questions on Child Care?
Turn to Child Care Resource and Referral for free services:
Connect with a trained child care specialist ready to answer your questions; find current information on licensed family child care homes, child care centers, preschool programs and afterschool care in your area; and receive a parent checklist to help you learn about the best care for your child.
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Reach Out and Read
Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud.
Reach Out and Read promotes parents reading together with their children more often so they may enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a six-month developmental edge over their peers.