Policy Agenda MinneMinds will lead:

Quality: Early Childhood Systems

• Identify administrative reforms to early childhood systems to better reflect the needs of families and children.
• Increase collaboration and coordination among schools and early childhood providers to improve outcomes for families.
• Support and fund state-wide expansion and implementation of a culturally and linguistically relevant Kindergarten Entry
  Profile (KEP) via approved assessment tools.

Quality: Parent Aware

• Fully fund Parent Aware to continue the expansion of high-quality early learning programs throughout Minnesota.
  Support existing rated providers and grow from 3,000 programs to 4,400.
• Continue ongoing support for rated providers and implementation of improvement strategies, with a priority on
  stronger recognition and incorporation of culturally relevant needs.

Access: Early Learning Scholarships

• Support efforts to fully-fund scholarships for low-income 3- and 4-year-olds, providing access to high-quality early
  childhood care and education for 3,800 children not yet served. Prioritize children with highest needs, including
  children in foster care or child protection, as well as those with teen parents or with families facing homelessness.
• Increase scholarship funding for high-priority 0 to 2-year-olds (siblings, homeless, foster care, child protection, teen
  parents). Serve 3,800 new, at-risk infants and toddlers.
• Update scholarship caps to provide greater flexibility to meet the needs of children and families.

Access: Home visiting

• Increase access and funding for targeted home visiting programs to include 7,000 children living in poverty.
• Increase flexibility and access to targeted home visiting programs.
• Increase collaboration and coordination among home visiting and early childhood providers to improve outcomes for
  families.

Policy Agenda MinneMinds supports

Economic Development: Provider pipeline and workforce growth

• Support expanding state grants for retaining and increasing the number of providers, tax credits for families to afford
  child care and for businesses to invest in high-quality care and education, increase investments in programs like TEACH
  and RETAIN for early childhood and afterschool professionals, and bonding projects related to high-quality early
  education

Access: Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP)

• Support family and provider-friendly provisions of federal reauthorization and serve more CCAP eligible families.
• Ensure CCAP eligibility and access for families who are homeless.