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Insights, Ideas, and Resources for Early Learning

Welcome to the Think Small Blog, your go-to destination for valuable insights, innovative ideas, and inspiring stories in the field of early learning. Dive into a treasure trove of articles crafted by our team of experts, dedicated to empowering child care providers, educators, and families.

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2024 Minnesota Early Childhood Reports

If 2023 was the year of legislative activity for child care in Minnesota, 2024 is the year of reports! As projects from the 2023 session get underway and existing projects ...

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Early Childhood Newsletters--Get Connected!

A great way to stay connected with early childhood policy is by making sure you?re signed up to newsletters from organizations and projects you care about. It can also keep ...

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Child Care Assistance Program: Additional Changes and Future Aspirations

 CCAP helps families pay for child care costs while parents go to work or school. It is a complex program that receives federal and state funding. ?Minnesota counties administer the ...

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Child Care Assistance Program: Waitlist and Eligibility

CCAP helps families pay for child care costs while parents go to work or school. It is a complex program that receives federal and state funding. ?Minnesota counties administer the ...

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Child Care Assistance Program Reimbursement Rate Changes

 CCAP helps families pay for child care costs while parents go to work or school. It is a complex program that receives federal and state funding. ?Minnesota counties administer the ...

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What’s in the Budget AND When is it Happening: Child Care Assistance Program

 In the summary of what passed this legislative session, one of the important items was changes and funding for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).CCAP helps families pay for child ...

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When is it Happening: Early Childhood Infrastructure, Policy Changes, and Reports

  Many changes to early care and education policy passed this legislative session. In an attempt to organize and track the milestones ahead, we?ve created this blog post and accompanying ...

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Parent and teacher with a child.

What's in the Budget: Early Care and Education Workforce

  It is no secret to those who work in or rely on child care that the field struggled even before the pandemic. The challenge of covering the actual costs ...

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Policy Hour: Child Care Updates

This month?s Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour was focused on recent and upcoming work at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) with presenters from the Child Care Assistance Program and Child Development ...

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Guest Post: Community Solutions Grant Program

By Voices and Choices for Children Coalition ?This is the time for us to not just dream about what could be, but also start to build alternatives that we want ...

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Policy Hour: Child Care

By Marie Huey, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Staff from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) joined us for February?s Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour to provide updates on child care.  ...

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Policy Hour: Early Learning Coordination and Collaboration

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy CoordinatorMarch Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour focused on coordination and collaboration projects in the early learning field.Early Learning CouncilDianne Haulcy, Senior Vice President of ...

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Policies in Play: Child Care Assistance Program Changes

The Policies in Play series takes a closer look at the recently passed state legislative policies that affect early care and education. We work with partners to find out what ...

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Policy Hour: Parent Aware Changes & Legislative Update

The final Policy Hour of the season was a double dose of early education information! We heard about changes to Parent Aware and received an end of legislative session update.Parent ...

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Policy Hour: Updates, Challenges and Bright Spots

Jim Koppel, Assistant Commissioner for Children and Family Services for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, spoke to Policy Hour attendees on March 7th. ?He talked about the child care ...

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Policy Hour: Reports Propose Solutions for Early Learning in Minnesota

Legislative Task Force on Child Care Access and Affordability Senator Melissa Wiklund, DFL-Bloomington, was one of the presenters at the February Policy Hour organized by Minnesota?s Future and hosted by ...

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April Policy Hour Focuses on Compliance with Federal Requirements

The April edition of Minnesota?s Future Policy Hour featured leaders from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) discussing Minnesota?s response to the federal reauthorization of the Child Care and ...

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MN DHS Dives into New Federal Guidelines at Policy Hour

The first Minnesota?s Future Policy Hour of 2016 took place at Think Small?s Minneapolis office featuring leaders from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to discuss the re-authorization of ...

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