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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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Early Childhood Suspension & Expulsion: Understanding the Policy and Its Impact

What is early childhood suspension and expulsion?  Suspension or expulsion happens when a child is removed from their early childhood classroom. In practice, this can look a few different ways. The ...

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Importance of Community Solutions Fund

The importance of Community Solutions Fund, one grantee speaks out on their experience and the impacts it has on their community.

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How to Build Diverse Collections

Children need representation, inclusion, & diversity in the books they are enjoying. It is a simple enough statement; one we can all agree on. But if asked to talk about why, what is our answer? How do we know if we are doing it right? Or wrong?

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Candace Yates, Strategic Leader of Equity & Quality Supports

Equity and Inclusion Efforts at Think Small: An Update

My goal is to support the ongoing growth and development of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment for all Think Small Leaders.

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unrecognizable little girl playing with wooden blocks at table at home

How Mixed Delivery Builds Equity and Inclusion for Families

Image of building blocks symbolizing building equity in families through mixed delivery.

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All Different Now Book for Juneteenth Education

Continuing the Juneteenth Dialog: Engaging Young Children and Families After the Federal Holiday

On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday in the United States. The Juneteenth holiday celebrates when the last enslaved African Americans were notified of their freedom on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas...

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Supporting Indigenous Parents: Community Solutions Grantee Update

By Jacqueline Zhang, Todd Otis Public Policy Intern For many years, Barb Fabre has recognized the need for advocating for and empowering parents in the family and child care sectors. Throughout her ...

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Wake Up Everybody.

By Dianne Haulcy, Senior Vice President of Family Engagement, Think Small WAKE UP! This morning I woke up with that Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes song that became popular ...

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Guest Post: A Lens into Our Democratic Process

By Ambar Cristina Hanson, M.P.A., Chief External Relations Officer at Hiawatha Academies and a Steering Committee member of the Voices and Choices for Children Coalition. Over the past several years, ...

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Learning from the Data We Seek

Think Small?s mission as a nonprofit is to advance quality care and education of children in their crucial early years. We do this by preparing providers, strengthening families and catalyzing ...

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Guest Post: Candidates for Governor Speak Out About Early Education Issues

By Ericca Maas, Close Gaps by 5My organization is focused on closing Minnesota?s worst-in-the-nation achievement gaps, which means closing the early education opportunity gaps facing the 35,000 low-income Minnesota children ...

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Guest Post: The Equity Summit

By May Esperanza Losloso, Senior Organizer, Children?s Defense Fund-MinnesotaFrom April 11-13, 2018, eight members of the Voices and Choices for Children Steering Committee attended the PolicyLink 2018 Equity Summit in ...

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Guest Post: Creating Equitable Early Learning Policies

Many organizations and individuals are seeking equitable policies and solutions to address persistent inequality. We can no longer support systems that created inequity and maintain inequity. By Voices and Choices ...

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Small Talks - Don't Expel Me: Social Emotional Strategies for a More Inclusive Child Care Program

Small Talks features leaders who share key insights on early childhood education and discuss innovative solutions to early learning issues in Minnesota. By Kristie Thorson, Communications SpecialistThe third Small Talks ...

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Never Give Up on the Children, Regardless of How Hard it Can Get

There is much to mourn over recent weeks, with terrible acts of violence in Louisiana, Texas, and our very own home Minnesota. Current events expose great rifts in our communities, ...

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Early Learning Key Component to Closing Gaps in AAPI Community

Nationally, Minnesota ranks 46th for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) high school graduation and is home to one of the largest white-AAPI proficiency gaps for fourth-grade reading. A new ...

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CCAP, Early Learning Scholarships Key to Equity Conversation at #CYIB16

The 2016 Children and Youth Issues Briefing this week featured an important and inspiring conversation about the future of early learning in Minnesota.

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