Parent Aware: Helping families find affordable childcare and assisting programs
News | Published on April 8, 2024 at 12:57pm CDT
Parent Aware is a program that offers free tools and resources to help families find the quality child care and early education programs their children need to succeed in school and life.
Helping Families
Lakes and Prairies Community Action Partnership (CAPLP) administers the Early Learning Scholarship Program with funding from the Minnesota Department of Education. Early Learning Scholarships are available for children ages 0 to 4 on Sept. 1 of the current school year, or age 5 if not yet kindergarten-eligible. Families can apply for an early learning scholarship that can then be used at a Parent Aware Rated program.
Molly Pauly, Early Learning Scholarship Outreach Navigator with CAPLP, can assist families in Pope County with an early learning scholarship application and answer questions.
“If you are a parent and/or guardian that is looking for a way to offset your childcare expense, as well as find a quality program, let’s connect,” Pauly said.
Families, if income eligible, can receive up to $12,000 per year per child if they attend a Four-Star Rated family childcare program, and up to $15,000 per year per child if they attend a Four-Star Rated center-based program.
Program benefits
“Children, regardless of social status, ethnicity, or location, deserve access to high quality childcare,” Pope County Parent Aware Quality Coach Shea Wolff said. “This is why Parent Aware also works on providing families with scholarships and free resources to help families find care.”
Wolff’s role as a Parent Aware Quality Coach is to offer resources, coaching and assist childcare educators through the Parent Aware process.
“Together we form goals and work toward completing them,” Wolff said. “Each educator’s experience through the process is different as it is tailored specifically for them. We figure out what works well in their program, and we build on those strengths.”
Licensed family childcare and center-based programs are not required to be part of Parent Aware. This is a completely voluntary program.
How to become Parent Aware Rated
Alicia Bauman, Parent Aware Recruiter for Northwest Minnesota, mentioned that if a licensed family childcare educator and/or center-based program is interested in pursuing Parent Aware, the first step is to connect.
“After we have had an initial conversation, whether over-the-phone or in-person, we can fill out an application and participation agreement, to get you enrolled into our next cohort,” Bauman said. “Our next cohort begins in July 2024, so if interested, the deadline to join is June 10, 2024.”
How to connect with us
If you are a parent and/or guardian looking to find a Parent Aware Rated program in your area or learn more about the benefits, visit www.parentaware.org.
If you are parent and/or guardian interested in learning more about how to apply for an early learning scholarship, email els@caplp.org.
If you are a licensed family childcare educator or center-based program and hold a DHS license in good standing, you can contact your local Parent Aware Recruiter by calling 218.979.0783 or emailing parentaware@caplp.org.
Parent Aware is a division of Lakes and Prairies Community Action Partnership (CAPLP) out of Moorhead, Minnesota. CAPLP’s mission is to eliminate poverty by empowering families and engaging communities.
