ALEXANDRIA — Do you hold a current child care license with the Department of Human Services or a tribal government license? Do you currently have a license in good standing and serve at least one child who has not yet entered kindergarten?
If you answered “yes” to those questions, you are eligible to join Parent Aware.
But will it align with your program, future goals and be a good fit?
“Ultimately that is up to you,” Northwest District Parent Aware Recruiter Alicia Bauman said in a press release. “Parent Aware is a voluntary program ensuring practices are in place to prepare kids for school and life.”
Saturday, June 10, is the next deadline to join the July 2023 Parent Aware cohort.
ADVERTISEMENT
“You never know unless you try it out,” Bauman said. “Our Parent Aware quality coaches and professional development team meet you where you are at. Visits are never unannounced and happen both virtually and in-person. Your quality coach and professional development advisor are there to support you and be a resource to you.”
She continued, “As a former licensed family child care provider myself, it was so beneficial to be able to bounce ideas off someone. To have someone that could help figure out the best way to set up my environment to allow the children to learn through play. To have someone to ask training questions. To have someone there as a support. To be able to access grants.”
A benefit to families through the Parent Aware program is with early learning scholarships. Families can apply for these and receive up to $8,500 per year, and even more than that in certain cases if their household income qualifies. An early learning scholarship can also be used in combination with the Child Care Assistance Program.
Early childhood educators interested in learning more about Parent Aware and getting their questions answered, can attend a Zoom information session on Wednesday, April 26, or Wednesday, May 24, at 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. Earn a chance to win a $25 gift card by tuning in.
Contact Alicia Bauman, Parent Aware recruiter, Northwest District, to RSVP for the Zoom information session at aliciab@caplp.org or 218-979-0783.
With few exceptions, any licensed child care provider is eligible to go through the Parent Aware process and receive a rating. They receive coaching, training, grants, higher child care assistance reimbursement rates and the ability to accept early learning scholarships. Over 2,900 programs in Minnesota are rated.
A full list of rated programs is available through an online search at www.ParentAware.org .
The Trust Project
