Child Care and Early Learning
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families supports a number of initiatives to help young children receive the best start in life, including help finding quality and affordable child care and early learning programs that support early child development and thriving families.
Finding and affording child care and early learning
Paying for and finding child care can be hard. The department offers several programs to help income eligible families afford quality early learning programs. Minnesota's Parent Aware program can help families find child care that meets their needs.
The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) offers financial assistance to help low-income families afford child care. This support enables parents to work or pursue education leading to employment and ensures that children receive quality care and are ready for school. Our program partners and providers care for over 22,000 children each month.
You can fill out an application online at MNbenefits.mn.gov. Contact your county human services office or local contracted agency for more information about applying for child care assistance. Families should visit the Child Care Assistance Program website or download the Paying For Child Care and More booklet to learn more.
An Early Learning Scholarship can help families pay for high-quality child care and early education to support their family as their child transitions to schools.
If you want to apply online, visit the Early Learning Scholarships Hub, or copy and paste this link into a new browser window to go to the Early Learning Scholarship Hub: EarlyLearningScholarshipsHub.mn.gov
While we encourage everyone to use the online portal, it is not a requirement to create an account and paper applications are available through your local Area Administrator serving your county. Either way you choose to apply, you can always contact your local Area Administrator with questions or for more information about the program.
The Head Start and Public Preschool Referrals system is a way parents and other primary caregivers can let local Head Start and school district preschool programs know that they are interested in those programs for their child. Go to the referral site to enter a child’s information and get a referral to free and low-cost preschool services in Minnesota.
Parent Aware 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.
Supporting your child's needs
A child's early years are critical to their learning and development. The state has a number of services, tools, and partners in order to help families meet their child's developmental needs.
The Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs), Minnesota’s early learning standards, are a common set of developmentally appropriate expectations for children ages birth to kindergarten. Parent guides provide ideas for simple things they can do to help get their child ready for kindergarten.
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) programs provide supports and services to infants, toddlers, and preschool children with disabilities and their families.
Children are required to receive a free and easy Early Childhood Screening before kindergarten entrance, and ideally, at age 3. Screening is a brief, simple procedure used to identify potential health or developmental problems in infants and young children. Screening in early childhood supports children's readiness for kindergarten and promotes health and development.
The state helps connect children to the resources they need through Help Me Grow. Help Me Grow provides resources for all families to understand developmental milestones and learn if there are concerns. The website is translated into Spanish, Somali and Hmong.
School Readiness is a public school program for children ages 3 and 4. The purpose of the program is to prepare children to enter kindergarten.
Young children experience many transitions throughout their early learning experience, including transitioning to kindergarten. Smooth transitions require collaboration between families, programs, schools, communities, and state systems that are ready to support each child’s unique needs as successful learners.
Additional family supports
Children thrive most when the entire family thrives. The state offers a number of services for families with young children.
The department's partner, the Center for Inclusive Child Care, offers resources and strategies to help parents, grandparents, friends, and neighbors caring for young children.
Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) is based on the idea that parents provide their child's first and most significant learning environment and parents are children's first and most enduring teachers. ECFE works to support parents and caregivers and to strengthen and empower families. The goal is to enhance the ability of all parents and other family members to provide the best possible environments for their child's learning and development.
Help Me Connect connects expectant families, families with young children (birth – 8 years old) and those working with families to services in their local communities that support healthy child development and family well-being.
Authorized active duty personnel of all military branches that do not have access to an on-base child care provider may receive assistance in locating, selecting, and offsetting the cost of full-time or part-time civilian child care. Visit the Child Care Aware of Minnesota website for more information.
Additionally, your public school district or local Head Start program can connect you with many resources.
Child care and early educator information
To learn more about resources for child care providers and early educators, visit the Child Care Services website and the Early Learning Services website.