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Early Childhood Family Education

Intro

Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) is a parenting education program that provides programming and services for families with small children prenatal to kindergarten entrance (up to third grade if district has a P3 Initiative). Parent and family engagement is crucial to a young learner's development and provides a foundation for future school success and lifelong learning.

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Program Administrator

Program Administrator

Mike Brown
Resources
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Teacher plays with child in a classroom
More Information

Learning opportunities through ECFE may occur in a variety of settings, such as the families’ homes, district or community sites, and online parenting education and support. Programming and education services often include parents/caregivers and children, but it may just include parents/caregivers. In addition to meeting other requirements, ECFE programs should offer programming and services prioritized in their ECFE community needs assessment, tailored to the needs of families and parents.

ECFE programs come in all shapes and sizes and may be administered in collaboration with other community or district programs. Programs may also provide a home visiting program. A school district that levies for home visiting should use this revenue to include a parenting education component that is designed to reach isolated or families who are at-risk.

While programs should emphasize programming for parents of children from birth to age 3, if funds are sufficient, ECFE may provide parenting education transition programming for parents of children birth to grade three in districts in which there is a prekindergarten through grade three (P3) initiative in order to facilitate continued parent engagement in children's learning and development.

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of ECFE programs in Minnesota!

In celebration of ECFE’s 50th anniversary, the Governor proclaimed April 11, 2024, as Early Childhood Family Education Day in Minnesota. The Minnesota Association for Family and Early Education (MNAFEE) developed several materials that celebrate ECFE’s 50th anniversary. This includes Stories from Across the State and a 50th anniversary Song created by The Teddy Bear Band. Over the next few months, we will continue to celebrate this milestone by highlighting these stories and others that highlight the impact of ECFE in communities across the state.