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Early Educator Benefits Program
The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families is excited to offer a new program that provides selected benefits through September 2027 to individuals working in qualifying early care and education programs.
Eligibility
Eligible individuals:
- Work in a qualifying early care and education program
- Work an average of at least 32 hours a week
- Work at least eight months a year
- Are 18 years of age or older
Benefits
The benefits program provides participants up to $55 per month through a third-party vendor, Optima Benefits and Payroll. This amount can be used toward selected benefits such as dental, vision, telehealth, teletherapy, life insurance and more.
About the program
Early educators are critical to Minnesota, ensuring children thrive and providing care so that parents and caregivers can work or attend school, yet they often don’t have essential benefits. This benefits program provides participants up to $55 per month to be used toward selected benefits such as dental, vision, telehealth, teletherapy, life insurance and more.
The application is open until Sept. 11 but currently has a waitlist. Educators are still encouraged to apply.
- Some benefits options include coverage for you and your family, while others allow you to add coverage or services for family members for a higher monthly cost.
- Benefits will begin the first day of the month after you enroll, and will be available through Sept. 30, 2027 as long as you continue to meet eligibility requirements.
These benefits are not a replacement for comprehensive health insurance, which typically helps cover services such as in-person doctor visits, hospital stays, emergency care, surgery, prescription medication, preventive care and specialist visits. Instead, this benefits program offers access to specific benefits that may support your health and wellness, such as dental care, vision care, telehealth services, mental health support and other resources.
Learn more about the program by watching a recorded informational session. Watch it on YouTube here.
During the webinar, you will learn:
- Why Minnesota is offering the benefits program
- What benefits may be available through the benefits program
- Who qualifies to apply and how many slots are currently available
- The application window and how to apply
- What you need to apply
- How the benefits enrollment process will work if accepted
- Where to find additional information and support
Webinar slides
DCYF is partnering with SRI and Optima Benefits and Payroll for the benefits program.
SRI will help carry out the program and collect information about your experience. SRI will:
- Review applications
- Notify applicants that they qualify
- Conduct surveys and other feedback activities
- Help DCYF learn how benefits programs can better support the early care and education workforce
If you have questions about your application, qualification, or required surveys, please email EarlyEducatorBenefits.DCYF@state.mn.us.
Optima Benefits and Payroll is a licensed broker of benefits, with a long history of administering benefits programs. Optima is currently providing these kinds of benefits to early educators in 10 other states and communities. Optima will:
- Help you understand available benefit options
- Provide the platform for you to enroll in benefits
- Provide customer support during enrollment
For more information, visit Optima’s website: optimabenefitsgroup.com.
- The program provides up to $55 per month for individuals to put toward the cost of premiums for selected benefits offered by Optima.
- While you must work at a qualifying program to be eligible, these benefits are not associated with your employer or program.
- Qualifying programs include licensed child care centers, licensed family child care programs, Tribally licensed programs, or certified Head Start programs.
- You sign up directly with Optima and decide which options work best for you.
- Depending on the benefits you choose, the monthly amount may cover the full cost of your benefits or significantly reduce what you pay out of pocket.
- If the benefits you select cost more than $55 per month, you are responsible for paying the difference.
If you have questions about the program, application, or enrollment process, please contact: EarlyEducatorBenefits.DCYF@state.mn.us
If you have questions about your benefits after enrollment, please contact info@optimabenefitsgroup.com or the individual benefits providers.
Individual eligibility
You are eligible if you:
- Are 18 years of age or older
- Work in a qualifying* Minnesota early care and education program
- Work an average of at least 32 hours a week
- Are employed at least 8 months a year
- Agree to take part in SRI’s research activities. These include completing a baseline survey, allowing Optima to share data with SRI about your benefits selections, and allowing SRI to reach out about optional research activities such as interviews.
Early care and education professionals currently receiving Minnesota Medical Assistance (Medicaid) or Medicare are not eligible because they already have access to state-supported major medical insurance.
You must work at a qualifying Minnesota early care and education program to be eligible for this programs. Qualifying programs are open at least 8 months a year and include:
- Licensed child care centers in good standing with licensing requirements
- Licensed family child care programs in good standing with licensing requirements
- Tribally licensed early care and education programs
- Certified centers (Head Start grantees only)
If employed in a child care center or as a family child care assistant, individuals must provide two most recent pay stubs. Family child care owners will not be asked to provide pay stubs.
Benefits
The benefits program provides participants up to $55 per month through a third-party vendor, Optima Benefits and Payroll. This amount can be used toward selected benefits such as dental, vision, telehealth, teletherapy, life insurance and more. Some benefits may also support family members.
The Minnesota Early Educator Benefits Program includes a menu of options. You may choose the benefits that best meet your individual or family needs. Monthly costs for each program are listed below. To learn more about available benefits, visit Optima's website.
| Benefit | Individual | Individual + Family | Individual + Spouse | Individual + Child | Family |
Telemedicine Only | | $9 | | | |
Telemedicine with Teletherapy | | $15 | | | |
Telemedicine with Virtual Primary care, Dermatology* | | $16 | | | |
Telemedicine with Teletherapy, Virtual Primary Care* | | $21 | | | |
Telemedicine with Teletherapy, Virtual Primary Care, EAP* | | $25 | | | |
Dental Low Plan | $24 | | $47.74 | $56.23 | $86.12 |
Dental Medium Plan | $34 | | $67.91 | $82.17 | $126.39 |
Dental High Plan | $43 | | $84.96 | $92.89 | $144.6 |
Dental Ultra Plan | $55 | | $109.85 | $120.10 | $186.97 |
Vision MetLife | $5.70 | | $11.42 | $11.99 | $16.70 |
Hartford Accident Low Plan | $6 | | $8.76 | $9.40 | $14.74 |
Hartford Accident High Plan | $8 | | $12.36 | $13.24 | $20.77 |
Hartford Voluntary Life Insurance** | Varies | | Varies | Varies | |
Short-Term Disability Option 1** | Varies | | | | |
Short-Term Disability Option 2** | Varies | | | | |
Long-Term Disability Option 1** | Varies | | | | |
Long-Term Disability Option 2** | Varies | | | | |
Hospital Indemnity (Low) | $5.06 | | $11.06 | $8.44 | $14.42 |
Hospital Indemnity (High) | $8.35 | | $18.27 | $13.61 | $23.53 |
Hartford Critical Illness | | | | | |
MetLife – Legal Services Plan | | $17.25 | | | |
- * Virtual primary care and EAP are only available as a self-pay option due to insurance regulations.
- ** The cost of voluntary life insurance, short-term disability and long-term disability depends on income.
The Optima website has more detailed information about:
- Benefit plan details
- Coverage summaries
- Provider network information
- Cost information for optional add-on coverage
- Enrollment support resources
How to apply
The application is open until 5 p.m. on Sept. 11. The program has a waitlist but early educators are still encouraged to apply. Eligible applicants should complete an online application and submit information to verify employment in a qualifying program.
Frequently asked questions
Applying for the program
You should be prepared to provide:
- Your contact information
- Information about your employer or qualifying program
- Your work schedule
- At least two pay stubs to verify employment at a qualifying program
- Note: Family child care owners will not be asked to provide pay stubs.
If you work for more than one qualifying early care and education program, you can combine hours worked across these employers to meet the Early Educator Benefits Program requirements. You will have to upload two pay stubs from each employer for verification purposes.
SRI will review your application and email you about whether you are eligible. Depending on availability, your application will either advance to enrollment or be placed on a waitlist. Please check your email (including the spam or junk folder) regularly for important updates about your application.
Your next step will be to complete a survey about your access to benefits. At the end of the survey, you will receive the link to Optima to select your benefits. Optima will then email you any final guidance based on the benefits you select.
You will have up to two weeks to complete enrollment. If you do not complete your enrollment within two weeks, the slot will go to another applicant. Your benefits will begin on the first day of the following month.
DCYF designed the Early Educator Benefits Program to learn more about early educators’ needs for benefits. While the first survey is required, all other evaluation activities, such as the interviews, are optional. Your survey responses will help Minnesota understand:
- What is working well
- What challenges remain
- How future benefits programs could better support the early educators
- Change of employment: If you change employers, you must notify DCYF by emailing EarlyEducatorBenefits.DCYF@state.mn.us.
- If your new employer is a qualifying program in good standing, you can continue to participate.
- If your new employer is not a qualifying program or you left the field, your benefits will conclude at the end of the month when you leave your qualifying program.
- Working less than 32 hours a week: If, on average, you are working less than 32 hours per week, you must notify DCYF by emailing EarlyEducatorBenefits.DCYF@state.mn.us. If this reduction is permanent, your benefits will conclude at the end of the month in which you notify DCYF.
- Working less than 8 months a year: If you decide to work fewer than 8 months per year, you must notify DCYF by emailing EarlyEducatorBenefits.DCYF@state.mn.us. Your benefits will conclude at the end of the month in which you notify DCYF.
Yes. If you participate in either the Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership or Milestones Minnesota Shared Services Alliance (SSA), you may still apply. Your monthly amount will be adjusted for the value of the benefits supports you receive from the SSA.
- Milestones Minnesota participants
- Year 1 participants will receive $5 per month
- Year 2 participants will receive $30 per month
- Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership participants will receive $38.50 per month.
The benefits program received a large volume of applications and started a waitlist on the first day applications opened. Applications were processed on a first-come, first-served basis until all available reserved spaces for the program were filled. Once all reserved spaces were assigned, additional eligible applicants were placed on a waitlist.
Eligible applicants are placed on the waitlist in the order their applications are received. Applicants who applied after the first day are added to the waitlist based on a weighted consideration score. Applicants with higher point totals receive higher priority on the waitlist than applicants with lower point totals. If two or more applicants have the same score, they were prioritized based on the order in which their applications were received.
Applicants may receive up to four consideration points based on the following:
- Years working in the early childhood field (up to 2 points): Applicants with more years of experience receive additional consideration.
- Serving children with greater access needs (1 point): Applicants may receive one point if they qualify for the 10% Great Start Compensation payment increase by meeting one or more of the program's established criteria.
- Limited access to other benefits (1 point): Applicants may receive one point if they indicate they do not have access to benefits through another source, such as a spouse, family member, or employer.
As reserved spaces become available, invitations will be offered to the next individuals on the waiting list.
Enrolling in benefits
Optima Benefits and Payroll provides multiple ways to help answer questions about benefits and provides support during the enrollment process.
- Watch Optima’s informational videos to learn more about the benefits.
- Visit the general Optima website: optimabenefitsgroup.com
- Contact Optima: info@optimabenefitsgroup.com
Before selecting benefits, you may want to consider:
- The benefits that are most important to you and your family
- Whether providers are available in your area
- Whether you want individual or family coverage
- Whether you already receive similar benefits from another source and how these benefits might help with any coverage gaps
Yes. You may participate in this program even if you already receive benefits through another source, such as an employer, spouse or parent/caregiver.
The benefits offered through this program are intended to supplement, not replace, your existing benefits or health insurance coverage. These benefits are not major medical health insurance.
Before selecting benefits, we encourage you to review any benefits you currently receive and consider the options available through this program that can best meet your needs.
You must complete the required survey and enroll in the benefits within two weeks of receiving your notification of eligibility email.
Any unused funds will stay with the Early Educator Benefits Program and be used to support additional participants from the waitlist.
Information about provider networks will be available during enrollment through Optima Benefits and Payroll.
- For dental coverage, the Optima Trust Dental plan uses the MetLife PDP Plus Network. You can search for participating dental providers using the MetLife provider search tool: providers.online.metlife.com/findDentist?searchType=findDentistMetLife
- For vision coverage, Optima uses the Davis Vision Network/VSP Network. You can search for participating vision providers using the provider search tool:
Yes. Some dental plan options allow you to receive services from providers outside the network.
Depending on the plan you select:
- You may be able to use any dentist and still receive coverage.
- Using an in-network provider may help lower your out-of-pocket costs.
- Some plans may result in higher costs if you choose an out-of-network provider.
Provider availability varies by location and benefit plan. Before selecting benefits, we encourage you to review provider networks to make sure there are providers available in your area.
This benefits program is supported by Minnesota’s Preschool Development Birth through Five grant, which helps align family and early childhood systems across the state to improve children's access to high-quality early care and education. The grant is a partnership between the Departments of Children, Youth, and Families; Education; Health; and Human Services, along with the Children's Cabinet. Learn more about the federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.