Childcare Center Resources

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• Childcare Centers  are critically needed business with unique needs. Our consultants can offer assistance to childcare centers. Here are a few other resources that serve childcare centers.  

Childcare Wayfinder - A one-stop navigation network for starting and growing programs in Minnesota. 

First Children's Finance  - Founded in 1991, First Children’s Finance addresses the business and finance needs of child care in three different ways: building the financial sustainability of child care entrepreneurs, partnering with communities to preserve and grow their child care supply, and influencing state and federal systems to provide supports and investments needed to sustain child care businesses

Child Care Aware MN along with Lakes and Prairie Community Action Partnership - work with all parts of the child care delivery system—families, child care educators, employers, and policymakers—to support and ensure access to high quality child care for all children. 

We offer the following programs to support these goals:

• New Child Care Start-up Support: Wayfinder Navigators assist potential and new educators through the licensing process, and our Empower to Educate Workforce Advisor supports new and existing educators to navigate career advancement goals.
• Family, Friend, & Neighbor (FFN) Caregiver Support: FFN Navigators offer home visits, grants, and training opportunities to informal caregivers. Services available in Spanish, Somali & Arabic.
• Child Care Grants: The grants team offers a variety of funding to support child care business costs. These include start-up funding, annual grants, and emergency funds for unexpected costs.
• Professional Development Training & Advising: Our professional development team is available to schedule local trainings, support registration, and advise professionals on how to advance their careers.
• Coaching: Our Parent Aware Coaches work alongside child care programs to celebrate and support their continuous quality improvement journeys.