| 9/2/2008 1:41:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Shining a light on quality early learning
Mayor Chris Coleman
In today's economy, people don't buy products and services on looks and slogans alone. They seek assurances that they are making safe and quality choices for their families. Tools from companies like J.D. Power, Consumer Reports, Morningstar and Angie's List shine spotlights on quality, and armed with this information from an objective third party, consumers vote with their pocketbook. The resulting demand pushes products and services to become significantly safer and better.
It's time to do the same thing with early learning. Minnesota parents care deeply about making sure their infants and young children get the type of child care that prepares them for school and lifelong learning. They know that 90 percent of a child's brain develops between ages 0 and 5, so there is an absolutely urgent need during those crucial years to have their children in a high quality learning environment.
Still, many parents find it difficult to shop on the basis of early learning. A visit to a child care facility and a review of licensing records shows parents which child care providers are safe and clean, but parents find it very difficult to identify on their own which are effectively preparing kids for school.
A quiet revolution is beginning in Minnesota, though. A new rating tool now is available for the first time to help parents find the best places to prepare their newborn to 5-year-old child for school. The tool, called Parent Aware, rates providers on a one-to-four star scale. Four stars is the top rating, indicating that a provider is using most to all of the evidence-based best practices for preparing children for school.
The Parent Aware ratings focus on the components that researchers tell us are most important for promoting learning. Are the teaching materials and strategies actually proven to work? Do care givers have all of the preparation and ongoing training they need to help them stimulate early learning? Are providers tracking children's progress every step of the way, sharing the findings with parents and involving parents in the learning process?
Improving early learning is important for Minnesota's future. Each year about half of Minnesota children are unprepared for Kindergarten, and many of them never catch up. Although our education system ranks among the best in the nation, we also have one of the largest achievement gaps between students of color and their peers.
Studies show that children who receive high quality early learning services are significantly less likely to commit a felony or rely on social services. They are also more likely to graduate from high school, be employed and have health insurance and benefits.
Because of these types of individual and community benefits, the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank says the public gets a $13 return for every $1 invested in high quality early learning services, and the individuals get a $4 return for every $1 invested.
But, and this is a very big "but," only high quality programs return these benefits. Unfortunately, not all child care providers are currently equally prepared to improve early learning. So, it is critically important to help parents find the programs that actually work.
That's where the Parent Aware ratings come in. Parent Aware ratings can be accessed at 1-888-291-9811 or www.parentawareratings.org. The program is brand new and operating on a pilot basis, so only a limited number of providers in Saint Paul, north Minneapolis, and Blue Earth and Nicollet Counties will be participating.
Parents may have already noticed highly rated providers posting Parent Aware signs and stickers touting their achievement. The ratings are primarily designed to serve parents and children but will benefit those providers committed to quality. Parent Aware participation is voluntary and coverage should grow over time, as more parents start using the ratings to make their purchasing decisions. After all, 87 percent of Minnesota parents already say they would find quality ratings helpful and use them.
The success of a child is important to the success of a community. The work that we do in the early years of a child's life lays the foundation for that child's future success. However, the marketplace can work to establish that foundation, and cities can bring the pieces together to benefit that child.
Because much is at stake for providers, expert help is available to any provider committed to improving their early learning environment, and the Parent Aware system paints a clear path to improvement.
Help is also available for low-income parents to access highly rated providers. Substantial scholarships are available to low-income families in the aforementioned pilot areas. In Saint Paul, low-income parents can contact my office to learn if they are eligible.
So the Parent Aware revolution is underway. The days when early learning was a relatively invisible component of child care selection are coming to an end. And we all stand to benefit.
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