The Parent Aware Ratings A community resource to help families make informed child care decisions

Minnesota’s Littlest Learners: Our Future Workforce 90% of brain development happens by age 5. Nearly half of Minnesota kindergartners are not ready for school. [1] 3 of 10 Not Ready in Metro Area Suburbs. 4 of 10 Not Ready in Minneapolis and St. Paul. 5 of 10 Not Ready in Greater Minnesota. [1] Minnesota Department of Education (2011). Minnesota School Readiness Study: Developmental Assessment at Kindergarten Entrance Fall Roseville: Minnesota Department of Education.

Parent Aware Ratings Help Get Kids Ready Help Parents Find Quality Help Providers Improve Quality Help Kids Access Quality A voluntary system to market and incentivize quality early learning programs

Why is Early Learning so important?

Early Education Matters.

…BUT It Must be HIGH QUALITY Only high quality early education delivers 16-to-1 ROI. [2] Low quality care doesn’t just not deliver 16-to-1 ROI, it actually sets kids back. [2] Grunewald, R. & Rolnick, A. J. (2003, December). Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return. The Region, 17(4), Supplement,

Parent Aware Ratings Increase Quality Help Parents Find Quality Help Providers Improve Quality Help Kids Access Quality

Parent Aware Ratings: How it works Child care providers volunteer to participate and receive a star rating based on a set of quality measures. Star ratings are made available to families to use when they shop for child care. Participating providers receive support and coaching to improve their rating and maintain top quality.

Parent Aware Ratings Programs that qualify for Parent Aware ratings and support include:  Home-based family child care  Center-based child care  Public and private pre-school programs  Head Start programs

Help Parents Find Quality Parent Aware Ratings: Help parents recognize kindergarten readiness best practices. Market to parents based on a simple 1- to 4-star rating system. Ratings available via website, phone line or by asking individual providers. Survey: 96% of Minnesotans want this information. [3] [3] December 2010 Poll commissioned by the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation and conducted by Decision Resources LTD..

Help Providers Improve Quality Voluntary Participation = Resources to Improve Free quality coaches and grants. Business from parents using Ratings in their shopping. Business from parents using government-funded scholarships. Marketing support to help promote Ratings. Evaluation: 92% of pilot providers said Parent Aware led to quality improvement in their facility. [4] Parent Aware Pilot Final Evaluation Report, December 2011, Child Trends..

Help Kids Access Quality School Readiness Scholarships Ensure low income children attend highly rated providers to ensure ROI on public investment. 73% agree “We should only allow tax dollars to be spent on early childhood education providers who have proven they are effective in preparing children for kindergarten.” [4] [4] December 2010 Poll commissioned by the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation and conducted by Decision Resources LTD..

Minnesotans spend $1.6 billion on child care every year. Parent Aware is proven to improve the return on family and state investment. Parent Aware Works

Parent Aware Worked In Pilots QUALITY IMPROVED. 92% of volunteer providers said their quality improved. PARENTS EMPOWERED. 96% say Ratings supplied useful information. ALL TYPES IMPROVED. Both center- and home-based providers achieved high ratings, and improved their ratings over time. KIDS GOT READY. Significant gains on important school readiness measures.

[Community] is Ready for Parent Aware A recent survey of Greater Minnesota citizens found that:  98% want the same or better early education quality as children in the Twin Cities have access to.  95% want the same or better child care provider help as Twin Cities providers have access to.  97% agreed that "Parents should have access to the best available information to help them find the best places for preparing children for kindergarten.” [5] [5] March 2012 Poll commissioned by Parent Aware for School Readiness and conducted by Critical Insights.

Parent Aware Ratings Coming to [County/City] in 2012 Piloted : St. Paul, Minneapolis, Wayzata, Blue Earth County, Nicollet County 2012 Expansion: Becker, Blue Earth, Clearwater, Hennepin, Itasca, Mahnomen, Nicollet, and Ramsey Counties. By 2015: Statewide.

Bottom Line High quality early education is critical for Minnesota’s future Parent Aware Ratings are proven effective for helping kids, parents and providers find, improve and access quality. Parent Aware presents a great opportunity for those who value high quality early learning. You’re going to start seeing Parent Aware signs popping up soon!

Resources Early Education Ratings parentawareratings.org (translators available) Ask child care providers when touring. Learn more about Parent Aware Videos: parentawareratings.org Gauging School Readiness At Home Visit isyourchildready.com and take the quiz.

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