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Insights, Ideas, and Resources for Early Learning

Welcome to the Think Small Blog, your go-to destination for valuable insights, innovative ideas, and inspiring stories in the field of early learning. Dive into a treasure trove of articles crafted by our team of experts, dedicated to empowering child care providers, educators, and families.

Discover practical tips, evidence-based strategies, and the latest research findings to support children aged 0-5 on their journey to kindergarten readiness. From fostering social-emotional development to promoting cognitive skills, our blog covers a wide range of topics, ensuring you stay informed and equipped to make a positive impact on young lives.

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When is it Happening: Early Childhood Infrastructure, Policy Changes, and Reports

Many changes to early care and education policy passed this legislative session. In an attempt to organize and track the milestones ahead, we’ve created this blog post and accompanying ...

Child Care, child care policy, early care and learning policy, early childhood education, Early education, Great Start MN, high quality child care, Minnesota Legislature, Quality Child Care

When Is It Happening: Early Learning Scholarships

Early Learning Scholarships will see significant changes in the months and years ahead. Early Learning Scholarships give low-income families financial support to help pay for quality early care and ...

Child Care, Early education, Early Learning, early learning in Minnesota, Early Learning Scholarships, infants and toddlers, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Early Learning, Minnesota Legislature, Quality Child Care

Reflection and Advice: 2023 Todd Otis Public Policy Internship

The events that occur early on in life can alter its future. Because of this, it is vital that every child in every community has a pathway to success. ...

Child Care, early childhood education, Early education, early learning in Minnesota, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Early Learning, Minnesota Legislature, Quality Child Care

2023 Early Care and Education Legislation

There’s now a clearer picture of what will become law in 2023. When it comes to early care and education, there is a lot! We’re still digesting, but here’s ...

Child Care, early childhood education, Early education, Early Learning, early learning in Minnesota, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Early Learning, Minnesota Legislature

What’s in the Budget: Early Learning Scholarships

House File 2292, the early education omnibus bill, passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law by Governor Walz. This bill contains new investments and policy ...

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Early Care and Education in the Omnibus Bills

State legislators are on Spring Break, and omnibus budget bills are available. An omnibus bill is made up of many other bills centered on a specific topic. State legislators ...

Child Care, early childhood education, Early education, early learning in Minnesota, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Early Learning, Minnesota Legislature, Quality Child Care

Early Care and Education Efforts in Progress

The 2023 State Legislative Session is officially underway. Legislators are meeting with constituents, bills are being drafted and introduced, and committees are holding hearings! Legislative leaders and Governor Walz ...

Child Care, early childhood education, Early Learning, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Early Learning, Minnesota Legislature, Quality Child Care

Early Education Spotlight: Buttons & Bows Child Care

By Marie Huey, Public Policy & Advocacy CoordinatorVideo by Kristie Thorson, Communications Specialist Early Education Spotlight is an ongoing series that showcases great work happening in high-quality child care and ...

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The 2020 Census: Why It Matters.

By Barbara Yates, Think Small President & CEO In the coming months you’ll see more from Think Small about the 2020 Census. We will share Census facts and resources on ...

2020 census, census, Child Care, count all kids, early edu

Policy Hour - 2020 Legislative Session Preview

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Every year, we gaze into the crystal ball to predict what might be ahead for the legislative session. Nobody ever gets it ...

Child Care, early childhood education minnesota, Early Learning Scholarships, Minnesota legislative preview, Minnesota politics, Policy Hour

Tell Your Early Learning Story: Why It's Important

By Kristie Thorson, Communications Specialist Whether you’re a family child care provider who wants to share a program success or a parent who is struggling to find high-quality care, your ...

advocacy, Child Care, Child Care in Minnesota, child care programs, early childhood education, early learning in Minnesota, Family Child Care Providers

Child Care Assistance Makes a Difference: Oliver's Story

By Kristie Thorson, Communications Specialist St. Paul mother Stephanie Henderson knows her son Oliver has benefited from high-quality early care and education. “It was just so great for him,” said ...

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Early Education Spotlight - My Friends Christian Child Care and Preschool

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Policy Hour: Federal Update

By Marie Huey, Think Small Policy and Advocacy Coordinator While the state legislative session is heating up in Minnesota, there’s also plenty to discuss about what is going on with ...

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Early Learning Council Submits Recommendations to Governor

Early Learning Council members are responsible for providing recommendations to the Governor and Legislature on how to create a high-quality, early childhood system in Minnesota that will help improve outcomes ...

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Five Helpful Resources for Advocating for High-Quality Child Care in 2019

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Are you motivated to advocate for children this year? If you’re looking to support high-quality child care in Minnesota, below are some ...

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Policy Hour: Mixed Delivery

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Mixed delivery is a hot topic in early care and education. Even with an extra half hour, December’s Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour ...

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Policy Hour: Play, Parents and Policy

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator The November Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour focused on play, parents and policy. One of the presenters was Katy Smith, a Parent Educator who ...

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Child Care Assistance Makes a Difference: Aaron's Story

Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps make child care affordable for income-eligible families. This can often be life-changing for children and parents, as it was for the Santamaria Mendez family. Four-year-old Aaron Santamaria ...

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U.S. Senator Tina Smith Introduces Bill to Improve Access to Child Care

U.S. Senator Tina Smith introduced a new bill aimed at reducing the child care shortage in Minnesota and across the nation. The Child Care Supply Improvement Act proposes supports for ...

Child Care, early childhood education, Early education, Early Education Policies, early learning in Minnesota, Family Child Care, high quality child care, infants and toddlers, Quality Child Care

Learning from the Data We Seek

Think Small’s mission as a nonprofit is to advance quality care and education of children in their crucial early years. We do this by preparing providers, strengthening families and catalyzing ...

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Guest Post: Candidates for Governor Speak Out About Early Education Issues

By Ericca Maas, Close Gaps by 5 My organization is focused on closing Minnesota’s worst-in-the-nation achievement gaps, which means closing the early education opportunity gaps facing the 35,000 low-income Minnesota ...

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An Encouraging Find: Another Potential Benefit of Parent Aware

“The survey results show that Parent Aware-rated programs across all parts of Minnesota were twice as likely to have stayed in business than non-rated programs.” High-quality early learning, as defined ...

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Be an Advocate: What to Do When Candidates Come Knocking

“Knock knock. Who’s there? Candidates. Candidates who? Candidates for Governor, Senator, Attorney General, State House of Representatives….” Campaign season is in full swing, and candidates around the state are knocking on doors in ...

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Policy Hour: Legislative Wrap-Up

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator The 2018 legislative session ended on May 22. To explain the implications for the early care and education field, two experts joined ...

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Policy Hour: St. Paul's Citywide 3K Proposal

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Saint Paul is planning for a citywide 3K program, and Council Member Rebecca Noecker joined May’s Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour to explain ...

Child Care, early childhood education, Early education, Early Education Policies, Early Learning, early learning in Minnesota, Early Learning Scholarships, Family Child Care, high quality child care, Kindergarten Readiness

Policy Hour: National Update

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator The Minnesota State Legislature was off for Easter/Passover Break this week, so Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour turned its focus to national issues. ...

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Small Talks - Elevating the Early Childhood Profession

Small Talks features leaders who share key insights on early childhood education and discuss innovative solutions to early learning issues in Minnesota. By Kristie Thorson “If this is going to ...

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Policy Hour: Early Learning Coordination and Collaboration

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator March Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour focused on coordination and collaboration projects in the early learning field. Early Learning Council Dianne Haulcy, Senior ...

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Early Education Spotlight: Big Red House

Early Education Spotlight is an ongoing series that showcases great work happening in high-quality child care and preschool settings across Minnesota. From innovative early learning programs to parent perspectives on ...

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Policy Hour - Early Childhood Data

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator January Policy Hour started with a special announcement: the event is now named the Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour. Ann served as the ...

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Policies in Play: Child Care Assistance Program Changes

The Policies in Play series takes a closer look at the recently passed state legislative policies that affect early care and education. We work with partners to find out what ...

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Early Education Spotlight: People Serving People

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Early Education Spotlight: The Teddy Bear House

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Policy Hour - Changes to Child Care in Minnesota

Staff from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) presented at November Policy Hour about the changes to child care in Minnesota. During the 2017 legislative session, many changes ...

Child Care, Child Care Assistance Program, Family Child Care, high quality child care, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Early Learning, Parent Aware, Quality Child Care

Think Small Offers Free Information Sessions for Parent Aware Participation

By Susan Schaffhausen In 2017, Think Small undertook new efforts to increase the number of child care providers who devote their care to ensuring children’s health, safety, and best practices ...

Child Care, early childhood education, Early Learning, high quality child care, Parent Aware, Quality Child Care

Policy Hour: Early Education Policy and Funding Changes

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Representatives from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) presented at the first Policy Hour of the season. June Reineke and Amanda Varley ...

Child Care, Early education, Early Learning Scholarships, high quality child care, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Early Learning, Minnesota Education, Minnesota Legislative Session, Minnesota Legislature, Minnesota's future, Quality Child Care

Early Education Spotlight - Here We Grow

By Marie Huey, Public Policy & Advocacy Coordinator Video by Kristie Thorson, Communications Specialist Early Education Spotlight is an ongoing series that showcases great work happening in high-quality child care ...

Child Care, early learning in Minnesota, high quality child care, Kindergarten Readiness, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Early Learning, Parent Aware

West Central Minnesota Child Care Providers Benefit from Forgivable Loans

The Policies in Play series takes a closer look at the recently passed state legislative policies that affect early care and education. We work with partners to find out what ...

Child Care, Child Care Shortage, DEED, Early education, Early Education Policies, early learning in Minnesota, Economic Development, high quality child care, infants and toddlers, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Legislature, Parent Aware

Early Education Spotlight: Stepping Stones Childcare Learning Center, Inc

By: Marie Huey Early Education Spotlight is an ongoing series that showcases great work happening in high-quality child care and preschool settings across Minnesota. From innovative early learning programs to ...

Child Care, early childhood education, Early Learning, high quality child care, Kindergarten Readiness, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Early Learning, Parent Aware, Quality Child Care

Policies in Play

Join us on the playground as we explore Policies in Play! Think Small believes that placing a priority on children and their families through access to high quality early childhood ...

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Policy Hour: Parent Aware Changes & Legislative Update

The final Policy Hour of the season was a double dose of early education information! We heard about changes to Parent Aware and received an end of legislative session update. ...

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Policy Hour: Federal Updates on Early Learning

Field Representative to Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota), Dan Solomon, joined Policy Hour in May to provide updates on federal funding and policies that affect the early learning field. Sen. Franken ...

Child Care, Child Care Development Block Grant, early childhood education, Early education, federal funding, US Senator Al Franken

Early Education Spotlight: Little Wonders Daycare

By Marie Huey, Public Policy & Advocacy Coordinator Video by Kristie Thorson, Communications Specialist Early Education Spotlight is an ongoing series that showcases great work happening in child care and ...

Child Care, early childhood education, Early Education Spotlight, early learning in Minnesota, Family Child Care, high quality child care, Kindergarten Readiness

Revised Standards Provide Guidance for Early Childhood Field

This month marks one year since the start of the Think Small blog. To celebrate, we’re using January to highlight information and initiatives from Think Small and our partners about ...

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Early Education Spotlight: Daryeel Group Home Daycare

By: Marie Huey Early Education Spotlight is an ongoing series that showcases great work happening in child care and preschool settings across Minnesota. From innovative early learning programs to parent ...

Child Care, early childhood education, Early Education Spotlight, Kindergarten Readiness, Minneapolis, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Early Learning, Parent Aware

Policy Hour Highlights New Federal Rules in Head Start and Child Care

New federal policy changes will affect the Minnesota early learning field. November Policy Hour featured staff from the state departments of Education and Human Services sharing updates about the changes.

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Early Education Spotlight: Little Learners

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Policy Hour Provides Updates on New Early Learning Legislation

The first Minnesota’s Future Policy Hour of the season focused on legislation passed this spring. The presenters provided updates on implementation of projects.

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Word Pedometers Brought to Minneapolis to Help Close Word Gap

By: Maya Fanjul-Debnam Minnesota is heralding in an innovative program to help close the word gap. The word gap–a 30 million word deficit between children from low income families and ...

brain development, Child Care, closing word gap, early literacy, LENA Research Foundation, LENA Start Program, Minnesota child care, Minnesota Early Learning, Minnesota Education, Minnesota Opportunity Gap, Quality Child Care, word gap

Voters Agree: Early Education is a Top Priority

By: Maya Fanjul-Debnam In this current political climate, tensions are running high between parties, and it appears as if there’s nothing we can agree on. Nothing that is, except early ...

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Think Small Bringing Cutting Edge Program for Child Care to Clinton Global Initiative America Meeting

Think Small is thrilled to share new, cutting edge approaches to reducing opportunity and achievement gaps at the 2016 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America meeting in Atlanta this month. It’s ...

Child Care, Clinton Global Initiative, Commitment to Action, Minnesota Early Learning

Minnesota's $900 Million Surplus is Opportunity to Invest in Kids who Need Help the Most

Minnesota Management and Budget released Minnesota’s economic forecast this morning, and the state’s surplus has decreased slightly to $900 million for the next budget cycle. The November economic forecast expected ...

Child Care, Minnesota Early Learning, Minnesota Legislature, Minnesota Surplus

Three Tips for Eating Healthy with Kids

Preschool age children develop eating habits they will practice for the rest of their lives, so they are at an ideal age to experience and learn about healthy eating. At ...

Child Care, Early Sprouts, Healthy eating for kids, Minnesota Early Learning

MN DHS Dives into New Federal Guidelines at Policy Hour

The first Minnesota’s Future Policy Hour of 2016 took place at Think Small’s Minneapolis office featuring leaders from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to discuss the re-authorization of ...

Child Care, Child Care Development Block Grant, early learning in Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Human Services