Blog, News & Events

By Cisa Keller, Senior Vice President of Early Childhood Quality Development The April Policy Hour focused on Coronavirus Early Childhood Updates.? Children?s Cabinet Update Stephanie Hogenson, Policy Director for the ...

March?s PolicyHour provided an update on the state budget forecast, and the importance of participatingin the upcoming census. State Budget Forecast Betsy Hammer, fromthe MN Budget Project, gave an update ...

By Marie Huey, Public Policy & Advocacy Coordinator February’s Ann Kaner-Roth Policy hour provided an opportunity to hear from state agencies about their current early childhood projects. Governor?s Children?s Cabinet ...

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 ...

This month?s Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour was focused on recent and upcoming work at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) with presenters from the Child Care Assistance Program and Child Development ...

By Marie Huey, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Katy Smith, Licensed Parent Educator and 2011 MN Teacher of the Year, and Dr. Monica Potter, Supervisor of Early Childhood and Family Education ...

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 ...

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator The March edition of Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour covered the state budget forecast and the Governor?s budget proposal. February Budget Forecast Betsy ...

By Marie Huey, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Staff from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) joined us for February?s Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour to provide updates on child care.  ...

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 ...

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy CoordinatorThe November Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour focused on play, parents and policy.One of the presenters was?Katy Smith, a Parent Educator who spent 31 ...

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy CoordinatorKids were on vacation this summer, but many adults didn?t have time for a break. October?s Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour got us up ...

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

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

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. ...

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy CoordinatorMarch Ann Kaner-Roth Policy Hour focused on coordination and collaboration projects in the early learning field.Early Learning CouncilDianne Haulcy, Senior Vice President of ...

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

By Marie Huey, Public Policy and Advocacy CoordinatorDecember Policy Hour presenters shared information about state and national initiatives that are working to enhance and improve the early childhood workforce.Power to ...

  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 ...

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

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.Parent ...

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 is ...

Early education is in the spotlight now. That was the message from Kathleen O?Donnnell, Executive Director, and Sara Benzkofer, Director of Policy and Communications, of MnAEYC-MnSACA. The April Policy Hour ...

Jim Koppel, Assistant Commissioner for Children and Family Services for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, spoke to Policy Hour attendees on March 7th. ?He talked about the child care ...

Legislative Task Force on Child Care Access and Affordability Senator Melissa Wiklund, DFL-Bloomington, was one of the presenters at the February Policy Hour organized by Minnesota?s Future and hosted by ...

The 2017 Minnesota Legislative Session is underway! January?Policy Hour?brought us up to speed on the policy priorities of the organizations in the Minnesota?s Future coalition and the Voices and Choices ...

December?s Policy Hour featured three early childhood?lobbyists: Valerie?Dosland?and Patrick Lobejko of Ewald Consulting, and Sonnie Elliott of FaegreBD Consulting. We also heard from Ben Horowitz of the Minnesota Budget Project.?Many ...

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.

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

The Minnesota?s Future June Policy Hour reviewed the 2016 legislative session, combing through a list of proposals that passed, did not pass, and some that still may pass if a ...

Kelly Monson, Minnesota?s Children’s Cabinet Program Manager, talked about Help Me Grow at May?s policy hour.The purpose of Help Me Grow is to promote healthy development in children prenatal to ...

The April edition of Minnesota?s Future Policy Hour featured leaders from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) discussing Minnesota?s response to the federal reauthorization of the Child Care and ...

Our March 1, 2016 Policy Hour featured Dan Solomon, Field Representative to Senator Al Franken. While congress has been rather unproductive as of late, Solomon shared some bright spots and ...

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 ...