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Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Feds Help More MN Kids Get Ready for Kindergarten

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Tuesday, December 20, 2011   

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The goal is to get more Minnesota children ready for kindergarten, and new federal grant money should help greatly on that path. The state has been awarded $45 million for early education in the "Race to the Top" program.

Ann McCully, executive director of the Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network, says this will help the state build a high-quality early-education system, and providers will play a critical role.

"They really are the first ones - particularly in those earliest years when the brain is still developing - they are instilling, along with the parents, those early lessons that are going to help that child be successful, in kindergarten and in life."

McCully says some of the funds will go toward expanding what's called "Parent Aware."

"'Parent Aware' is a quality rating and improvement system, sort of a Consumer Reports-style system, and it helps demonstrate the quality of early care and education programs for parents. And it also helps the providers who participate in the program to recognize and improve the quality of the care they're offering."

Parent Aware has been operating as a pilot program in Nicollet and Blue Earth Counties, in Minneapolis and St. Paul. In 2013, McCully says it'll expand to include all of Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, and more.

"We'll also expand to Itasca County as part of the effort they've been doing in the 'Invest Early' program up there. And the White Earth Indian Reservation and the counties that surround it, so Becker, Clearwater and Mahnomen Counties."

The expansion of "Parent Aware" will take place over four years, until it's statewide. McCully says another focus of the grant will be to assure access for all children, noting the wide achievement gap in Minnesota.

"So there is a focus on making sure that scholarships get into the hands of families with those high-needs kids, so that they can attend the programs in these key areas where we really have, frankly, a long way to go to close that gap."

McCully says the work will also include linking data across various systems so they can measure progress to see how kids are doing across the years. Studies show that currently only about half of Minnesota children enter kindergarten as well-prepared as they should be.

More information is at mnchildcare.org




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