Ramsey County will strengthen families by expanding access to quality consistent early childhood care, education, and access to nutritious foods, resources and opportunities.
Why this is a priority
Gaps in early childhood care and education disproportionately impact Black/African American and American Indian children living in Ramsey County. Our racially and ethnically diverse communities are also more likely to experience food insecurity, forgo necessary medical care, or make other tough choices that may negatively impact their health and well-being. Infants, children, and youth who have healthy minds and bodies have greater success throughout their lives. We believe that early and ongoing investment in families leads to better educational outcomes; greater generational economic prosperity, asset, and wealth-building; and stronger communities for all.
PREVIOUS WORK
Building off experiences and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to build community partnerships and processes to enhance services and conduct culturally specific outreach about available early childhood and basic needs resources. These include investments in:
- Creating early learning materials.
- Expanding youth food programs.
- Enhancing support for culturally appropriate food shelves and meal/grocery delivery.
- Partnering with community to sustain a family coaching model for connecting families with early care and education resources and services.
- Convening a Childcare Policy Action Group of regional partners focused on increasing access and resources to early childhood and education.
