Early Childhood Initiative
We want children to have the best possible start toward a healthy life of learning, achieving, and succeeding. Community organization is key.
West Central Initiative’s Early Childhood Initiative is a network of parents, educators, businesses, community leaders, faith leaders, and policymakers joined in a long-term effort to prioritize the care and development of young children. We partner with communities to assess early childhood efforts, identify areas for improvement then, perhaps our favorite part, we help make them a reality and witness the impact on communities and children.
Two important facets of our Early Childhood Initiative include our Early Childhood Dental Network and Early Childhood Mental Health Network. Both programs take a collaborative approach to helping ensure our children get the care they need and deserve.
Early Childhood Dental Network
The Early Childhood Dental Network is a collaborative effort to educate children and their caregivers about the importance of oral health and to increase access to dental care for children ages 0-5 on Minnesota Health Care Programs or uninsured.
With our partners, our Early Childhood Dental Network is:
- Supporting mobile outreach clinics to help increase the number of the region’s children who receive dental care and who are served by Minnesota Health Care Programs.
- Working with Apple Tree Dental and Caring Hands Dentistry to expand community-based dentistry and Children’s Dental Services to create and expand school-based oral healthcare.
- Working with high schools and colleges to increase the number of students entering the dental field.
- Aiding medical clinics with implementing oral health screening during well-child exams.
- Providing an oral health advocacy platform.
Resources
-
Actvity Sheets -
Informational Videos -
Informational Sheets -
Early Childhood Dental Network Logo
For more information about our Early Childhood Dental Network, including information about upcoming dental clinics, contact Coordinator Jane Neubauer.
Early Childhood Mental Health Network
The Early Childhood Mental Health Network facilitates a collaborative effort to help children develop capacity to express their emotions, develop close relationships, and actively explore the world around them.
With our partners, our Early Childhood Mental Health Network is:
- Creating programs that help parents and other caregivers better understand typical child development and when to seek additional help.
- Building our local system of care for prevention, early intervention, and treatment.
- Providing general information to debunk the stigma that often prevents a family from seeking help with their mental health.
For more information about our Early Childhood Mental Health Network, contact Coordinator Leah Krauth.
West Central Minnesota Child Care Center Wage and Rate Survey
For more than 20 years, West Central Initiative has hosted the West Central Minnesota Child Care Center Directors group, made up of child care center directors who operate care facilities within our region. In 2016, our team conducted a West Central Minnesota Child Care Center Wage and Rates Report on behalf of the directors group to better understand the local labor market. The data helped center directors and their boards adjust rates and wages and create a market baseline. In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic and continued staffing and financial struggles, we again conducted the survey. Survey resuls show an industry nearing its breaking point.
Early Childhood Initiative Coordinators
Our Early Childhood Initiative is led by coordinators who facilitate the process of identifying, planning, and implementing strategies to help their counties become more nurturing places for young children and their families.
Becker County: Fran Rethwisch
Clay County: Jody Jordet
Douglas County: Sarah Olson
Grant County: Kari Kreft
Otter Tail County: Katie Ganoe
Pope County: Jeannie Pederson
Stevens County: Diane Strobel
Traverse County: Leah Krauth
White Earth: Casey Francis
Wilkin County: Kristi Maas