Eden Prairie’s Early Childhood Program Gets Highest Rating

The Parent Aware child care and early education program has given Eden Prairie’s early childhood program its highest rating.

The Early Childhood Program received four stars, which means that the program is “excelling in the use of most best practices in preparing kids for kindergarten.” 

According to Parent Aware, a program that earns four stars:

• Exemplifies a truly engaged school readiness partner for parents
• Ongoing assessment of child’s progress
• Continually adapts lesson plans and goals to meet individual needs
• Regularly updates parents on child’s progress
• Trained on children’s developmental disabilities
• Communicates across cultures
• Receives and documents on-going childhood-related education

Parent Aware started as a privately funded pilot project to address the number of students who arrive at kindergarten underprepared. It is now led by the Minnesota Department of Human Services in coordination with the Minnesota Office of Early Learning.

The program is still rolling out ratings in some counties. Ratings should be available statewide in 2015. School districts and Head Start programs statewide can already apply to participate.