Economic development, a capable workforce, and the growth and success of our region’s communities are all connected to the support southwest Minnesota gives to its youngest residents, says Jodi Maertens, Southwest Initiative Foundation (SWIF) Program Officer.
“Access to childcare is tough right now,” Jodi says. “It’s really a factor in economic development.”
To address issues like this, SWIF is encouraging communities to develop ‘Community Solution Action Plans,’ where community leaders and stakeholders are urged to think creatively about how quality childcare opportunities can increase. Such collaborative efforts can help address situations where parents can find jobs but no day care, or where kids too young are being left home while parents work.
“Employers are losing employees who leave to care for kids or who move away to find care for kids elsewhere,” Jodi says. “The foundation is a resource and it’s the community that comes together to figure it out.”
SWIF is also supporting efforts of 11 active Early Childhood Initiative coalitions, Thrive coalitions that work to ensure the social and emotional well-being of kids, and an Early Childhood Dental Network to maintain the oral health of regional youth.
“Kids with rotting teeth or toothaches won’t be ready to learn on account of being distracted by pain,” Jodi says.
It’s also critical for communities to provide activities for kids so they can continue to be civic participants as they get older, she says. Connecting families with similarly-aged children is also helpful in creating a system of support for southwest Minnesota families, she adds.
Many of the initiatives SWIF undertakes are with the intent of creating an even playing field for at-risk and underprivileged regional youth, Jodi says.
For example, aligning pre-Kindergarten and preschool expectations with readiness for Kindergarten and beyond will pay dividends in later elementary and even intermediate grades.
“If kids start out behind, the learning gap will only widen,” Jodi says. “If you don’t prepare them now we’ll be trying to play catch up forever. The majority of brain development happens in these formative years.”
SWIF made the region’s youngest citizens a top priority in the early 2000s when the six Minnesota Initiative Foundations joined in an Early Childhood Initiative statewide effort.
An ongoing competitive grant cycle is available to help the region continue to address the region’s need for quality childcare, early education, and prepared preschoolers.
Take time to understand the issues our youngest kids face–they impact families, employers, and our communities, too.
