State Profile | Minnesota

The Afterschool Investments project has developed profiles for each state to provide a snapshot of the "state of afterschool," as well as an opportunity to compare afterschool activities across the country. This profile provides key data and descriptions of the afterschool landscape, which includes a range of out-of-school time programming that can occur before and after school, on weekends, and during summer months. It is designed to serve as a resource for policymakers, administrators, and providers.

• Quick Facts
• Statewide Initiatives
• Notable Local Initiatives
• Statewide Organizations
• Additional Resources
• Notes and Sources

Quick Facts

Demographics

For more demographic information, visit http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/statepro/index.html

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)

CCDF Administrative Overview

Settings

Where CCDF-Subsidy school age-children are served:

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool

"Resource and referral and school-age" targeted funds:
Funds may go towards assessment and improvement of program quality through initiatives such as an accreditation facilitation project; training based upon practitioner core competencies and research-based best practice; and recognition for, and support of, the career development needs of school-age practitioners. These activities target all types of child care providers serving school-age children, including child care centers, school-age care programs, licensed family child care providers and FFN.

Other quality activities:
Funds may be used for comprehensive consumer education, grants or loans to providers to assist in meeting state and local standards, and to monitor licensing and regulatory requirements. They can also be used for professional development, improving childcare providers’ salaries, activities promoting inclusive childcare, activities which increase parental choice, and for youth focused health programs.

Provider Reimbursement Rates

Tiered Reimbursement Rate System:
The state provides a provider accreditation differential for a family child care provider, or child care center which allows the provider to be paid a 15 percent differential above the maximum rate, up to the actual provider charge.  This is dependent on whether the provider or center holds a current early childhood development credential or is accredited.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

Program Licensing Policies

Systems/Quality Supports

21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC)

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Statewide Initiatives

• Youth Community Connections (YCC). Youth Community Connections (YCC) is Minnesota’s statewide alliance of public and private organizations dedicated to the belief that all Minnesota communities must ensure options to help children and youth learn, develop, and contribute after school, during the summer and year-round. This collaborative alliance promotes non-formal learning opportunities in the out-of-school time for children and youth ages 5-18.  Over 250 organizations interact and meet collectively in ad-hoc task forces and bi-annual meetings to make this vision a reality. The YCC works with financial support from the C. S. Mott Foundation, 21st Century administration funds, the Greater Twin Cities United Way, and the McKnight Foundation among others. A Public/Private Leadership Team is guiding and supporting the activities of YCC. The following committees and task forces are supported by YCC:
  • The Policy and Advocacy Committee coordinated the policy efforts of YCC’s partners throughout the legislative session.  The committee gave member organizations access to state legislative officials, important updates on policies at both the state and federal level including the federal stimulus package, and lead dialogues to collectively move our work forward.  The committee was, and will be, an integral component of YCC’s advocacy strategy, assisting in such activities as organizing testimony.  It will also be the forum in which the partner organizations will focus their policy efforts on behalf of afterschool programs.

  • The Ad-Hoc Quality Task Force was led by partners from the University of Minnesota Extension’s Center for Youth Development and the Minnesota Department of Education’s Safe and Healthy Learners Team. 

  • The Ad-Hoc Communications Task Force examined strategic communication frames that would bridge messages across early childhood education, K-12 education and out-of-school time.  The strategic frame was introduced to several key partners who are now working to integrate into their own communication messages.

• Minnesota Out-of-School Time Funding Streams Report. The Minnesota Department of Education has released a summary report on funding streams for out-of-school time in Minnesota.  The report was prepared to create a common understanding regarding the structure of funding for out-of-school time programs in Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Education and its partners engaged Access Philanthropy to conduct a survey of major funding issues, sources of funding and major funding allocations. The study expands on the document, Charting A Course: Connecting Out-of-School Time Opportunities, which provided a listing of key funding sources available from the Minnesota Department of Education to support out-of-school time programming.
  
  For more information, see http://www.youthcommunityconnections.org
  
• Minnesota Commission on Out-of-School Time. The Commission, part of the University of Minnesota Presidential Initiative on Children, Youth, and Families, was convened by the University of Minnesota President in January 2004, with the charge to create the vision and strategies necessary to ensure Minnesota’s young people have engaging opportunities to learn and grow in non-school hours. The Commission was comprised of experts from a variety of fields including business, philanthropy, higher education, and community. Commissioners studied national and state research findings, identifying a vision for out-of-school time (OST) in Minnesota as well as issues facing young people, their families, program providers and policymakers. A series of recommendations contained in a final report was released in June 2005.  A series of research briefs was prepared by Commission staff to inform the Commission’s deliberations in key thematic areas. The Minnesota Out-of-School Time Partnership has supported the work of the Commission and will assume leadership for addressing priority areas in Commission recommendations moving forward.

  For more information, see www.mncost.org

• Local Levy Authority for Special Needs Care. The Minnesota Department of Education grants local levy authority to school districts offering school-age care programs to cover the additional costs of providing services to children with disabilities or experiencing family problems. Families eligible for Child Care Assistance Program subsidies may use them for this program. The Minnesota Department of Education provides additional aid to districts that have a limited ability to raise local funds.
• Community Education .Minnesota’s Community Education program promotes lifelong learning and community involvement through a range of activities, including school-age programs.  Community Education is managed independently by each school district generating revenue from user fees, grants, and state and local taxes. Youth programs, including leadership development and service, creative expression, life skills, school-age care and academic support, provide rich experiences where young people build relationships with peers and adults, make community connections, explore areas of interest and improve academic performance. In 2002, legislation passed allowing districts to levy for youth afterschool programs targeting high-risk times and emphasizing leadership development and academic improvement.
• Minnesota School-Age Care Alliance (MNSACA). Within the Minnesota Early Childhood and School-Age Care and Education field, MNSACA is a primary support and resource for school age care programs.  It also partners with the Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children (MNAEYC) to connect early childhood and the broader OST fields.  In cooperation with Minnesota’s Department of Human Services and the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR + R) system, it provides comprehensive, accessible professional development and training opportunities and program improvement and accreditation for programs working with school-age youth.  MNSACA is also instrumental in expanding practitioner core competencies and child indicators of progress to include school age youth.  MNSACA’s mission is to promote quality OST programs and support the leadership and development of OST professionals.

  For more information, see www.mnaeyc-mnsaca.org

• Eager to Learn (ETL). ETL is a nationally-recognized online training delivered through the Minnesota CCR&R system that includes training opportunities that are specific to practitioners working with school-age youth.

  For more information, see http://etl.mnchildcare.org

• Center for Youth Development. The University of Minnesota Extension’s Center for Youth Development and its statewide staff of educators and program coordinators are dedicated to making a measurable difference in the quality, availability, and impact of out-of-school opportunities for youth ages 6 to 18. Efforts include both direct service programs such as 4-H clubs and Adventure Programs as well as Community Youth Development initiatives.  The Minnesota Youth Work Institute provides education, training and technical assistance opportunities for volunteers and professionals working with youth.  New afterschool and summer programs in partnership with Native American reservations and public housing sites are underway, and the Center recently launched a series of research and policy symposia on out-of-school time opportunities, including discussion guides for communities.

  For more information see http://www.fourh.umn.edu/

• Professional Development for Practitioners Working with School-Age Youth. The Minnesota Early Childhood and School-Age Professional Development System is supported by two primary entities – the Minnesota CCR&R system and the Minnesota Center for Professional Development – and is responsible for developing and delivering trainings for practitioners serving school-age children in licensed child care settings, school-age care programs and family, friend neighbor care settings. Key partners in the implementation of this professional development system serving practitioners caring for school-age children also include Youth Community Connections and MNAEYC/MNSACA. The online School Age/Youth Professional Development Center, available at http://www.mnaeyc-mnsaca.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1, provides resources to providers, including links to professional development opportunities, mentoring, and networking programs.

Specific professional development system activities supporting practitioners serving school-age children include:

• Revision and approval of a set of school-age care specific training modules;
• Development of additional training based on a gap analysis;
• Continued delivery of school-age care training through Eager-to-Learn, the Minnesota CCR&R online training system;
• Ongoing consultation to providers working with school-age children with special needs through  the Center for Inclusive Child Care;
• Extension of the Accreditation Facilitation Project administered through the Umbrella Strategic Alliance that earmarks support to caregivers and settings serving school-age children and youth;
• Provider financial incentives through the Minnesota T.E.A.C.H. and R.E.E.T.A.I.N. programs; and
• Continued support for the annual MNAEYC/MNSACA conference, and career and learning guidance and support.

For more information, see http://www.mnaeyc-mnsaca.org

• Program Improvement and Accreditation (PIA). The Minnesota School-Age Care Alliance (MNSACA) coordinates this effort. The purpose is to further develop a School-Age Child Development Resource Network to support coordination of an integrated and accessible system of program improvement for those who work with school-age youth. Emphasis is placed on preparing and supporting programs through the accreditation process. Additionally, MNSACA offers regional trainings, a statewide annual conference, and other resources on quality out-of-school time programs.

  For more information, see http://www.mnaeyc-mnsaca.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1

• Minnesota Alliance with Youth. The Minnesota Alliance With Youth is a leading statewide collaborative network of organizations, schools, and communities that advocate with and for youth to ensure all young people in Minnesota have five fundamental resources, called the Five Promises:
  
  
  • Caring adults;
  • Safe places;
  • A healthy start;
  • Effective education; and
  • Opportunities to help others.

  As a statewide collaboration of existing organizations, the Alliance offers training, resources, support, and AmeriCorps Promise Fellows to communities seeking to ensure all youth have the 5 Promises. A unique strategy of the Alliance is to engage youth themselves in these efforts, especially disadvantaged youth who are often overlooked in youth leadership efforts. 
  
  AmeriCorps Promise Fellows -
  
  To support schools and communities in their efforts to build capacity and deliver the 5 Promises, the Alliance hosts 70 AmeriCorps Promise Fellows that serve in schools and community across Minnesota to organize and manage services for youth mentoring, tutoring, service-learning, civic engagement, extended learning day activities, volunteer/leadership opportunities and other vital efforts to engage and support youth.

  For more information, see http://www.mnyouth.net/

• McKnight Foundation. This Minnesota-based foundation funds out-of-school time programs run by community-based organizations. The Foundation also supports the Minnesota Youth Work Institute, a university-based professional development initiative to provide training for adults working with young people.

  For more information, see www.mcknight.org

• Minnesota Indicators of Progress Ages 5 – 12. With completion anticipated by the end of 2009, this document builds on the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress for younger ages and is a framework for understanding outcomes for school-age children and youth ages five to 12.

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Notable Local Initiatives

• Minneapolis Beacons. The Minneapolis Beacons Network engages youth as leaders and learners by transforming school buildings into active youth centers afterschool and in the summer, providing free educational, recreational, and cultural activities for youth and their families.
  
  The Minneapolis Beacons Network is a collaborative initiative between schools, families, and communities around a shared mission to improve the academic, social, and lifework development of youth in low-income communities.
  
  The Beacons Network partners the Minneapolis Public Schools with four of the largest youth development organizations in the Twin Cities;  The YMCA of Minneapolis, The YWCA of Minneapolis, The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, and Minneapolis Public Schools Community Education.
  
  Goals for youth and community development through Beacons include:
  
  
  • Academic Achievement and School Connectedness,
  • Youth Leadership and Civic Engagement,
  • Family Involvement
  • Community-School Linkages.
    
    
• Minneapolis Recreation Plus. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Recreation Plus program operates school age childcare after school, before school, school release days and summer break. It is coordinated by a certified care provider and includes social, cultural, art, physical, and environmental activities in neighborhood park facilities.  On school release days and during vacation periods, the full-day program includes field trips and special events. The Minneapolis Public school district has buses to transport children from school to the Recreation Plus sites.  There are currently 16 sites which accommodate 475 children during the school year and 450 during the summer. 

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Statewide Organizations

National AfterSchool Association Affiliate:

Minnesota School-Age Care Alliance
1000 Westgate Drive, Suite 252
St. Paul, MN 55114-1067
Phone: 651-203-7157
Web:  www.mnaeyc-mnsaca.org

Statewide Child Care Resource & Referral Network:

Child Care Resource and Referral Network
380 Lafayette Road, Suite 103
St Paul, MN 55107
Phone: 651-290-9704
Web: http://www.mnchildcare.org/network/

Statewide Afterschool Network:

Youth Community Connections: Minnesota Partners for Healthy  Youth Development
270B McNamara Alumni Center
200 Oak St., SE 55455
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Phone: 612-626-3513
Fax: 612-624-6905
Web: http://www.youthcommunityconnection.org/

Other Statewide Organizations:

Minnesota 4-H Foundation
200 Oak Street SE, Suite 270B
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-624-7971
Web: http://www.fourh.umn.edu

Minnesota Community Education Association
Web: http://www.mn-mcea.org

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Additional Resources

State Child Care Administrators:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/dirs/display.cfm?title=ccdf

State TANF Contacts:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/states/tanf-dr.htm

21st Century Community Learning Centers Contacts:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/contacts.html

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Notes and Sources

Demographics

Total population, 2008: Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008, U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of children ages 5-12, 2008: Estimates of the Resident Population by Single-Year of Age and Sex for the United States and States: July 1, 2007, U.S. Census Bureau.

Percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch rate, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Note: Most recent data.

Percent of K-12 students in Title I "schoolwide" schools, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Schools enrolling at least 40 percent of students from poor families are eligible to use Title I funds for schoolwide programs that serve all children in the school. Note: Most recent data.

Child Care and Development Fund

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the largest federal funding source for child care. States receive a funding allocation determined by formula and have broad flexibility to design programs that provide child care subsidies for low-income children under the age of 13 and to enhance the quality of child care for all children. Federal CCDF funding consists of mandatory, matching, and discretionary funds. Federal law requires that states spend at least 4 percent of their CCDF funds as well as additional targeted funds on activities to improve the quality and availability of child care. CCDF administrative data in this and the following sections is from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Care Bureau, as reported by States, unless otherwise noted.

FFY09 CCDF Allocation: Funding allocations are based on appropriation and do not reflect any reallotted or redistributed funds that may occur at a later date.

FFY09 state MOE plus match: In order to receive Federal matching funds, a state must expend Maintenance of Effort funds. Note that this does not capture actual expenditures, only the minimum required to draw down all available federal funds.

FFY09 Tribal CCDF Allocation: Federal CCDF Funds are awarded directly to Federally-recognized Indian Tribes.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Funding: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) appropriates an additional $2 billion in one-time CCDF Discretionary funding available to State, Territory and Tribal Lead Agencies in FY09 as part of the economic stimulus package.

FFY07 total quality expenditures: This data includes FY07 and prior year funds expended for quality from each of the CCDF funding streams (mandatory, matching, and discretionary) and expenditures under targeted funds for infant and toddler, school-age care and resource and referral. This figure provides information obtained from state financial reports submitted for FY07.

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool: Portions of CCDF discretionary funds are targeted specifically for resource and referral and school-age child care activities as well as for quality expansion. (These funds are in addition to the required 4 percent minimum quality expenditure.)

Maximum rate for school-age category: Rates are listed for center-based care, family child care, and license exempt programs; where rates vary by region or county, the rate for the most populated urban area is given.

Standardized monthly school-age rate: Monthly rate for a child, age 8, in care after school during the school year at a center in the most costly district for four hours per day, 20 days per month. Calculated (in the lowest tier of a tiered system) using information from the FY2008-2009 State CCDF Plan, including rate structures, as submitted to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.

Separate subsidy rates for different age ranges and Tiered Reimbursement Rate Systems: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Child Care Bureau. Report of State Plans FY2008-2009.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/data/2007/tanf_2007.html.

Program Licensing Policies

States with separate school-age licensing standards and states with specialized requirements for child care centers serving school-age children: National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) and National Association for Regulatory Administration, 2007 Child Care Licensing Study, see: http://www.naralicensing.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=160.

Ratio of children to adults in school-age setting: Data from the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), available at: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov.

School-based, school-age programs exempt from licensing: Research conducted by Afterschool Investments, March 2008.

Systems/Quality Supports

School-age credential: NCCIC, State Professional Development System Credentials for Individuals, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/pd-credentials.html.

Statewide quality rating system: NCCIC, Quality Rating Systems: Definitions and Statewide Systems, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/qrs-defsystems.html.

Statewide afterschool network: National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks, see: http://www.statewideafterschoolnetworks.net/.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program is a state formula grant. Funds flow to states based on their share of Title I, Part A funds. Data from the U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers Office and the 21st CCLC Profile and Performance Information Collection System as of July 2009.

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The Child Care Bureau awarded a technical assistance contract to The Finance Project for the Afterschool Investments project. The goals of the Afterschool Investments project include:

• Identifying ways that state and communities are using Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidy and quality dollars to support out-of-school time programs, and sharing these practices and approaches with other states;
• Identifying administrative and implementation issues related to CCDF investments in out-of-school time programs, and providing information and context (about barriers, problems, opportunities) as well as practical tools that will help CCDF administrators make decisions; and
• Identifying other major programs and sectors that are potential partners for CCDF in supporting out-of-school time programs and providing models, strategies, and tools for coordination with other programs and sectors.

Contact Us:

Email:
afterschool@financeproject.org

Web:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/afterschool/

The Finance Project
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-587-1000
Web: www.financeproject.org

The Afterschool Investments project's State Profiles are designed to provide a comprehensive overview of noteworthy State and local initiatives across the country. Inclusion of an initiative in the Profiles does not represent an endorsement of a particular policy or practice.