Strong Beginnings
Strong Beginnings childcare centers deliver high-quality early childhood services. Through an agreement with Hennepin County and Minnesota Department of Human Services, the childcare centers provide services and support that are not required at other childcare centers.
These Strong Beginnings program components have been evaluated and shown to improve children’s developmental gains, kindergarten readiness, and family engagement. They include developmentally appropriate curriculum, knowledgeable childcare professionals, small class sizes and staff-to-child ratios, systemic efforts to engage parents in their child’s development and education, and assistance with meeting the non-educational needs of the child and family.
Since 1992, Hennepin County has contracted with childcare centers to implement the Strong Beginnings strategy. Today the centers serve an average of 1,200 children annually.