Caring for Kids Initiative

More than 400 children live in the Wayzata school community who are from low-income families. These children are twice as likely to be unprepared for kindergarten. The goal of the Caring for Kids Initiative (CfKI) is for all kids to enter Wayzata schools ready to learn.

CfKI’s mission is to set kids on a path for success in school by providing access to quality early childhood care, education, and support for low-income families.

2007-09 Highlights

Over 300 parents and children in our community have been served by CfKI since 2007.
150+ scholarships were provided for preschool children of low-income families ranging from full-time all-day care to part-time preschool/school readiness in quality child care/pre-k programs since 2007.
All CfKI Scholarship recipients entering Wayzata Schools’ kindergarten classes in 2008 and 2009 were deemed prepared for kindergarten.
Parents of children receiving scholarships were connected with community supports and services that helped strengthen and stabilize their families through IOCP family support services.
Scholarship parents also worked on personal and family goals individually and in groups with the support of a parent educator from Wayzata Schools’ Family Learning Center.
Families were assisted in getting their children into Early Childhood Screening, allowing for early identification and intervention through Wayzata Schools’ Special Education Services prior to the children entering kindergarten.
Children were referred for sessions with an early childhood social worker when necessary.
Over 50 community volunteers provide leadership for CfKI, expanding the range of activities and supports for families without increasing administrative costs.
In 2009-1010 CfKI received $116,000 from foundations, including: Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way, Grotto Foundation, Local Collaborative Time Study through Wayzata Schools, The Mosaic Company, B&H Way Foundation, and Anderson Family Foundation.
Corporate Community Sponsors in 2009-2010 included: Cargill Grain and Oilseeds Community Team, The Focused Father, The Hegele Academy, M&I Bank, New Horizons Academy, The Mosaic Company, Polaris Industries, Quality Resource Group, Sam’s Lawn Care, Security Life Insurance Company of America, and Wells Fargo-The Private Bank.
In addition to foundation and public funding streams, over 300 individuals in our community contributed over $300,000 to CfKI during 2009-2010 as an indication of growing local community support for our initiative.
Child Care Centers participating in Caring for Kids Initiative contributed over $17,000 in discounts to Caring for Kids Initiative in 2009-2010.
Parents of children receiving scholarships contributed over $25,000 through sliding fee parent co-payments to Caring for Kids Initiative in 2009-2010.
CfKI community partnerships began to build bridges between quality child care programs in the private sector and the Wayzata Public Schools with the goal of every child entering kindergarten ready to learn.

Perspective

Wayzata Public Schools provides an excellent, quality education for children in our community. Most of our children enter school ready for kindergarten. However, some children, particularly those from low-income families, aren’t coming to school ready for kindergarten. CfKI focuses on these children and their parents, providing scholarships for parents to access quality child care and education and parent education and support. Our goal is that every child enters kindergarten ready to benefit from the educational opportunities offered by the Wayzata Public Schools.

For more information, contact Brenda Heim.