The City, in partnership with the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation, began implementing the Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program in 2007. This program is the pilot of the market-driven approach suggested by economists Art Rolnick and Rob Grunewald from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank. Parent mentors make home visits to help families access community resources and choose the best early childhood education program for their child: at age 3, children receive a 2-year scholarship to pay for high quality early education services, the cost of which can be more than $13,000 annually.

www.parentawareratings.org/

Blast Off to Kindergarten provides resources to parents and communities to help children become ready for kindergarten. Information focuses on health, child development, language and reading, and overall kindergarten readiness.