Early Childhood

Join Footnotes, a texting club and community service through MPR News offering early childhood news, updates and information for children aged 0-5 and their caregivers. Engage with other parents/guardians and early childhood reporter Kyra Miles:
 In this Twin Cities kid yoga class, it’s no stretch helping children focus, learn
Yoga can help grown-ups find more focus and balance in life. Can it do the same for kids? One nonprofit is finding yoga is helping some of the Twin Cities youngest learners improve their behavior and schooling at the same time they find their zen.
 WIC benefits, Minnesota and the government shutdown: 4 questions, answered
The federal Women, Infants and Children program got a reprieve from federal shutdown cuts through early December. But even as the government moves closer to reopening, WIC families in Minnesota are still affected by the uncertainty. 
Canada loses measles elimination status after ongoing outbreaks
International health experts say Canada is no longer measles-free because of ongoing outbreaks, as childhood vaccination rates fall and the highly contagious virus spreads across North and South America. 
Fergus Falls leaning into homey day care ‘pods’
Plans are afoot in Fergus Falls to build out a series of adjacent day care pods, which require less overhead than center-based facilities while offering some of the comforts associated with home-based care. 
Why more parents are riding cargo bikes, skipping the minivan
Many parents are now are forgoing minivans for greener alternatives: cargo bikes. They have been around for decades, but the advent of the electric bike motor has made them much more popular.
In St. Paul, a push to create new opportunities for Latina child care providers
The CLUES Family Wellness and Childcare Business Incubator is one of the first of its kind to launch Latina-owned child care business support. The incubator’s directors hope to build a pipeline of Latino business owners.
Child care providers want changes to strict rules that result in costly upgrades, licensing issues
Family home-based child care providers are leaving the profession. Some say it’s because of complex regulations and strict enforcement that’s driving up the cost of doing business. But, there is bipartisan legislation that could change that.