Options for a Responsive and Accountable Early Childhood System in Minnesota: Minnesota Family Impact Seminars Briefing Report, 2008

Abstract

This is the first in a series of annual Family Impact Seminars in Minnesota. The Family Impact Seminars (FIS) are a project of the University of Minnesota’s Children, Youth, and Family Consortium (CYFC) and seek to promote a family perspective in policy development, convene dialogue among policymakers, analyze the impact public policies have on families, and connect family-relevant research and state policymaking. This report provides a written background for the FIS speakers’ presentations. It includes two new ways of examining public policy through 1) the lens of the ecological model and, 2) by using the Family Impact Checklist. It contains current and projected Minnesota population data for children from birth though five-years-old. Finally, Louise Stoney, who has helped many states develop and establish systems for early care and education, has prepared a brief summary of some of her research along with examples of models from other states. The report concludes with unanswered questions, framed in an ecological perspective.