Holistic Approach Strengthen Families

Advancing a Holistic Approach to Strengthen Families

Ramsey County will strengthen families by expanding access to quality consistent early childhood care, education, and access to nutritious foods, resources and opportunities.  

Why this is a priority

Gaps in early childhood care and education disproportionately impact Black/African American and American Indian children living in Ramsey County. Our racially and ethnically diverse communities are also more likely to experience food insecurity, forgo necessary medical care, or make other tough choices that may negatively impact their health and well-being. Infants, children, and youth who have healthy minds and bodies have greater success throughout their lives. We believe that early and ongoing investment in families leads to better educational outcomes; greater generational economic prosperity, asset, and wealth-building; and stronger communities for all. 

PREVIOUS WORK

Building off experiences and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to build community partnerships and processes to enhance services and conduct culturally specific outreach about available early childhood and basic needs resources. These include investments in:

  • Creating early learning materials. 
  • Expanding youth food programs.
  • Enhancing support for culturally appropriate food shelves and meal/grocery delivery. 
  • Partnering with community to sustain a family coaching model for connecting families with early care and education resources and services. 
  • Convening a Childcare Policy Action Group of regional partners focused on increasing access and resources to early childhood and education.
Family smiling

Racial equity and shared power

Strengthening Families

Ramsey County is committed to uplifting traditionally marginalized voices through community engagement and shared decision-making. Partnering with the Equity Action Circle’s Family and Youth Committee, Childcare Policy Action Group, and local nonprofits and community organizations to:

  • Ensure residents have access to free or affordable groceries and basic needs.
  • contracting with family coaches who have a history of trusted relationships with Black and American Indian families to engage in family-centered coaching and connect them to county resources.
  • Create early childhood workforce opportunities and expanding food supply vendor services for culturally specific providers.
Happy child playing at a waterpark.

Key actions and strategies

To strengthen families in 2022-23 we will work to:

  • Form a clear, coordinated process for families who receive medical assistance benefits, to enroll in WIC and participate in Family Home Visiting programs.
  • Increase access to quality affordable childcare for foster and kinship care families.
  • Connect individuals and families to ongoing food and basic needs resources through trusted messengers and vendors.
  • Support community organizations in providing culturally specific foods and fresh produce.
  • Partner with community organizations and service center navigators to connect African American and American Indian communities to family-centered coaching services.
  • Establish an Early Childhood Academy provides worker retention and business development startup support for those in the early childhood workforce.
  • Perform an internal review of how residents are connected to resources and supports that the county offers, to ensure that when entering the county through different programs residents are connected to all eligible benefits and services.

Food resources

Find food and basic needs near you.

Food resources

Early childhood resources

Find early care and education services.

Early Childhood Resources

Childcare Policy Action Group

Join our action group

Contact the Policy Action Group

Outcomes and measures

  • Rate of enrollment of families who are engaged in early childhood care and education resources and services offered through Ramsey County.
    • Receipt of services for Women, Infants and Children and family home visiting
    • Number of children in child protection in quality care
  • Evaluation metric for childcare academy.
  • Equity Action Circle outcome for coaches.
  • Food insecurity rates and SNAP enrollment.
Happy family.

Find more programs

Ramsey County provides numerous programs that support the health and well-being of families.

Support for families

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