College of Education and Human Development programs for Parent and Early Childhood Education awarded $580k state grant

The Minnesota Office of Higher Education recently awarded a $580,000 grant to the Department of Family Social Science (FSOS), the Institute of Child Development (ICD), and the Educational Psychology Department's Special Education program (all within the College of Education and Human Development). The grant will support scholarships for Parent and Family Education and Early Childhood Education students as well as fund informational videos to attract teacher candidates to Parent and Family Education, Early Childhood Education, and Early Childhood Special Education programs.  

The grant is part of an $950,000 initiative to address the licensed teacher shortage that supports Minnesota’s youngest learners and their families. The Minnesota Office of Higher Education's Early Childhood and Family Education (ECFE) Teacher Shortage Grants were also awarded to two other postsecondary institutions: Minnesota State University-Moorhead and University of St. Thomas.  

In a MN Office of Higher Education release, the state announced that the grant program will support a pathway for many individuals, particularly future educators from rural communities and students of color, in completing Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) approved programs that lead to ECFE-related teacher licenses in Minnesota. Funds will provide tuition relief in student scholarships, targeted recruitment for students, as well as other support services.

Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) is an universal-access, school-based, state-wide program serving families with children from birth to third grade. Licensed parent educators, early childhood educators, and early childhood special education teachers collaborate to provide quality services to all families. Minnesota is the only state in the country with an ECFE program and the University of Minnesota is one of the only universities in the country to offer professional licensure in Parent Education.

Both an early childhood education license and parent and family education license are required for an educator to provide services in any of the state’s ECFE programs, and although this requirement has become foundational in the quality of delivered services, this has disproportionately affected educators of color and those from low-income backgrounds.  

The ECFE Teacher Shortage Grant program is a one-time grant opportunity that was established by the 2023 Minnesota Legislature to ensure more children can benefit from licensed teachers as they begin their educational journeys. Additionally, the grant aims to diversify the number of teachers in the ECFE field, as well as improve the ability for educators to provide high-quality programs that assist parents.