Early Childhood

Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) is a program available to all children ages 0-5 together with their parents. Its goals are to strengthen families and to help children develop to their full potential. A variety of classes and activities are offered during the daytime and evenings. On going classes meet once a week for 1 1/2 hours, with time for parent-child interaction and parent discussion. Special activities include playtimes, field trips, & speaker nights for parents.

Parent/Child Time—Begin with 30 minutes of activities for you and your child. Centers are designed to provide children with guided learning experiences and to provide parents with ideas for home activities.
Children’s Classroom—While parents are in a nearby room for discussion, the children have a chance to interact with others their age and to experience a variety of activities, which promote overall growth. This class is taught by a licensed Early Childhood teacher.
Parent Discussion—While your child is in the classroom, you will have the opportunity to meet with other parents to discuss joys and concerns in an informal setting, with a licensed Parent Educator. Parent topics are determined by you and the other group members at the beginning of each quarter.
Community Education has an advisory council that provides overall parental and community input in the planning, implementing and evaluation of the program.

Research shows that early childhood programs involving both parents and children are more effective than programs focusing exclusively on children. Educators and psychologists contend that it is vital for early childhood programs to assist parents in their role as primary educators of their children. Involving families prior to kindergarten enrollment encourages parents to play an active role in their children’s learning from birth into the elementary years and beyond. And research confirms that children whose parents are involved in their education and learning are more successful in school.

Contrary to the belief that raising children comes naturally, there is growing recognition that being a parent is extremely demanding and difficult work. It requires learning new skills and focusing on children’s needs, and it is facilitated by the support and help of family, friends, and community.

Changes in society underscore the need for Early Childhood Family Education. The high mobility of American families means that adults are often far from family and friends during their parenting years. The high divorce rate creates a growing number of single parent and step-parent families. Economic pressures result in more families in which both parents are employed. The general complexity of modern life combines with these factors to create intense stress on families of all income levels. Finally, a growing percentage of children and families are living in poverty, which makes meeting even basic needs a daily struggle.

Early Childhood Family Education was developed through a series of pilot programs funded by the Minnesota Legislature and coordinated by the Minnesota Council on Quality Education from 1974 to 1983. In 1984, the legislature made it possible for any school district with a Community Education program to establish and Early Childhood Family Education program. The programs are financed with combined local and state funding, which may be supplemented with registration fees and funds from other sources.

The basic program includes parent education, early childhood education, and parent-child interaction and families typically participate two hours a week throughout the school year. Costs to deliver the program vary with extent, intensity, and location of services. At an average cost to the program of 0 per participant, ECFE costs less than many programs focusing primarily on children. Parents pay only nominal fees that are reduced or waived upon request.

All society benefits from strong families and healthy, well-developed children. The potential of Early Childhood Family Education to prevent or reduce later learning problems of children is confirmed by evaluation of the Minnesota programs and similar programs throughout the country. Parents report increased feelings of support and confidence in their parenting role, better understanding of how children develop, changed expectations for themselves and their children, and improved parenting behaviors. Program evaluations also show that Early Childhood Family Education if effective with families of all income levels.
Research strongly suggests that dollars spent on Early Childhood Family Education are more than repaid by savings in remedial health, education, and welfare costs during later school years. Strong families are the foundation of a strong society now and far into the future.