The
Itasca Project has
among its six goals to improve early childhood development.
Specifically, Itasca is working towards these goals:
- Building consensus within the
business community on the importance of early childhood education
- Determining the highest potential
opportunities for business leadership
- Uniting efforts of business
leaders/organizations behind a coordinated, high-impact
strategy for improving early childhood education
University
of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks is the Chairman of
Itasca's Early Childhood Work Group and Scott McConnell, Ph.D.,
CEED's Director of Community Engagement, is the Work Group's
Coordinator. Karen Cadigan, Ed.S., NCSP, CEED's Director of Outreach
and Public Policy, and Richard Weinberg, Ph.D., LP, CEED's Director,
serve on the Early Childhood Work Group.
McKinsey & Company's report provides an
overview of the early childhood development programs that receive
funding in Minnesota including Basic Sliding Fee Child Care,
Minnesota Family Investment Program Child Care, Head Start, Early Childhood
Special Education (ECSE), Early Childhood Screening, School
Readiness, and Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE).
It was recently presented at the second
Minnesota Business Forum on School Readiness. The Business Forum,
hosted by the Minnesota Business for
Early Learning (MnBEL), has become an annual gathering of
business and community leaders who care about the role of business
in school readiness for pre-kindergarten children. According to Al
Stroucken, MnBEL Chairman, Minnesota is at a critical juncture to
impact the future and our ability to remain competitive in the world
economy.
