Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation: Parent Aware Statistical Analysis

Preschool programs in Minnesota currently do not have a required curriculum guaranteeing Kindergarten readiness. Parent Aware is a pilot program that has been introduced into the state. It will create a rating system that will inform parents about which preschools will prepare their children to be Kindergarten ready. Because this program is relatively new, many preschool programs are not aware or ready to make the change to a Parent Aware approved curriculum. For our project, we joined with the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), which has the resources to provide support, information, and grant money to these preschool programs. We developed a survey for local programs to better understand their familiarity with Parent Aware, and what resources they need to make necessary changes. The online survey was sent to over 100 preschool programs throughout Southern Minnesota. There were 39 respondents, four of which indicated that they were currently rated by Parent Aware and 20 of which were working towards being rated. Overall, concern was expressed regarding the value of a Parent Aware rating. A majority of respondents indicated that student learning would not be improved after being rated by Parent Aware. Our recommendations to SMIF include providing informational workshops and grant opportunities for preschools that are interested in the Parent Aware program. These findings will help Minnesota preschool programs provide a higher-quality education to children before Kindergarten, laying a solid foundation for academic success in grade school and beyond