BEMIDJI -- The Northwest Minnesota Foundation in Bemidji has been selected as a community hub to help parents find the best resources for childhood programs.
According to a release, the community hubs were established with federal funding dedicated to helping pregnant and parenting families with children 8 years and younger navigate Minnesota's childhood system. Initially, $6 million has been provided and the investment as a whole is $26.7 million over the next two years across the state.
To roll out the effort, Minnesota agencies are partnering with multiple organizations across the state. For this region, the Northwest Minnesota Foundation was selected.
"These new hubs will support our continued efforts to streamline the navigation of services for our families throughout Minnesota," said Bobbie Burnham, assistant commissioners for the Office of Teaching and Learning at the Minnesota Department of Education. "Through these partnerships, we will have the opportunity to work side by side and learn from local community organizations that are truly leading the way in helping families navigate early childhood programs and services."
Specifically, the Northwest Minnesota Foundation and other organizations selected will help families narrow down the number of places they need to apply for services, reduce the amount of travel needed to access those services and grow community engagement.
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"These organizations are cornerstones in their communities," said Lisa Bayley, acting assistant commissioner of Children and Family Services at the Minnesota Department of Human Services. "We're looking forward to partnering with them to help young Minnesota families thrive."
