Child Care Aware of Minnesota Northeast

Child Care Aware of Minnesota Northeast Pine Technical & Community College holds DCYF grant contracts for CCA MN NE and FFN supports.

This page shares related updates, resources, and PTCC Early Childhood Education opportunities — all for healthy, happy kids. Child Care Aware of Minnesota is a network of organizations from across the state dedicated to assisting families, early childhood professionals and the community with child care information, grants, services, and training. The mission of Child Care Aware of Minnesota is to promote high-quality, affordable, and accessible child care for all Minnesota families.

🌲 PINE Conference Session SpotlightWe’re wrapping up our morning-session spotlights with:Early Math for Early Learnerswi...
09/04/2026

🌲 PINE Conference Session Spotlight

We’re wrapping up our morning-session spotlights with:

Early Math for Early Learners

with Sherry Tiegs

Join us at the 2026 PINE Conference on Saturday, September 19 in Pine City.

If early math is an area you’d like to strengthen in your work with young children, take a look at this session and get registered:

👉 https://app.developtoolmn.org/register.aspx?evid=461920

There are lots of choices throughout the day, so be sure to check out the full PINE Conference lineup too!

09/03/2026

Are you tired of your child care space getting destroyed by 9:00 a.m.? 😅

Open play can feel chaotic fast, especially when routines shift, ages mix, and children need more opportunities to move, imagine, and stay engaged.

Our tip sheet, Creating a Rich Play Environment, shares practical ways to set up your space so children stay more engaged in meaningful play instead of bouncing from one thing to the next all day long. It’s full of simple ideas that support imagination, creativity, social interaction, and deeper play in centers, family child care programs, and other early learning settings.

Honestly, this is one of those resources that can help your days feel a little less chaotic and a lot more intentional.

Grab your FREE copy below!

A children’s book + simple activities delivered each month — FREE. 📚Do you regularly care for a young child who isn’t yo...
09/02/2026

A children’s book + simple activities delivered each month — FREE. 📚

Do you regularly care for a young child who isn’t your own? Maybe you’re a grandparent, relative, friend, or neighbor helping care for a child while their parent works or goes to school.

Through Minnesota’s Family, Friend and Neighbor program, eligible caregivers of children ages 0–5 can receive FREE monthly learning kits with:

A children’s book
Simple activities to do together
Ideas that support learning through everyday play
Helpful caregiver resources

No special supplies. No lesson plans. Just easy ways to read, talk, sing, play, and learn together.

FFN support is available in Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Pine, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Isanti, and Chisago Counties.

Interested? Sign up here:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/9gjHyvETyC
📧 [email protected]
📞 320-629-5134

Art experiences give children opportunities to notice, compare, choose, and describe what they experience.In Minnesota’s...
09/01/2026

Art experiences give children opportunities to notice, compare, choose, and describe what they experience.

In Minnesota’s Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs), Understanding Differences means children begin distinguishing differences within and across artistic experiences. That can start with noticing contrasts like light and dark or loud and quiet, then grow into exploring different materials and eventually describing how artistic experiences differ.

🎨 Support this learning by:

Offering different art materials, music, movement, and creative experiences
Using simple comparison words like loud/quiet, light/dark, or smooth/bumpy
Asking “What do you notice?”
Letting children choose which materials or experiences interest them
Introducing art words naturally as children explore

The goal isn’t for everyone to make the same project. It’s to give children space to notice differences, explore possibilities, and develop their own understanding of the arts.

Learn together. Play together. Grow together.

Source: Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs)

🌲 Live or work in one of these areas? Attend the PINE Conference for just $10!Thanks to generous funding from the Initia...
09/01/2026

🌲 Live or work in one of these areas? Attend the PINE Conference for just $10!

Thanks to generous funding from the Initiative Foundation, eligible participants who live or work in the following areas can attend the full conference for only $10:

Benton • Cass • Chisago • Crow Wing • Isanti • Kanabec • Mille Lacs • Morrison • Pine • Sherburne • Stearns • Todd • Wadena • Wright
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe • Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

Your day includes:

6 hours of Develop-approved training
Breakfast
Lunch
Vendors
Lots of session choices and opportunities to connect with others in early childhood

📅 September 19, 2026
📍 Pine Technical & Community College | Pine City
Conference Brochure:https://pine.edu/wp-lib/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-PINE-Conference-2-1.pdf

Outside the Initiative Foundation service area? Please come! Registration is $60 for participants who do not live or work in one of the eligible areas.

For those who do, Initiative Foundation funding generously helps cover the cost so your registration is just $10.

One day. Lots of choices. Partnering in Early Childhood.

📣 Regional Grants open tomorrow — September 1!If your program is planning to apply, now is the time to get ready.Applica...
08/31/2026

📣 Regional Grants open tomorrow — September 1!

If your program is planning to apply, now is the time to get ready.

Applications are submitted through Develop, and funding is limited.

👉 Learn more about eligibility, allowable expenses, and how to apply:
https://pine.edu/cca/grants/

Questions? Contact Samantha McCullen-Sutton
📧 [email protected]
📞 320-629-5145

08/28/2026

Running a child care program comes with a lot of moving parts. The right technology can help make some of those tasks a little easier!

Join First Children’s Finance on September 30 to explore Brightwheel, Lillio, and Google Workspace and see how they can support your child care business.

📅 September 30, 2026
⏰ 6:30-8:30 PM
💻 Virtual via Zoom

Family child care providers and child care center directors are welcome!

Register here: https://firstchildrensfinancesandbox.tfaforms.net/wfYrDxK?uid=005VX000007PPvH

Center Directors — these classes were built for YOU.When we asked what kind of professional development would actually b...
08/28/2026

Center Directors — these classes were built for YOU.

When we asked what kind of professional development would actually be useful to center leaders, you gave us ideas. We took those ideas to our experts and asked them to build the training.

The result? A full day with choices focused on the work you’re actually doing:

👥 Moving from co-worker to supervisor
💬 Difficult conversations and staff performance
🧩 Staff scheduling and files
🤝 Team building
🎯 Coaching and leadership
👀 Classroom walkthroughs
🧠 Managing attention, energy, and priorities
📚 Introduction to CLASS

Leading from the Center
📅 October 2, 2026 | Pine City

See all of the session choices and registration information in the brochure:
https://pine.edu/wp-lib/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Leading-from-the-Center-2026.pdf

08/27/2026

The Develop system encourages your feedback after you attend Develop Approved Training Events. Watch for an email inviting you to complete Develop's Training and Trainer Evaluation Tool (TTET), this tool allows you use the Develop system to review your training experience.

Didn't receive an email? You can still access the TTET after your attendance has been verified by clicking the TTET link next to the training title on the Training tab of your Develop profile.

Learn more about the TTET on page 9 of our Individual Membership Companion guidehttps://mncpd.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-07-17-IM-Companion-Guide.pdf

🌲 One day. Lots of choices.The 2026 PINE Conference is coming to Pine City on Saturday, September 19, and registration i...
08/26/2026

🌲 One day. Lots of choices.

The 2026 PINE Conference is coming to Pine City on Saturday, September 19, and registration is open!

This year’s lineup includes sessions on:

• Building hope, relationships, and cultural resilience
• Conflict and difficult conversations
• NEAR Science
• Rough-and-tumble and big body play
• Early math
• Sensory learning
• Open-ended art
• Talking with families about development and behavior
• Art and science experiences

There’s something for just about every early childhood educator!

👉 View the full PINE Conference brochure for session descriptions, times, and registration information:
https://pine.edu/wp-lib/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-PINE-Conference-2-1.pdf

We hope you’ll join us for a full day of learning, connection, and practical ideas you can bring back to your work with children and families.

Address

900 4th Street SE
Pine City, MN
55063

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+18008905399

Website

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