Faribault kicks off United for Kids early childhood initiative

        The Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation recently recognized Faribault as a community with outstanding potential and need for coordinated early childhood services. A steering committee applied for the grant under the name of United for Kids. The two year funding was awarded to United for Kids to provide leadership to assist Faribault residents in determining needs for early childhood services. 

        Core Leadership Team members have been identified and are meeting monthly to address the goals of this initiative. In order to develop a plan to address identified services that will better support young children birth to five-years-old and their families, these Core Leadership Members will conduct community profile surveys with representatives of all sectors of the Faribault community. This information will help to create a community snapshot or profile by identifying strengths around early childhood. United for Kids will build on these strengths and address gaps that must be filled to help our youngest children succeed. 

February Update

        United for Kids adopted a mission statement for Faribault’s Early Childhood Initiative at their February 2nd meeting. It is to build and maintain equitable community support so all children have the opportunity to thrive and succeed. 

        During the meeting United for Kids core group culled and focused interests from the feedback gathered from Faribault community surveys with the result being two priority areas:

        1. Increase support, awareness, and resources to caregivers of all children in the community.

        2. To promote collaboration by informing and educating the public and private sectors about young children's potential. 

        These monthly meetings are helping the group get much closer to their final goals and agenda  for how to use the Early Childhood Initiative grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. They have narrowed the focus, but not yet defined specifically where they will direct energies in each of these. At the next meeting they hope to refine these goals even more and begin turning them into a specific action plan. Each perspective is extremely important to this process.

        If you are interested in  joining United for Kids come to the March meeting  feel free to bring others or share this information with them. 

Please call or email Corinne Smith  333-6834 if you will be attending.

United for Kids Meeting
Monday, March 2, 5:30-7:30
South Central College
Teleconference Room
Light meal will be provided