ECE Careers

Pursue a Rewarding Career Path in ECE

Latisha & Liam

“Come into this field with lots of love, patience, and empathy. We make such an impact on their little lives and they love us and completely look up to us.”

Latisha SchauerFamily Child Care Owner

Get Started Today

Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program

Building off the Child Care Stabilization Grant Program, this program will issue monthly payments to eligible child care providers to fund increases in compensation and benefits for early educators.

Child Care Services Grants

Child Care Services Grants provide funds to help cover the cost of supplies, equipment, technology, and training. Grant funds are offered annually and are awarded on a competitive basis to qualified child care programs.

R.E.E.T.A.I.N. Bonuses 

R.E.E.T.A.I.N. Bonuses reward child care professionals who have demonstrated a commitment to the field by continuing their education and professional development. R.E.E.T.A.I.N. Bonuses can be used for program supplies, training, and personal expenses.

T.E.A.C.H. Scholarships

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Minnesota is a scholarship program that helps early childhood and school-age providers increase their levels of education, compensation, and commitment to the field by earning college credits and degrees. There are two types of scholarships, Early Childhood or School-Age Care Provider Scholarship and Early Childhood Trainer Scholarship.

CDA Awards 

CDA Awards help providers pay for the required training, application, and renewal of the nationally recognized Child Development Credential (CDA).

Foreign Credential Evaluation Scholarships

Foreign Credential Evaluation Scholarships help early childhood professionals who have completed their high school and/or higher education coursework outside of the United States pay for the evaluation process, so they can have their education and professionalism recognized.

College Scholarships

Paying for college can be expensive. Here is brief list of some Minnesota specific scholarships available.

Preparing for College

Learn about what classes to take in high school, how to earn college credit in high school, or how to succeed as an adult student.

Choosing a College

Explore colleges locally and nationally and discover information on how to apply for college.

Paying for College

Discover financial aid basics, grants and scholarships, other aid options, and student loans.

Minnesota Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment Program

The Minnesota Teacher Shortage Student Loan Repayment Program was established to provide student loan repayment assistance to teachers providing classroom instruction in a teacher shortage area in Minnesota. See who is eligible to apply, what the application and selection process is, and how much money can be awarded.

Rewarding Careers in Early Childhood Education Brochure

Download our shareable brochure in pdf format.

Empower to Educate

Empower to Educate provides personal support from a local Workforce Advisor who can help guide you on your path. Their program also offers financial support, free training options, job placement support, and an opportunity to be mentored by an experienced early childhood educator.

Center for Early Education and Development

The Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) helps early educators, caregivers, practitioners, and programs achieve the best outcomes for the infants and young children they serve.

Center for Inclusive Child Care

The Center for Inclusive Child Care (CICC) provided free relationship-based professional development (RBPD) including support, training, modeling, and resources to child care programs throughout Minnesota.

Child Care Assistance Program, Minnesota Department of Human Services

The Child Care Assistance Program provides financial assistance to help families with low incomes pay for child care so that parents may pursue employment or education leading to employment, and that children are well cared for and prepared to enter school.

Child Care Aware of Minnesota

Child Care Aware of Minnesota helps children succeed in school and life by supporting the professional growth of child care providers and connecting families to quality care.

Develop

Develop offers professional development and quality improvement tools to support early learning and school-age care.

First Children’s Finance

First Children’s Finance provides loans and business-development assistance to high-quality child care businesses serving low- and moderate-income families.

Minnesota’s Career and Education Explorer

Minnesota’s Career and Education Explorer is a simple and easy-to-use tool. You can:

    • Search a wide-range of occupations
    • Review pay ranges and demand for your region of Minnesota
    • Learn education requirements

Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB)

PELSB provides information about educator licensure in Minnesota. Apply for a license, find a preparation program or learn about the requirements.

Parent Aware

Parent Aware helps programs find opportunities to improve their quality, supports them with the tools and resources they need to succeed, and celebrates the work they are doing to create better lives for children in Minnesota.

Glossary of Terms for Minnesota Early Childhood and School-Age Care Professionals

MN’s professional development system is full of acronyms, abbreviations, organization names, and special terms. We at Achieve have compiled this Glossary of Terms for Minnesota Early Childhood and School-Age Care Professionals as a quick reference to define key terms seen or heard by Develop profile owners and users.

Virtual Career Guide

Explore this interactive professional tool and discover how to plan your successful career in childhood care and education by:

    • Identifying your strengths using Develop’s ITNA (Individual Training Needs Assessment) tool
    • Locating education and training resources
    • Discovering new career options you might want to pursue

Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children 

The Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children (MnAEYC) and the Minnesota School-Age Care Alliance (MnSACA) are professional associations of more than 700 members each.

Minnesota Child Care Association 

The Minnesota Child Care Association (MCCA) is a statewide organization representing licensed child care centers throughout Minnesota.

Lead and Care

The mission of Lead & Care, is to support, promote and strengthen the profession of licensed family child care thereby enriching the lives of providers, children, families and communities.

National Association for the Education of Young Children

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research.

Achieve’s Job Board

Achieve’s job board hosts positions in the field across the state. Find your next opportunity today!