Helping families with children under age five (prior to kindergarten entrance) navigate opportunities and resources, including early childhood screening and preschool enrollment.

Helping families with:

• Preschool registration and scholarship assistance
• Early childhood screening connection and follow-up
• Childcare applications and financial assistance
• Navigation and connection to local organizations and resources including but not limited to:
  • Food access
  • Housing
  • Transportation
  • Health care
  • Mental health services

Contact Us – ¡Se Habla Español!

navigator@healthycommunityinitiative.org
call or text 507-301-6345

Sign up for early childhood screening!

Faribault and Northfield Public Schools are glad to provide this free health and development screening. Early childhood staff help parents learn more about their child’s development and how to prepare for kindergarten. Early Childhood Screening is required by the state of Minnesota. It is best to have children screened when they are 3 1/2 years old, or at least one year prior to starting kindergarten. Vision, hearing, growth, immunization records and overall development are discussed. Parents receive information about how to connect with local early learning programs, and how to help their child be ready for kindergarten.

Find more information about early childhood screening in multiple languages: Minnesota Department of Education.

Help Rice County meet its goal to have all children complete early childhood screening by the time they are 3 1/2 years old! 

• Faribault families, click here to learn more
• Northfield families, click here to learn more

Early Reading

Enjoy story times and more on our Growing Up Healthy YouTube channel

Minnesota Reading Corps has created resources for parents to support their child’s learning during the coronavirus pandemic. Click here for a library of educational videos to share with your child.

Additional resources to support your child’s early literacy skills:

• Sign up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
• Sign up for parent powered texts through Think Small
• Visit the public library and sign up for a library card (Northfield, Faribault)
• Connect with a literacy specialist from the local public schools – contact an Early Childhood Navigator for more information

Find local programming and resources

• Faribault, McKinley Early Childhood Center
• Northfield, Northfield Early Childhood
• Help Me Connect – a resource directory developed and managed by the Minnesota Departments of Health, Education, Human Services, and the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet
• Bridge to Benefits – a project by Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota to improve the well-being of families and individuals by linking them to public work support programs and tax credits