Homelessness is a trauma for all members of a family; for children, the impacts can include serious emotional and physical health problems; a higher likelihood of separation from their families; and greater school mobility that can lead to lower academic performance. At Greater Twin Cities United Way’s 80x3: Resilient from the Start initiative, we connect families with the resources available for children and parents to thrive, no matter their situation. The services of the Early Learning Scholarships Program not only aim to restore stability but also strive to create pathways to education, healthcare, employment, and community engagement—essential components that were disrupted during periods of homelessness. 

Children without a stable home often miss key parts of social development and are not able to experience the upbringing they deserve. This is driven in part by the uncertainty of where they will sleep each night, the challenges in preparing meals that cater to their cultural and health needs, and the absence of a consistent environment for healing, learning, and play. These are not hypothetical concerns; they are real realities faced by many children today. Babies and toddlers face the highest risk of eviction in the United States, as revealed in a study published in October 2023 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This stress is endured by children who haven’t even grown to be more than five years old, an all-consuming statistic. 

In recent years, the Twin Cities metro area has witnessed a troubling trend—a 53% increase in families with children experiencing homelessness between January 2022 and January 2023. This surge is attributed to factors such as the end of eviction moratoriums, stagnant wages, and a severe shortage of affordable housing options. Driven by these factors, hundreds of young children reside in county-run shelters or move frequently from place to place in search of stability.

Healing from homelessness is possible. Every day in Minnesota, children and their families move out of homelessness into housing, where recovery from the trauma of homelessness has a chance to begin. Often this housing comes paired with long-term supportive services, customized to the unique needs of household members and creating access to education, employment, healthcare, and community that had been disrupted by homelessness. 

Beginning July 1, 2024, the scope of priority areas for Early Learning Scholarships will expand to include children who have an incarcerated parent, who are in or have a parent in a substance use treatment program, who are in or have a parent in mental health treatment, who have an Individualized Education Program or those who have experienced domestic violence. This expansion acknowledges the interconnectedness of various life challenges and underscores the importance of comprehensive support systems for vulnerable children.

Stable housing is foundational for children and their families’ well-being and future. The rise in homelessness among families in the Twin Cities metro area highlights an urgent need for initiatives like the Early Learning Scholarships Program. By promoting and helping expand access to comprehensive, trauma-sensitive support, Greater Twin Cities United Way and 80x3 not only aim to address immediate challenges faced by children but also lay a solid groundwork for their educational and social development.

Early childhood is a time of remarkable growth and development, where the foundation for lifelong learning and well-being is established. For children dealing with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), these early years can also be filled with challenges. However, with the right support, children can overcome obstacles and thrive. By understanding the intersection of trauma-informed care and executive functioning, we can create nurturing environments that foster resilience and positive outcomes for all children.

Greater Twin Cities United Way’s 80x3: Resilient from the Start is on a mission to address and minimize the impacts of childhood trauma and expand Minnesota’s capacity to deliver trauma-sensitive care. By providing comprehensive training, coaching, and technical assistance to teachers and administrators, 80x3 equips early childhood education (ECE) programs with the tools they need to create trauma-sensitive and culturally responsive environments, making it more inclusive and supportive for all children and families.

"80x3 has provided invaluable training and resources, enabling our staff to better support children and families dealing with ACEs,” said Dianne Haulcy, President and CEO of The Family Partnership in Minneapolis. “This has opened up important conversations internally and helped us navigate the challenges that come with these experiences."

Executive function skills, such as planning, focusing attention, remembering instructions, and managing multiple tasks, are crucial for success in school and life. While ACEs can pose challenges to the development of these skills, the right interventions can make a significant difference. The long-term impact of ACEs is associated with negative outcomes in physical health (stroke, heart disease and diabetes), mental health (depression, anxiety and suicide), and social health (instability in employment, education and relationships).

Children exposed to chronic stress and trauma can struggle with cognitive functioning and emotional regulation. However, with the support of trauma-informed educators and a supportive community, these children can develop strong executive function skills. "We work with children who have mild to moderate delays due to various traumas," explained Dianne. "These delays can impede learning, but with the right support, such as occupational, speech, and physical therapies, we can help these children catch up and thrive."

“A good metaphor for executive function is air traffic control in the brain. Those skills are getting wired in at the fastest pace, with the least energy input in 3 to 5-year-olds,” said John Till, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at the Family Partnership in Minneapolis. “Those early years are also a time when if children are in unpredictable environments, unsafe or dangerous environments, and they don't have the benefit of caregivers who are paying attention to them and doing really good to serve and return interactions with them, that can buffer them against ACEs and toxic stress that can affect their whole life trajectory.”

“There's a 20-year gap between discoveries in a lab setting and actual practical applications in the field that can benefit human beings. A 20-year gap. That's a generation. So when we heard about ACEs and the impact on executive function, I just said to myself, well, we've got to do something about that, you know, because not every preschool has therapists of various kinds,” said John.

By embracing trauma-informed care and fostering the development of executive function skills, we can create environments where all children, regardless of their backgrounds, have the opportunity to succeed. This holistic approach is essential for fostering resilience, promoting equitable outcomes, and building a brighter future for each child and their families. 

The Minnesota Department of Education's (MDE) Early Learning Scholarships provide essential financial support to families, enabling access to high-quality child care and early education for children from birth to 4 years old. These scholarships must be used at Parent Aware-rated programs, ensuring that children receive the best early learning experiences available. This initiative aligns with the goals of Greater Twin Cities United Way and 80x3:Resilient from the Start to dismantle inequities in early childhood education by supporting families and early childhood programs. 

To be eligible for a scholarship, families must meet specific criteria, and priority is given to children of teen parents, those in foster care, those in need of child protective services, and children who have experienced homelessness in the past 24 months. Starting July 1, 2024, the priority will expand to include children with incarcerated parents, parents in substance use or mental health treatment programs, and those who have experienced domestic violence.

Families interested in applying should contact their Area Administrator for more information about eligibility and available programs. 

Below are firsthand accounts from an experienced early childhood care professional and mothers on the incredible opportunity the Early Learning Scholarships provide and the undeniable impact on Minnesota families.

Krystal Shatek — In my role as Senior Director of Children’s Programs at Perspectives Inc., I was able to witness the impact that eligibility for an early learning scholarship had on the whole family’s well-being. Combating both addiction and mental health disorders is incredibly challenging for any person, and with children involved, and no affordable childcare, it becomes impossible to successfully complete a treatment program.  Being the sole caregiver for one or more children, without any respite, is mentally and emotionally draining, and this only exacerbates the challenges parents are facing as they try to navigate their recovery, increasing the risk of relapsing back into substance use in order to cope with the stress. Thankfully, many of the mothers I served were able to receive early learning scholarships because they had been homeless in the previous 24 months. However, mothers who had been in the supportive housing program for longer than 24 months were unable to receive an early learning scholarship so they could attend treatment programs. Sadly, this often led to relapse, involvement with child protective services, foster placements for their children, and in some cases, incarceration. For their children, these prolonged traumatic experiences can have long-term negative effects on their development, especially for young children under five years old. As a voting member of the Great Start Task Force, one of my biggest priorities was recommending that children with a parent in a substance use treatment program or mental health treatment program be included in the list of priority populations for early learning scholarships. For families who are on the path to recovery and healing, access to childcare can be a pillar of hope in a seemingly impossible journey and may be just what they need to make it out of the dark and into a healthy and safe future for themselves and their children.

Laura E. — I am so thankful for the Early Learning Scholarship I received for my son while I was still in the beginning stages of recovery.  Since he was about 7 months old, he had been in daycare.  I was trying to heal from trauma, addiction and raise two young boys, on my own.  I knew I needed help and sought out childcare for my youngest son because I was exhausted and barely keeping my head above water.  I knew that he needed a place where he could play and have fun but also learn, while I also had the time to myself to go to therapy, groups and get myself grounded and healthy to be the best mother I could be.  Having the scholarship helped me so much.  Without the help, I do not know how I would have been able to be where and who I am today.  I will be 4 years sober on June 25^th and my boys are doing amazing. It was such a blessing and I thank God for how he provided for us in that way, and I would love to see other mothers and fathers be able to receive the same support I did.  It was instrumental to the progress I was able to make in staying sober and truly taking the time to be intentional about my healing, so I can give my all to my boys.

Corinne M. — I am a single mother in early recovery, and I have 3+ years of sobriety.  I work in the recovery field, and I am finally going back to college. However, before I started my recovery, I had 5 felony counts pending trial, and CPS had already taken my newborn daughter into foster care. There is so much that has happened in between those 3 years, so many decisions carefully made, and one of those decisions that helped shape where my small family is today was the decision to apply for an early learning scholarship. 

My daughter and I were at the Harriett Tubman Shelter, waiting for coordinated entry to place us in Perspectives Housing. At first, before she could run away from me, it was easy to take her with me everywhere, even without a car. Once the 6-month review period was up and we were awarded the scholarship, I did not waste any time before taking the bus to child care and enrolling my daughter in daycare. 

This was not just for me, this was before I had a car so I had to take the bus and it was an hour round trip, but I knew Oaklyn would benefit from being around children her own age, and taking some time away from mommy to develop social skills outside the house.

Getting MN Early Learning Scholarship changed our lives, it marked the start of our family’s independence from inpatient facility programming and opened up new learning opportunities for both my daughter and myself.

I was able to work on getting my license unsuspended in Florida, filing for child support, obtaining a pro bono lawyer (thanks to Harriett Tubman Family Law), filing for divorce, finding a cheap/affordable car, and then finally being able to lawfully drive my own car and maintain a job and finally go back to college. Things I could never do in my addiction, are also things I could never do if I had to worry about taking care of my daughter the entire day. People do not realize that addicts in early recovery don’t just have to worry about relapsing, we basically have to rebuild our lives from the ground up, that’s why they call it rock bottom.

On top of getting my life back together, being able to rely on having time to myself every weekday has been so valuable, and Oaklyn has been able to expand her world outside of our tiny apartment and start to become her own person as she navigates learning how to behave in new social settings.

It was through her preschool, Early Connections at Perspectives Inc., that I was introduced to the Grow with Me program, which has been instrumental in teaching my daughter healthy ways to communicate how she feels, and even how to recognize what emotions she is feeling.

It’s another layer of support for my daughter and me. We don’t have any family in Minnesota, and her father is still in active addiction, so any support we can get we will take!

Not everyone has a family available to help watch their baby, and it puts single moms in a hard situation. With the increasing costs of child care, I don’t know anyone who does not struggle with childcare. Without childcare financial assistance options like MN Early Learning Scholarships, there would be a lot more families having to rely on the county for help, but that just takes even more options away from families who already have little, to begin with.

It can sometimes feel like society is punishing me for not making things work with my ex-husband, the father of our daughter. If I’d have stayed with him, I would have had free childcare because his parents would help out, but I would be abused and my daughter would be exposed to meth use, these are the types of life-altering decisions that make having the power of choice so important. 

Giving single family homes like mine the opportunity to have a reliable provider to take my daughter to each day means freedom from having to rely on abusive family members who don’t always have my daughter’s best interests in mind.

At 80x3, we're dedicated to fostering trauma-sensitive and culturally responsive child care that empowers every child to thrive. That's why we're thrilled to partner with FamilyWise, an organization with a long-standing commitment to keeping children safe and supporting families in leading healthy, productive lives.

Since its 2020 merger with Minnesota Communities Caring for Children, a leader in child abuse prevention and parent empowerment, FamilyWise has extended its reach statewide, offering a robust array of prevention programs alongside direct intervention services. As our partner, FamilyWise aligns perfectly with our mission to support trauma-informed care and child abuse prevention, ensuring better outcomes for the youngest members of our community.

Our state's early learning resources play an important role in mitigating the effects of adverse childhood experiences. That's why we're excited to share the updates to the Minnesota Early Learning Scholarships Program, effective July 1, 2024. These updates expand the program's priority populations to include children with incarcerated parents, children with parents in substance use or mental health treatment programs, and children who have experienced domestic violence.

This expansion reflects a deepened commitment to addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and ensuring that every child has access to the support they need to thrive, regardless of their early challenges. “It’s important for people to know that ACEs are not destiny,” shares a FamilyWise staff member. “In my work, I would never go into a community and say, ‘Look at what you’re up against’—through no fault of your own, often—without sharing how protective factors can counter the impact of trauma and historical adversity. It’s about melding all those different pieces of the puzzle.” 

FamilyWise’s NEAR Communities initiative shares the latest science on trauma and resilience to support individual and community-driven efforts to foster understanding, hope, and healing. For more than ten years they’ve trained community members as ACE interface presenters, so they are empowered to raise awareness about the effects of trauma and the promise of prevention and resilience in their communities. As one NEAR Communities participant put it, “We need to remember that as community members, we can hold space for one another in our healing work and that it’s not just the role and responsibility of the mental health professional or the field…We all play a part in healing our communities.” This year, 80x3 is sponsoring 3 NEAR Science Trainings specifically for the early childhood education and care community, which will soon be listed on our website for registration.

As we continue our partnership with FamilyWise and other organizations dedicated to trauma-informed care and child abuse prevention, we remain committed to creating a brighter future for all children. By prioritizing holistic family support, embracing trauma-informed approaches, and fostering equitable outcomes, we can build a more inclusive and resilient society where every child has the opportunity to succeed.

My colleague, Leo Howard III, and I will be presenting on coalitions and efforts across the state addressing major public health issues during the upcoming 7th Annual Growing Resilient Communities Gathering of Collaboratives and Tribal Nations Addressing ACEs on Tuesday, June 18th. We will speak during the second breakout session from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. I highly encourage you to join us for this virtual event! Visit this link to register.

-Jamie Bonczyk, Senior Program Officer at 80x3