Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership

The child care connections division is the newest division created in early 2022, branching off services formerly housed within the economic empowerment division. Child care connections provides services to 21 counties in northwest Minnesota and the entire state of north dakota. Services include coaching child care providers toward continuous quality improvement through the quality rating systems, providing professional development training and advising in northwest Minnesota, providing grants for child care providers to start up or improve their child care programs, recruiting new providers to participate in quality rating programs, and services to support new child care programs including services to provide support to latin x, new american child care and providers providing care to family, friends and neighbors. In 2022, child care connections began piloting a family child care substitute program. We also provide services to families in need of child care through the child care assistance program in wilkin county and the early learning scholarships program in 9 counties of region 4.

The housing division provides assistance to people who are experiencing homelessness or are facing eviction. In 2022, caplp assisted 909 households obtain safe and affordable housing. We helped 788 people avoid homelessness by helping with rent payments and assisited 279 household avoid eviction.

The head start division offers comprehensive early childhood services to children ages birth-5 and families with limited income and for children with special needs that reside within clay and wilkin counties. In the 2021-2022 school year, caplp provided services to 167 children through the head start program (3-5 years old) and 108 children through the early head start program (birth-3 years old). These children received high-quality early childhood education experiences at no cost including family support, health and nutrition support incorporated into the program.

The economic empowerment division supports individuals and families in their goals of achieving employment, nutritional, medical and economic security. All programs work together to provide holistic support to families. In 2022 economic empowerment division provided over 92,000 pounds of food to low-income seniors across clay county, assisted 190 households to access affordable health insurance, provided free tax assistance to 695 households, and partnered with group workcamp home repair to provide home repairs to the older adults, persons with disabilities, and income eligible residents. Group workcamp took place in moorhead, mn and a total of 14 homes were repaired. At the onset of 2022, we unveiled a whole family pilot program, serving sixteen families and a total of 54 people. Families in this program have children enrolled in our head start program and may also have worked with our career connect program and our housing team.