Generous support benefits region’s children

Mardag Foundation provides renewed funding for Parent Aware Pathways

The Mardag Foundation has awarded the Northland Foundation a two-year, $200,000 grant. Over the next two years, the Northland Foundation will expand the Parent Aware Pathways Initiative to help an additional 80 to 100 licensed early care and education settings in the region to achieve a Parent Aware rating.

In 2013, Northland received the largest grant the Mardag Foundation had ever made to launch Parent Aware Pathways in St. Louis County. During the initiative's first three years, 208 providers from 93 child care settings began or continued their Parent Aware ratings journey. Funding from the Mardag Foundation has been instrumental in leveraging support from other partners including the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, The Sheltering Arms Foundation, and the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation.

This newest grant will fund expansion of the Initiative in all seven northeastern Minnesota counties, in partnership with Child Care Aware Minnesota - Northeast District.

“We are grateful for Mardag’s leadership, which has made an incredible difference in the region. The three-year investment in St. Louis County provided the Initiative framework and has been the catalyst to expand throughout northeastern Minnesota,” said Tony Sertich, President of the Northland Foundation.

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Medica Foundation grant benefits infant and early childhood health and well-being efforts

The Northland Foundation was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Medica Foundation to help continue the critical work of the Thrive and Early Childhood Initiatives, which focus on improving the health and well-being of children birth to age eight.

Medica Foundation funding will help support training and professional development opportunities aimed at strengthening local capacity for meeting the social and emotional needs of the region’s young children and their families.

“The Medica Foundation has been a valuable, longtime partner helping to ensure a healthier future for families and communities in northeastern Minnesota,” stated Lynn Haglin, Northland Foundation’s Vice President/KIDS PLUS Director.

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Great River Energy Renews KIDS PLUS Program Support

Great River Energy recently provided a $2,000 grant to the KIDS PLUS Program.  Great River Energy’s resources will provide support to make high-quality, affordable training opportunities available for people working with young children and families including the Regional Child Care Appreciation and Training Seminar and the Early Childhood Summit.

Said Lynn Haglin, Vice President/KIDS PLUS Director, of the grant, “KIDS PLUS is so appreciative of Great River Energy’s continuing support on behalf of the children and youth in our rural region.”