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January 16, 2025
ECLDS Public Reports Now Feature State Definition of American Indian
Race/ethnicity categories in ECLDS public reports are now aligned with those of the Minnesota Department of Education’s Minnesota Report Card. Both data reporting sites now use the Minnesota (state) definition of American Indian and added a new race/ethnicity category of Other Indigenous Peoples to ensure students whose only racial or ethnic identification with the original peoples of Central or South America are not overlooked. This change was recently implemented in ECLDS’s Kindergarten and Third Grade reports. In ECLDS, users can toggle reports to view both state and federal race/ethnicity counts, but the default view is state counts.
For reference, we invite you to review all filter definitions on this webpage.
 Filters drop-down options for ECLDS Third Grade Reports showing new race/ethnicity categories that align with those of the Minnedota Department of Education's Report Card.
Minnesota’s definition of American Indian is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition. It includes any student or descendant from a North American tribe, regardless of other racial backgrounds. While current law requires many agencies and programs to report federal American Indian counts, the state-defined North American Indian count of students is most accurate because it prevents American Indian students who identify with more than one race from falling into the indistinct Two or More Races category. Minnesota’s American Indian student population continues to grow, and it is imperative to correctly identify American Indian students for any and all accountability factors.
Because it is not yet a statutory requirement for early childhood programs to collect more detailed race/ethnicity information about students, ECLDS does not yet include the state definition of AI/AN in any Birth to Pre-K reports at this time.
Minnesota Awarded Another Preschool Development Grant
Minnesota has been awarded a $24 million grant from the federal government, the next round of the Preschool Development Grant (PDG). The grant provides $8 million annually through September 2027 with the purpose to continue the state’s collaborative work to support kids and families. The PDG team is so excited for the opportunities this grant will give Minnesota!
A snapshot of what's next for PDG in MN:
- Developing a data strategy for the Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System.
- Investing in the MN StoryCollective.
- Expanding family engagement initiatives throughout the state and working towards a statewide parent advisory council.
- Continuing mixed delivery efforts to coordinate services and resources across different ECE program types.
- Continuing to support work on wage scales and ECE workforce compensation.
- Completing the cultural adaptation of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires® for American Indian populations in Minnesota.
- Increasing the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health workforce.
View the full application on the PDG webpage.
New URL for MN Family Resource Map
ECLDS’s Minnesota Family Resource Map (MNFRM) has a new digital address: https://pub.education.mn.gov/mnfr/. Please update any bookmarks to reflect the new URL. If you’ve never visited it before. The MNFRM provides local users with geographic information on assistance services and resource sites nearest to them. It also supports local planning, especially for community assessments that require the identification of strengths and resources in the community that can be leveraged for service delivery, coordination, and partnerships related to education, health, nutrition, and social services.
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