The Early Childhood Section of Health and Human Services (HHS) was created in July 2021 to align and focus programs and resources on a key department priority, early childhood experiences.
The purpose of the Early Childhood Section is to build greater access to quality early childhood experiences, so children ages 0 to 5 from all backgrounds and circumstances have the opportunity to reach their potential.
The Early Childhood Section is comprised of 5 units ready to support early childhood providers.
The Best in Class unit administers, monitors, and supports grantees receiving the ND Best in Class grant, which is a competitive grant award established in 2021 by the 67th Legislative Assembly to serve North Dakota children and families the year before they enter kindergarten.
Licensed child care center and group providers that are in good licensing standing and participating in Bright & Early ND with a current rating of Step 3 or 4 may apply for the Best in Class grant.
This unit consists of a Best in Class Administrator and 2 Best in Class Early Childhood Coaches.
How can we help you?
The Best in Class unit provides support to grantees through coaching and guidance for implementing developmentally appropriate environments, play-based curriculum, and authentic observation-based assessments to drive individualized experiences to support children in reaching widely held expectations in the year before kindergarten.
The Family and School Engagement unit provides resources and support to parents, providers, and stakeholders. In addition, this unit oversees the Head Start Collaboration Office, Early Childhood Special Education services (Part B-619), Waterford UPSTART, Four-Year Old Program Approval.
This unit consists of a Family and School Engagement Administrator, Head Start Collaboration Administrator, and an Early Childhood Special Education (Part B 619) Coordinator. This unit also works closely with Early Intervention (Part C), Economic Assistance, and the Home Visiting Program.
How can we help you?
The Family and School Engagement unit provides support to child care providers by connecting programs to early intervention and inclusion services and in-home early learning resources.
The Early Childhood Licensing unit monitors and supports all licensed and certified child care programs. In addition, this unit is the first point of contact for initial child care licensing and certification. The Early Childhood Licensing unit establishes policy and standards to regulate for the health, safety, and well-being of the children in the licensed and certified child care programs. The unit also administers and maintains a public-facing resource and referral system of child care providers.
This unit consists of a Licensing Administrator, 21 Licensing Specialists, 4 Licensing Supervisors, and a Resource and Referral Specialist.
How can we help you?
The Licensing unit provides support to child care providers, helping you to ensure your new child care business complies with all health, safety, and local requirements.
Once you become licensed or self-declared, your business profile will be added to the public-facing resource and referral system, which provides free child care referrals for families searching for care.
The Professional Development unit administers and maintains the Growing Futures Early Childhood Workforce Registry and a variety of grant opportunities for providers.
This unit consists of a Professional Development Administrator, Growing Futures Specialist, 2 Provider Technical Assistant Specialists, and 2 Grant Administrator Assistants.
How can we help you?
The Professional Development unit assists providers in using the Growing Futures Registry, supports providers with professional development planning, and provides guidance on funding opportunities available through the Early Childhood Section.
The Quality unit administers, monitors, and supports the development of Bright & Early, North Dakota’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). A QRIS is a systematic approach to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early childhood programs.
This unit consists of a Quality Administrator and QRIS Validation Specialist.
How can we help you?
All programs who hold a current license issued by HHS are automatically welcomed into Bright & Early ND as a Step 1 Quality Rated program. Bright & Early ND has made it a priority to offer support and resources that promote participation and advancement through the Bright & Early ND Steps to Quality through coaching, professional development and training, financial incentives, and a marketing toolkit.
Questions? Contact Us
Early Childhood
600 E. Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 325
Bismarck, ND 58505-0250
Phone: (701) 328-2115
Toll-Free: (800) 997-8516
Relay ND TTY: 711
Email: dhsec@nd.gov