By Jeff Mortensen President & CEO Last school year, 55 Dakota County students graduated high school with support from 360 Communities’ Partners For Success program. When one of those students crossed the stage in June to receive his diploma, few in the audience understood the mountain of obstacles he overcame to reach that milestone. 360 Communities [...]
360 Communities has strategically built an infrastructure to collect and report meaningful progress and community impact through data. In addition to reporting output data such as pounds of food distributed, numbers served, and financial information, 360 Communities is now able to show how its holistic approach impacts an individuals movement toward their self-defined goals. The progress [...]
Child Care Aware staff supported 159 child care providers last year with training and support, helping in increase their Parent Aware Star Ratings. 360 Communities’ Child Care Aware staff train and support child care providers to earn their Parent Aware Star ratings. Child care providers can distinguish themselves by earning up to four stars. [...]
By Jeff Mortensen President & CEO The community landscape is ever-changing. Populations shift, new needs develop, and resources expand and contract. For more than 45 years, 360 Communities staff members have worked hard to understand clients holistically and provide customized support. Our mission reads: In the spirit of caring for our neighbors, 360 Communities provides hope [...]
360 Communities Child Care Aware staff coach child care providers in Dakota County with research-based best practices for preparing children for school. This involves supporting providers as they work to earn Parent Aware Star Ratings. The Parent Aware Star Ratings program supports and improves upon the strengths of child care programs, and also helps parents identify [...]
By Jeff Mortensen President & CEO Brittany arrived at her new high school as a transfer student with no connections and a history of challenges. She had been enrolled in four different schools within the last three years. Brittany was all too familiar with judgment, as her records of poor attendance and numerous suspensions always seemed [...]
by Jennifer Krekelberg Supervisor, Dakota Healthy Families Their pregnancy was unexpected. Maria and Alex were not sure they would still be together if not for the birth of their baby girl, but they were willing to try. Both worried they might not be good parents to Emma, so when offered services through 360 Communities Dakota Healthy [...]
By Jeff Mortensen President & CEO Imagine not knowing how you’re going to provide the evening meal for your children when they arrive home from school. Imagine arriving home 15 minutes late and looking at yourself in the car’s rearview mirror before you enter your home…recalling the facial bruises your spouse brutally inflicted on you the [...]
Prevention is a cornerstone of 360 Communities’ work to strengthen our communities to a new degree. We are working in the home with first-time parents, supporting the cognitive and social development of children in their first four years. We work with day care providers to improve the quality of child care settings and help make sure [...]
The Donaldson Foundation has awarded $30,000 to 360 Communities to support its school-based Partners For Success program. 360 Communities Partners for Success employs family support workers in 32 schools in eight school districts. They engage families of at-risk, Pre-K to 12th-grade students to create a stabilized home environment that encourages learning, values high achievement and prepares [...]
