Listening to the East Side: Early Childhood Insights from Our Community

Recently, Kaleidoscope staff had the honor of gathering with parents, community members, educators, professors, social workers, leaders, and policy makers to hold a conversation about raising young children here on the East Side of St. Paul. We were blown away by the dedication and passion in the room, and we look forward to working together to uplift neighborhood families and children.

Why People Came

Participants named many reasons for attendance. Many wanted to better understand needs and existing resources. Others cited a concern for immigrant families and a desire for inclusive opportunities where the whole family is seen and celebrated. Parents and professionals alike talked about the difficulty of navigating upheaval with children and talking to them about it in developmentally appropriate ways. They appreciated the unique focus on early childhood and expressed hope for making their community a better place and embracing children as our future.

What Is Working in Early Childhood on the East Side

We celebrated public parks and playgrounds as significant assets on the East Side. Additionally, many families spoke to the enduring importance of Early Childhood Family Education programs that lead to lifelong friendships for both parents/caregivers as well as their children. Dedicated educators, caregivers, and helpers were held up as integral to happy, healthy childhoods.

What Needs Improvement in Early Childhood on the East Side

Recognition and Investment

We identified many areas of growth. To start, early childhood requires investment. Too little attention–and funding–is directed to the first five years of life. Early intervention proves crucial and impactful, yet we still need leaders and politicians to engage with making our city an incredible place to raise children. Decisions must center children, whose needs differ from adults, especially since they lack the ability to participate in discussions.

A true priority shift includes financial investment. Many families struggle mightily with basic needs such as rent and groceries, and they require free or low cost opportunities. Formal child care remains cost prohibitive for most, and many households earn too much to qualify for assistance but cannot independently afford the full cost of care.

The quality of professionals–especially teachers and parent educators–is key. Families and children need someone who can adapt curriculum and instructional style to the people in front of them, which requires experience and expertise. These professionals deserve competitive salaries and benefits, which is far from our current reality.

A Relationship-Based Referral System

Awareness of existing resources and programming emerged as a key challenge–even for experienced early childhood professionals. Moreover, it is often difficult to reach and recruit families who would benefit from programs. We discussed the potential upside of establishing formalized referral networks while recognizing that a referral itself is insufficient. In order to truly engage and help, we must first establish a relationship based in trust, respect, and connection. Resources must be culturally responsive and available in home languages. Conversations are meaningful, and referrals must be closed-loop with a warm “hand-off” to be effective.

Resources that Grow with Families

We recognized that new parenthood is acutely stressful and requires a different mode of support than later in a child’s life. New parents feel isolated and alone; they crave community connectedness. Infancy gives way to toddlerhood, toddlerhood to preschool, and each stage brings new questions, new joys, and new challenges. Imagine what could be possible if our community evolved alongside families, anticipating those shifts with care and intention rather than asking parents to navigate them alone.

As children grow, another layer of complexity emerges: the role of technology in daily life. Many parents spoke candidly about how difficult it is to set boundaries around screen time, especially when devices are not just entertainment, but part of children’s educational environments. What once felt optional now feels unavoidable, and families are left trying to strike a balance without clear, accessible guidance.

Participants expressed a shared need for trusted voices: people who can translate research into practical, realistic support. Parents are not asking for more information; they are asking for the right information: grounded in science, easy to understand, and immediately useful in the context of their everyday lives.

Community Spaces

As a community playspace, we were delighted to hear that participants agreed with our assessment: our neighborhood needs more welcoming, inclusive, accessible spaces intentionally designed for families with young children. Not just places to go, but places to belong.

When parents, caregivers, children, and educators gather together, something powerful happens. Social connection deepens, hands-on learning becomes natural even before children cross the threshold of a school, and a sense of shared community begins to take root. These spaces are not simply nice to have; they are essential infrastructure for healthy families and thriving neighborhoods.

Participants emphasized that these gatherings should be joyful and culturally responsive, filled with play, music, and food, where families feel seen, celebrated, and at ease. In a landscape where most public programming is geared toward children five and older, this represents a meaningful and urgent opportunity.

What Now?

While there is no way to encapsulate all the wisdom that was shared during the Focus Group, we hope this short summary was informative. Perhaps, it inspires more people (like you!) to attend a future conversation to better our child and family support on the East Side.

We have a Virtual Focus Group scheduled for March 24th! From 6-7pm, anybody can attend to converse, listen, and share insights. See our event: Virtual Focus Group to register and for additional information.