August 13, 2021

North Dakota Human Services has selected Mayville State University Child Development Programs (CDP) to be part of the inaugural cohort of North Dakota’s Best in Class program. The grant program was established by the 2021 67th Legislative Assembly. The purpose is to serve North Dakota children and families the year before the children start kindergarten. Mayville State CDP was one of two Head Start programs in the state of North Dakota to be awarded. This was a highly competitive opportunity as only twenty grants were available.

The Hillsboro HPK Mayville State Child Development Programs site will benefit from $120,000 in grant funding that will give families the opportunity to participate in Waterford Upstart at home. Waterford Upstart is a school readiness tool. The technology needed will be provided Waterford Upstart.

The Best in Class program builds on program characteristics that drive results - high quality, supported interactions between adults and children based on developmentally appropriate experiences. Twenty-plus years of research from programs across the country clearly indicates that the positive gains that come from having access to quality early childhood experiences can have a long-lasting effect.

North Dakota’s Best in Class program represents a targeted state investment in the programs that have committed to delivering the highest quality experiences to the children and families they serve, and whose actions can demonstrate the return on investment that is possible with intentional, research-supported investments in early childhood. The work done in these programs will be monitored, evaluated, and supported to help ensure that the investment made has an impact.

For more information, contact Jessi Hegg, Program Director for Mayville State University Child Development Programs, 701-788-4745.