What Think Small does

Think Small is a Minnesota nonprofit corporation founded in 1971, headquartered in Saint Paul, that supports the state's early childhood education ecosystem through professional development, family financial assistance, coaching, advocacy, and publishing. Its customer base comprises licensed child care providers, early childhood educators, Minnesota families (particularly in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties), and state policymakers and funders. The organization operates through two core branded units: Think Small Institute (TSI), which delivers 130+ on-demand eLearning courses and live-virtual instructor-led training (including a $169 CDA credential bundle covering 120 hours across all eight CDA content areas with 12 CEUs), built on a Docebo-powered Learning Center platform; and Redleaf Press, a publishing sub-brand established in 1973 that produces curriculum, leadership, and equity resources for early childhood professionals.

The business model blends earned revenue with state-administered program funding. Earned revenue comes from training course fees (one-time/perpetual licensing for individual courses and the CDA bundle), Redleaf Press book and curriculum sales, and grants. Program administration revenue is generated by managing Pathway I Early Learning Scholarships for the State of Minnesota in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, providing Parent Aware quality coaching under contract, and serving as a Child Care Aware of Minnesota training delivery agency funded by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Complementary services include Child Care Wayfinder licensing navigation, free Language Access Services statewide, and grant administration (Emergency, Start-Up, Parent Aware, and Regional Grants).

Distribution is primarily domestic within Minnesota, delivered through self-serve web channels (the institute.thinksmall.org LMS, the state-hosted Early Learning Scholarships Hub, Develop Learning Record integration) and direct field/advocacy channels (Policy updates via Quorum, statewide hotline). The go-to-market motion is community-led: Think Small grows through professional development advising, referral networks, and state-agency partnerships rather than paid acquisition. Recent strategic activity includes a Mirza technology pilot (March 2026) to modernize benefits access, the WeVision Minnesota policy initiative, and senior leadership expansion with a new VP of Early Childhood Programs and Strategy.

Name

Think Small

Legal name

Think Small

Website

https://thinksmall.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Think Small is a Minnesota nonprofit that supports early childhood educators, providers, and families through professional development training, scholarship administration, coaching, and advocacy statewide, operating the Think Small Institute training platform and the Redleaf Press publishing brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Engagement & Parent-Facing Early Learning Content (EDAGACAJ), Mental Health & Infant/Early Childhood Consultation (0–5) (EDACAFAO), Developmental Screening & Assessment (0–5) (EDACAFAA), Parenting Skills & Child Development Education (EDACALAA)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Professional development training
• Child care assistance
• CDA credential training
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Development Training Fees: Revenue from selling eLearning courses, CDA credential bundles, and instructor-led training to early childhood educators. Course fees vary by program, with CDA bundles priced at $169 for 120 hours of training covering all eight content areas with 12 CEUs.
2. Redleaf Press Publications: Think Small brand Redleaf Press generates revenue through publishing high-quality resources for early childhood professionals including books, guides, and curriculum materials.
3. Early Learning Scholarship Administration: Think Small administers Pathway I Early Learning Scholarships for Hennepin and Ramsey County families, funded by the State of Minnesota to support quality child care and early education access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Think Small is a Minnesota nonprofit organization that delivers professional development, training, and support services for the early childhood education sector. Its core offering is the Think Small Institute, a professional development platform providing 130+ on-demand eLearning courses and live-virtual instructor-led training for early childhood educators, including the TSI CDA Bundle for Child Development Associate credential preparation. The organization also administers state-funded programs such as Early Learning Scholarships, Parent Aware quality coaching, Child Care Wayfinder navigation, and grants, alongside operating the Redleaf Press publishing imprint.

Product overview

Think Small is a Minnesota nonprofit organization operating as a comprehensive early childhood education services platform with multiple integrated products and programs. The core offering is Think Small Institute (TSI), a professional development platform providing over 130 on-demand eLearning courses and live-virtual Instructor-Led Training for early childhood educators, which includes the TSI CDA Bundle for Child Development Associate Credential training and specialized Trauma-Informed Training courses. Supporting programs include Child Care Wayfinder (licensing navigation), Parent Aware Coaching (quality rating support), Early Learning Scholarships (financial assistance for families in Hennepin/Ramsey Counties), and Grants & Financial Support (emergency, startup, and quality improvement grants). The organization also operates Redleaf Press as a publishing sub-brand and provides Language Access Services for multilingual support. Services are delivered through a Docebo-based Learning Center platform. The portfolio is complemented by advocacy initiatives including WeVision Minnesota and a Child Care Calculator tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Redleaf Press: A Think Small brand and mission-driven publisher dedicated to serving the unique needs of early childhood professionals since 1973. Publishes high-quality resources covering curriculum, leadership, business practices, and equity.
• Think Small Institute

Products and services

• Think Small Institute (TSI) Expert-led professional development platform offering over 130 on-demand eLearning courses and live-virtual Instructor-Led Training for early childhood educators, with IACET CEU credit and courses grounded in antiracist pedagogy and diversity-informed design.
• TSI CDA Bundle Self-paced online training package priced at $169 that provides 120 hours of professional development covering all 8 CDA content areas with 12 CEUs needed to earn a Child Development Associate Credential, offered in Infant/Toddler, Preschool, Birth to 5, and Family Child Care tracks.
• Trauma-Informed Training Specialized training courses that empower educators to create trauma-sensitive and healing-centered early childhood environments, including content on recognizing and responding to trauma in culturally responsive ways.
• Early Learning Scholarships Pathway I Early Learning Scholarships administered by Think Small to help families in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties cover the cost of quality child care and early education for children birth to age 4, funded by the State of Minnesota.
• Child Care Wayfinder Navigation network providing personalized support and resources for starting and growing licensed family child care programs or child care centers, including licensing process navigation and connection to quality coaches.
• Parent Aware Coaching Quality rating and improvement system providing free coaching and guidance to child care programs seeking to demonstrate high quality practices and achieve star ratings under Minnesota's Parent Aware framework.
• Redleaf Press Mission-driven publisher dedicated to serving early childhood professionals, offering high-quality resources covering curriculum, leadership, business practices, and equity since 1973.
• Grants and Financial Support Financial assistance programs including Emergency Grants, Parent Aware Grants, Start-Up Grants for new programs, and Regional Grants to support, sustain, and increase quality of child care programs.
• Language Access Services Free statewide interpreter services for individuals seeking child care resource and referral support in languages including Spanish, Hmong, Somali, and others.
• Learning Center Platform Docebo-based online learning management platform for accessing eLearning courses, tracking progress, and managing professional development records.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children attending Parent Aware rated programs make significant gains in kindergarten readiness skills
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered pilot, core and major.

• MirzapilotTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2026Think Small and Mirza launched a pilot to modernize access to child care and public benefits in Minnesota through technology solutions.
• Child Care Aware of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink Small Institute serves as a training delivery agency for Child Care Aware of Minnesota, providing virtual and in-person instructor-led training and eLearning courses for early educators statewide, funded by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
• Redleaf PresscoreOthersRedleaf Press is an affiliated brand and trusted, mission-driven publisher dedicated to early childhood professionals since 1973. As part of the Think Small family, Redleaf Press publishes high-quality resources covering curriculum, leadership, business practices, and equity.
• Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and FamiliescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDCYF provides funding support for child care programs and services offered through the Child Care Aware system including trainings, professional development advising, grants, Parent Aware, and Wayfinder supports.
• Greater Twin Cities United WaycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGTCUW serves as the Central Payment Administrator for the Early Learning Scholarship Administration Program, handling invoices and payment processing for scholarship recipients.
• Generation NextmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink Small partnered with Generation Next on Pathways to Quality (P2Q), a project launched in 2016 to improve the quality of early care and education programs and outcomes for children.
• Minnesota Chamber of CommercemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink Small co-convenes the Early Care and Education Crisis Work Group with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce to address Minnesota's child care shortage and achievement gap challenges.
• Parent AwarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink Small provides quality coaches and professional development advisors through Parent Aware, Minnesota's early childhood quality rating and improvement system, helping programs achieve star ratings.
• IACETcoreOthersThink Small Institute is accredited through the International Accreditation for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), enabling the organization to award CEU credits for professional development courses.
• Council for Professional RecognitioncoreOthersThink Small Institute's training hours are accepted by the Council for Professional Recognition's CDA national credentialing program because TSI trainings are approved by IACET.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): NAEYC is a national professional membership and accreditation body serving the same early childhood educator audience. While primarily a membership association, NAEYC increasingly offers PD content and accreditation pathways that overlap with Think Small Institute's training business, particularly as it expands its Power to the Profession alignment work.
• Procare Solutions: Procare provides child care center management software and increasingly bundles educator training/credentialing tools. It overlaps with Think Small's provider-facing services from a different starting point (operations software) but is converging on the same educator PD market.
• Hatch Early Learning: Hatch provides early childhood EdTech including interactive learning technology and connected educator dashboards, with embedded professional development. It competes for the same early childhood program budgets as Think Small but emphasizes classroom hardware and digital curriculum rather than state-policy-adjacent PD.

Others

• Reach Out and Read: Reach Out and Read is a national nonprofit that partners with pediatric providers to promote early literacy. It shares Think Small's nonprofit, child-development-focused mission and audience overlap (low-income families, early childhood programs) but operates through a different channel (clinicians rather than child care providers).
• Child Care Aware of America: Child Care Aware of America is the national umbrella for the Child Care Resource & Referral network; Think Small already serves as the training delivery agency for Child Care Aware of Minnesota. They are ecosystem partners nationally but also potential peer competitors in states where Think Small could expand its training-delivery role.
• Council for Professional Recognition: The Council administers the national CDA credential and approves training programs. Think Small Institute's CDA Bundle relies on Council approval; the Council is the credentialing gatekeeper that Think Small's training business depends on for market legitimacy.

Direct peers

• ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI): CCEI is a direct competitor offering online CDA credential training, CEU-bearing courses, and early childhood educator professional development. Like Think Small Institute, CCEI delivers IACET-accredited coursework via an LMS targeting the same child care provider and educator customer base, competing on course catalog depth, pricing, and accreditation acceptance.
• Care Courses: Care Courses provides self-paced online professional development for early childhood educators with CEU credit and CDA training pathways. It competes directly with Think Small Institute on the same price-sensitive SMB audience of family child care providers and center staff pursuing licensing or credential renewal.

Broad incumbents

• Teaching Strategies: Teaching Strategies is an established early childhood curriculum and assessment provider (Creative Curriculum, GOLD) that also offers educator professional development. It serves a similar provider/educator customer base but as a broad incumbent across curriculum, assessment, and training, whereas Think Small is more focused on PD and state-level advocacy.

Regional players

• Erikson Institute: Erikson Institute is a Chicago-based graduate school and PD provider focused on early childhood education, offering certificate programs and continuing education for educators. It overlaps with Think Small Institute's PD mission in a different geography (Illinois/Midwest) and from a higher-ed rather than nonprofit-services starting point.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ThinkSmallMN

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Think Small