Children First

What Children First does

Children First is a non-profit community organization founded in 1993 and headquartered in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. It serves families and children in Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and surrounding communities by convening cross-sector partners — including schools, nonprofits, healthcare providers, government agencies, and businesses — around a data-informed cradle-to-career framework. The organization operates as a neutral backbone entity rather than a direct service provider, coordinating 69+ partner organizations around five core milestones: kindergarten readiness, early grade reading, middle grade math, high school graduation, and post-secondary enrollment/completion. Core programs include the St. Louis Park Summer Reading Festival (annual week-long free literacy event), Early Years Action Network, Latino Parents Empowerment Group, Bilingual StoryTime, and the Youth For Change Coalition (launched 2023).

The organization's underlying technology is a data-informed partnership model adopted from the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network, with Wilder Research providing evaluation and data coaching and Parsimony Inc. serving as data partner. There is no proprietary software platform; the "technology" is operational and methodological — a framework for cross-sector coordination, outcome tracking, and collective impact reporting. Programs are delivered free to participants through community venues including parks, libraries, schools, and community centers.

Children First derives revenue from three streams: individual donations and financial gifts, corporate and organizational sponsorships (e.g., American Legion Post 282, Citizens Independent Bank, Minnesota Department of Education, St. Louis Park Rotary, Lunds & Byerlys), and membership dues from network affiliations (StriveTogether, Education Partnerships Coalition of Minnesota). All programming is offered at no cost to participants; donations are voluntary. The customer base is the two-city community — families, children, and youth — with secondary stakeholder relationships spanning schools, local government, and supporting businesses.

Name

Children First

Legal name

Children First

Website

https://children-first.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Children First is a non-profit founded in 1993 that convenes 69+ cross-sector partners in Hopkins, St. Louis Park, MN, and surrounding communities to improve outcomes for children and youth across five cradle-to-career milestones, funded by donations, sponsorships, and network membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community-Based Youth and Family Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Services (61)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural, Multilingual & Immigrant Family Engagement Programs (EDACALAL)

Keywords

• Community youth programs
• Early childhood education
• Literacy festival events
• Family support services
• Cradle to career

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Louis Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Financial Gifts: Individual donations from community members who support the organization's mission to provide resources for children in Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and surrounding communities to succeed and thrive.
2. Sponsorships: Funding from corporate and organizational sponsors including American Legion Post 282, Citizens Independent Bank, Minnesota Department of Education, Park Public Schools and Community Foundation, St. Louis Park Rotary, and St. Louis Park Sunrise Rotary.
3. Network Membership Fees: Revenue derived from membership in the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network and Education Partnerships Coalition of Minnesota, which provides access to proven models, resources, and national network support.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Children First convenes cross-sector initiatives and operates free community programs that support children and youth from kindergarten readiness through career readiness in Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and surrounding Minnesota communities. Core offerings include an annual Summer Reading Festival, Early Years Action Network, Latino Parents Empowerment Group, Bilingual StoryTime Program, and the Youth For Change Coalition, all delivered using a data-informed, cradle-to-career partnership model.

Product overview

Children First operates as a data-informed, cross-sector cradle-to-career partnership serving Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and surrounding Minnesota communities. The organization functions as a convening body rather than a traditional product company, coordinating community programs focused on five critical milestones: kindergarten readiness, early grade reading, middle grade math, high school graduation, and post-secondary enrollment/completion. Core programs include the St. Louis Park Summer Reading Festival (annual literacy event), Early Years Action Network (school readiness), Latino Parents Empowerment Group, Bilingual StoryTime (bilingual early literacy), and Youth For Change Coalition (youth mental wellness leadership). The organization is a member of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network and the Education Partnerships Coalition of Minnesota.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• St. Louis Park Summer Reading Festival A week-long annual free public event series held each August featuring literacy-focused activities including storytimes, performances, creative activities, and free book giveaways for readers of all ages across parks, libraries, and public spaces in St. Louis Park. Open to the entire community.
• Early Years Action Network A collaborative network focused on school readiness that prioritizes early childhood development screening and supports for young children in the Hopkins and St. Louis Park communities.
• Latino Parents Empowerment Group A parent group that convenes to ensure Latino families have supports and programming needed to ready children for kindergarten, working alongside the Bilingual StoryTime program.
• Bilingual StoryTime Program A weekly themed program for young children covering topics including language/communication, physical development, social/emotional development, creativity and arts, learning approaches, math, science, and thinking. Parents report increased confidence and enthusiasm in their children's reading ability.
• Youth For Change Coalition A youth-led leadership initiative open to high school students in Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and surrounding communities. Focuses on improving mental wellness for peers through workshops, promoting mental health practices, and advocating for improvements at school district, local, and state levels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kindergarten readiness screening rates dropped from 29% to 18%, prompting targeted intervention efforts
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• StriveTogether Cradle to Career NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren First is a member of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network, a national movement working to put millions more young people on a path to economic mobility. The network includes nearly 70 partnerships across the US reaching 14 million+ young people. Membership provides access to proven models, data frameworks, peer learning, and collective resources for improving child outcomes.
• Education Partnerships Coalition of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren First is a member of the Education Partnerships Coalition of Minnesota, a coalition of community-driven, data-informed organizations building a bipartisan movement committed to upward economic mobility, self-sufficiency, and self-determination for Minnesota's children, youth, and families.
• St. Louis Park Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey educational partner supporting Children First's cradle-to-career milestones including kindergarten readiness, early grade reading, and high school graduation. School facilities used for events including Summer Reading Festival activities.
• Hopkins Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner serving the Hopkins community as part of the cross-sector partnership focused on child and youth outcomes across all five milestones.
• Wilder ResearchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides evaluation and data coaching services to Children First. Wilder Research serves as Evaluation and Data Coach supporting the organization's data-informed approach.
• Parsimony Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes as data partner to Children First, supporting data infrastructure and analytical capabilities for tracking child and youth outcomes.
• North Star Therapy AnimalssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Paws and Pages event at Summer Reading Festival, providing therapy animals for children to read aloud to, building reading confidence.
• St. Louis Park Parks and RecreationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on Summer Reading Festival events including Teddy Bear Band concert and Basketball in the Park. Provides venue access and program co-hosting.
• Minnesota Department of EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor and strategic partner providing educational policy alignment and support for children and youth outcomes in Minnesota communities.
• Lunds & ByerlyssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal grocery retailer sponsor providing Kosher ice cream for Summer Reading Festival Ice Cream Social event.
• Barnes and Noble – RidgedalesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing books and literary support for community literacy programs and Summer Reading Festival.
• St. Louis Park Police DepartmentsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on Basketball in the Park event to build community connections between youth and law enforcement through positive interactions.
• Rise Early Learning CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner hosting the 'Everyone Has a Story' event at Summer Reading Festival. Part of early years programming focused on kindergarten readiness.
• Westwood Hills Nature CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner hosting Storybook Trail Adventure event combining nature exploration with literacy activities during Summer Reading Festival.
• Groves Learning OrganizationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFourth-year partner for Paws and Pages therapy animal reading event at Summer Reading Festival.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• StriveTogether: National cradle-to-career network that Children First belongs to; convenes ~70 community partnerships using shared data frameworks to improve outcomes for children from birth through career. Directly comparable as a peer of Children First's network peers.
• Way to Grow: Minneapolis-based nonprofit providing early childhood development, parent education, and family support programs — comparable to Children First's Early Years Action Network, Bilingual StoryTime, and Latino Parents Empowerment Group work.
• Search Institute: Minneapolis-based nonprofit whose Developmental Assets framework Children First adopted at founding; comparable as a peer organization focused on positive youth development research, resources, and community mobilization.
• Northside Achievement Zone: Minneapolis-based cradle-to-career community partnership focused on closing the achievement gap for North Minneapolis children — directly comparable to Children First in model, geography, and milestone framework.
• Parents in Community Action (PICA): Minneapolis-based Head Start and Early Head Start grantee delivering early childhood education and family support to low-income families — a directly comparable peer in the early childhood development and parent engagement space.
• Generation Next: Minneapolis-based cradle-to-career coalition focused on educational equity and economic mobility for children and youth in Minnesota — a direct peer in mission, geography, and cross-sector convening model.

Broad incumbents

• The Minneapolis Foundation: Major Twin Cities community foundation funding and convening across equity, education, and youth development — a broader incumbent serving overlapping goals and geography to Children First.
• United Way Twin Cities: Large regional United Way serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro, funding and convening partners across youth, family, and education — a broader incumbent in the same community impact space as Children First.
• Children's Defense Fund - Minnesota: National nonprofit with Minnesota presence focused on child advocacy and policy for at-risk children — a broader incumbent in child welfare and youth advocacy, comparable in mission but operating at larger scale.

Emerging players

• Minnesota Literacy Council: Minnesota-based nonprofit providing literacy and English language programming for adults and families — a partial-overlap peer addressing literacy outcomes that intersect with Children First's reading-focused work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ChildrenFirstSLP
• Instagraminstagram.com/slpreadfest
• Xx.com/Children1st_SLP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-louis-park-public-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Children First