Best Special Needs Schools in Columbia Heights, Minnesota (2026)

The Family Center is the early childhood home of Columbia Heights Public Schools, serving parents and their children, from newborns to five-year-olds, on 49th Avenue NE. Our PreK 3 classes and Mini Adventures childcare both hold a Four-Star Parent Aware rating, and every early childhood and parent educator here is a licensed teacher. PreK 3 meets in morning (8:00 to 10:30) or afternoon (11:30 to 2:00) sessions on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday or a Tuesday and Thursday schedule. Children learn through The Creative Curriculum with choice time, small groups, outdoor play, songs and stories, and classes include children with special needs who receive support from Early Childhood Special Education. Tuition follows a sliding fee scale. Mini Adventures, a Department of Human Services-certified childcare program for ages 3 to 5, is open 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. year-round, so families can blend preschool with full-day care. Early Childhood Family Education classes bring parents and children together for shared activities, then give parents time with a licensed parent educator. No family is turned away for inability to pay. Transportation is not offered for 3-year-old programs.

• Public early childhood center (birth to 5)
• Inclusion classrooms
• Parent education
• Financial aid