ST. PAUL, Minn. (Feb. 21, 2016) — Cindi Yang is settling into her new position as director of the Community Partnerships and Child Care Services Division in the Minnesota Department of Human Services Children and Family Services administration.
In her role, Yang supervises the Child Care Assistance Program, which provides financial assistance to help families with low incomes pay for child care. She also leads Child Development Services, which coordinates policies, planning, research and evaluation for the state’s child care quality support system. Finally, Yang also directs the Office of Economic Opportunity, which administers nearly 200 grants annually to more than 150 organizations to remove barriers imposed by poverty on the health and development of individuals and families.
“In the short time we have worked with Cindi since her appointment,” said Jim Koppel, Children and Family Services assistant commissioner, “we’ve seen the excellent work she’s done in leading efforts to provide quality child care, child development and other support services for children and families. Her dedication to helping those in need is evident in her previous and current work.”
Prior to joining the department, Yang was director of programs at Neighborhood House in St. Paul, which operates diverse programs to help stabilize the lives of Minnesota families and break the cycle of poverty. While with Neighborhood House, she focused on many areas, including public policy, adult education, early childhood services and parent education.
Yang holds a masters of social work from the University of Minnesota and is currently a community faculty professor at Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, in the Social Work Department. Fluent in Hmong and English, she has been an active member of numerous community organizations across the Twin Cities, and has worked with a variety of partners and stakeholders, including the city of St. Paul, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Literacy Council and United Way.
Yang began her tenure Aug. 31, 2015.
