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Race to the Top - Early Learning ChallengeUpdate and Preliminary Plan

June 2011

Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) Overview

On May 25, 2011 U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge $500 million state-level competitive grant

A commitment from the Obama Administration to support children and families reaching their full potential was stressed.

RTT–ELC will award funds to states that create comprehensive plans to transform early learning systems with clear standards and meaningful workforce development.

As stated in the May 25, 2011 press release, Secretary Duncan and Secretary Sebelius also challenged the broader innovation community—leading researchers, high-tech entrepreneurs, foundations, non-profits and others—to engage with the early learning community and to close the school readiness gap.

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Program Description

As stated on the U.S. Department of Education website*:

The RTT-ELC grant competition will focus on improving early learning and development programs for young children by supporting States' efforts to:

1. increase the number and percentage of low-income and disadvantaged children in each age group of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who are enrolled in high-quality early learning programs**;

2. design and implement an integrated system of high-quality early learning programs and services; and

3. ensure that any use of assessments conforms with the recommendations of the National Research Council's reports on early childhood.

Awards in Race to the Top will go to States that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive early learning education reform.

*www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-earlylearningchallenge/index.html*Note: At this time it has not been communicated from the Administration that increasing the

number and percentage of children in high quality programs means additional children served. The indication so far is that this can be interpreted to mean current children in existing programs and focusing on those programs being high quality.

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Program Description, Continued

Early Learning Challenge components are expected to mirror the Race to the Top assurances.

As stated on the U.S. Department of Education Race to the Top Fund website* the four Race to the Top assurances include:

Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;

Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;

Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and

Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.

*http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html

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Program Description, Continued*

States applying for challenge grants will be encouraged to: Increase access to quality early learning programs

for low income and disadvantaged children, Design integrated and transparent systems that

align their early care and education programs, Bolster training and support for the early learning

workforce, Create robust evaluation systems to document and

share effective practices and successful programs, and

Help parents make informed decisions about care for their children.

*www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-earlylearningchallenge/index.html

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Key Takeaways from Stakeholder Conference Call

Prenatal through 8 framework with particular focus on 0-5 for this grant Increase access to high quality care

Balance access and quality Focus on ensuring that the programs children

have access to are high quality

Focus on bringing together program types – i.e. Head Start, child care, Title 1, home visiting, etc.

Workforce and family engagement are critical

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Next Steps

Details about the specific requirements, timeline, priorities and selection process are forthcoming Anticipated late summer announcement with grants

distributed by end of year

The Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, who will be jointly administering the grant, have set up a blog for stakeholders to offer feedback: http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/05/rtt-early-learning-challenge

In the meantime, EEC will: Preliminarily plan for its application (see next slides);

Begin gathering feedback and suggestions;

Consider the allocation of resources and staff time necessary to apply for the grant.

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EEC’s Preliminary Plan for RTT–ELCCenter for Excellence

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EEC’s Preliminary RTT-ELC Plan

EEC envisions RTT-ELC as an opportunity to bring early education and care system building to its next level. This would be done through three primary components:

Development of a statewide Center for Excellence to coordinate networks of supports to enhance early education and care program quality and services and supports to children, families and educators.

Building upon EEC’s developing Early Childhood Information System (ECIS) to collect and track data, allocate resources, and support children’s development• Will help support P-20 data system• Will serve as a mechanism to identify children’s developmental needs

and explore the provision of comprehensive services to children and families through resources and partnerships (i.e. CFCE)

Supporting and tracking educator quality and children’s growth and development• In partnership with QRIS, PQ Registry, ECIS, etc.• Engage with families around development; build upon existing

initiatives such as Strengthening Families and Help Me Grow

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Center for Excellence Core Components The Center for Excellence will act as a firewall among components of the

EEC system to ensure that all aspects are of the highest quality.

The Center for Excellence will serve four primary purposes: Act as a gateway to educator and provider supports to programs,

• Ensure partnerships with high quality trainers and consultants, and• Partner with higher education,

Support content-specific development such as literacy and STEM, Help maintain QRIS infrastructure by coordinating Environmental Rating

Scale (ERS) tools reliability ratings, and Oversee child assessment activities, including formative assessment as

well as summative school readiness and growth assessments (i.e. PVT, EVT, Ages & Stages SE, etc.)• Help link formative and summative assessment to the Early Childhood

Information System (ECIS)• Engage with families to obtain consent and provide supportive

feedback, as well as link to Ages and Stages (ASQ) data and information• Engage with families to understand assessment information and help

them access resources

Coordination of the Center for Excellence may include entities with: Early education and care content knowledge and expertise, Adult learner expertise, and Project manager capacity.

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Center for Excellence Core Components and Key Supporting Partnerships

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Higher Education

CFCE ECIS state partners (ESE, DPH etc.)

Consultants and Trainers

EEC Grantees

Center of Excellence Core Components The Center for Excellence will also:

Facilitate relationships with statewide and community partners across its primary functions to enhance access to high quality programs for children, support to families and resources to programs. Partners may include:• EEC grantees, including Coordinated Family and Community

Engagement (CFCE),

• State departments, including Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE), Higher Education (DHE), Public Health (DPH), etc.

• Early education and care providers and stakeholders, including programs, private entities, legislators, etc.

Support the collection and organization of educator quality and child-level data,• Interact with the Early Childhood Information System as it

continues to develop.

Ensure that policies and initiatives give sufficient attention to infants/toddlers and preschool age children as well as link with the public school system

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Anticipated Timeline of Events July/August, 2011

EEC will take steps to inform the ELC application:• As part of the SAC Needs Assessment EEC will survey educators to identify needs for resources

and issues and opportunities in supporting children and families development• EEC will facilitate community meetings to gather feedback/input on stakeholder (providers,

parents, etc.) values and priorities as they relate to EEC’s strategic direction and Early Learning Challenge plan, as well as particular activities/initiatives of focus for the grant application (i.e. STEM, etc.)

EEC will attempt to raise funds (~$70k) to support hiring a contractor to write the RTT-ELC grant application (with the planning, content and organization coordinated by EEC)

The Bessie Tartt Wilson Initiative for Children will hold four community-based groups across the state to gather feedback

Late Summer, 2011 Anticipated announcement from US DOE and HHS on the Early Learning Challenge Grant

requirements and application process

Fall, 2011 As part of the SAC Needs Assessment EEC will survey parents to identify needs for resources

and issues and opportunities in supporting children and families development

October/November, 2011 Anticipated date ELC grant application will be due

December, 2011 Funds distributed to Early Learning Challenge grantees

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EEC Advisory Council Feedback

On June 3rd, the Department presented its preliminary plan for the RTT-ELC Grant to the Advisory. The Advisory offered the following feedback, which has been incorporated into the presentation:

Make family engagement more visible as part of the RTT-ELC Grant• Strengthening Families• Help Me Grow

Ensure that all RTT-ELC grant activities consider both ends of the 0-5 continuum• Focus on infant/toddler as well as preschool and linking with

the public schools• Think about how to extend Early Intervention services for

children until age 5 for those that are at risk

Consider how EEC’s STEM work can be built into the application

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State Advisory Council (SAC) Feedback

Good set of core ideas for the RTT-ELC plan, including the Center for Excellence

Suggested it be made clear when communicating about RTT-ELC funding that if EEC is awarded funds it doesn’t necessarily mean more children will be served

Questioned whether the grant focus on teacher quality and growth and development would mean that educators would be evaluated based on children’s assessment scores

There is no indication that this is a plan for the RTT-ELC

Questioned who the Center for Excellence might be (state agencies, contractors, etc.)

Not yet determined, though the goal would be to create a sustainable entity

Suggested the Department think about the partnership between Head Start and Child Care funds, as modeled by the Federal partnership between DOE and HHS for RTT-ELC

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Feedback or Questions?

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