2016 ANNUAL EARLY CHILDHOODACCOUNTABILITY REPORT

Message from the CommissionerThe Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is pleased to submit its second Annual Early Childhood Accountability Report to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education and appropriations, per C.G.S. Section 10 - 503. In these challenging fiscal times the OEC has continued to deliver critical oversight and support for early childhood programs and services. You will see outcome data on health, safety, kindergarten readiness, and early school success.

This Accountability Report provides a window into the impact of the major early childhood investments housed at the OEC: early care and education, quality improvement programs, licensing, and home visiting programs, including Birth to Three. This report will help the legislature understand, in a snapshot, the high-level population, program, and system measures that reflect OEC’s impact and contribution to early childhood outcomes. The OEC has an ambitious data development agenda and looks forward to the time when our data system currently in development has caught up to our thirst for sharing data.

I look forward to partnering with the legislature to continue to build a more robust and effective early childhood system in 2017.

Sincerely, Linda Goodman Acting Commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood

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Accountability Measures

Population Indicator

Program Performance

Measures

System Performance

Measures

HealthNumber and percent

of children with identified disabilities

Number of children recieving screening for developmental delays

using ASQ

Percent of 3 year olds in public school special education

who never received Birth to Three services

Safety

Rates of substantiated child abuse and

neglect in children under 6

Substantiated Abuse and Neglect Findings at Licensed Childcare

Facilities

Deaths and serious injuries in licensed child

care facilities

Participation in home visiting programs

Portion of care in licensed facilities*

Access to home visiting programs^

Readiness of Children at

Kindergarten Entry

Kindergarten Entry Inventory data^

Participation in funded early care and education programs*

Equity in access to early care and

education*

Early School Success of Children

Statewide grade 3 assessment results

(Smarter Balanced)

Percent of children utilizing special education (K-3)

Percent of children repeating a grade

(K-3)

Percent of Students Chronically Absent

(K-2)

3^= Under data development *=Data discussed in Unmet Needs Report

HealthThe Office of Early Childhood (OEC) contributes to the health of children in CT by supporting their early development. OEC administers Birth to Three, Connecticut’s IDEA Part C Federal entitlement program for children with disabilities. OEC also coordinates with the IDEA Part B Early Childhood Special Education program. The OEC also funds Child Development Infoline, the state’s system for early childhood development promotion, surveillance, screening, and referral to services, which includes the screening program Help Me Grow.

Population Measure: Number and Percent of Children with Identified DisabilitiesThe number and percent of children identified as having disabilities in early childhood is an important population measure. Identifying and intervening early with families of children with significant developmental delays is associated with potential future cost savings.

Children with Identified Disabilities Served By IDEA: July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016Children Enrolled and Served*

% of All Children ages 0, 1, and 2

Birth to Three (Part C ages 0 through 2) 10,2881 9.3%4

* Total Number of Children Served between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016

The number of children enrolled in Birth to Three at a point in time (12/1)2 has increased on average by about 2% per year over the last three years. The census estimates have in turn dropped approximately 1% each year so the percent enrolled has increased. The number of children under age two continues to remain stable. All the growth has been seen in children over age two. This is when autism is most easily identified and there continues to been an steady increase in the number of children with autism in Birth to Three. There are approximately 7% more children of Hispanic origin in Birth to Three than in the population estimates for children under age 3. Not including children whose families self-identified as Hispanic, there are approximately 2% fewer White, African American, Asian and children of more than one race in Birth to Three than in population estimates. There continues to be more boys (66%) than girls (34%) in Birth to Three.

8,691 3 children were enrolled in Preschool Special Education (IDEA Part B) as of December 1, 2015 which represents 7.47% 3of the estimated total number of children ages 3,4, or 5. The number enrolled increased by 3% from 2014 to 2015 and by 5% the year from 2013 to 2014. For children ages 3-5 there are more boys (72%) than girls (28%) enrolled in IDEA Part B.

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HealthProgram Measure: # of Children Recieving Developmental Screening ServicesScreening for developmental delays helps ensure that children and their families receive timely supports for developmental delays. The Help Me Grow program within the Child Development Infoline helps to publicize and facilitate use of a specific screening tool for parents: the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). Additionally, children are screened in ASQ through the home visiting programs of the OEC with both state and Federal funding. Children who require additional assessment are referred appropriately.

Number of Children Recieving Ages and Stages Screening in Fiscal Years 20165

Total screened using ASQHelp Me Grow Program 5,778State Funded Home Visiting Program (Nurturing Families Network Program)

1,616

Federally Funded Home Visiting Programs (Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Funded Programs)

998

Total 7,906 System Performance Measure: Percent of 3 Year Olds with Unidentified Disabilities at Public School EnrollmentUnidentified disabilities in early childhood are missed opportunities to help children and families at the time when children can most benefit. Though some disabilities don’t present themselves until a child is in a particular learning environment, the following are data on children newly enrolled in school with a disability or delay who were not part of an earlier intervention program (Birth to Three). This number would include both previously unidentified children with disabilities or delays and newly emerging or newly identifiable disabilities.

Numbers of Three Year Olds in Special Education in Public Schools6

Total % Who Never Received Birth to Three Services2014/2015 2,391 30.5%2015/2016 2,420 29.0%

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SafetyThe OEC administers two major programs to enhance the safety of young children in Connecticut with regard to injuries sustained in childcare and abuse and neglect prevention. Child care licensing staff monitor the health and safety standards in early care and education and youth camp facilities. Home visiting programs support families caring for young children and work to prevent abuse and neglect as well as promote child and family health outcomes.

Population Measure: Number and and Rates of Substantiated Abuse and NeglectThe number of young children who have been abused or neglected (as substantiated by the Department of Children and Families) is a major indication of the safety of children and wellbeing of families. Many programs in the OEC seek to contribute to the reduction of this population measure by strengthening families and preventing abuse and neglect.

Rates of Children with Substantiated Cases of Abuse and Neglect by Calendar Year7

Unique Substantiated Victims (Children Ages 0-5) Substantiation Rate2016* 3,572 27.5%2015 3,222 25.4%2014 3,172 24.1%

*Note: Data as of 2/9/17, and shows 576 (1.8%) of all reports accepted during CY16 still with pending dispositions.

Substantiated Abuse/Neglect Findings at Licensed Facilities: 20168

Instances of Abuse Instances of NeglectLicensed Child Care Center 2 4Licensed Group Home Child Care Home 0 0Licensed Family Child Care Homes 2 4

To ensure childcare settings are safe for children in 2016, OEC staff conducted 10,971 fingerprint background checks, conducted 7,221 inspections, investigated 943 complaints, and took disciplinary action on programs and providers 90 times.

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SafetyProgram Measure: Deaths and Serious Injuries in Licensed Child Care FacilitiesDeaths and serious injuries in licensed child care and youth camp facilities is a measure of the safety of formal out-of-home care programs for young children. The licensing staff of the OEC enforce regulations that ensure child care and youth camp facilities meet required health and safety standards.

Aggregate Information on Deaths and Serious Injuries in Childcare Facilities 20168

2016Deaths 4 (2 in licensed program, 2 at illegal facilities)Serious Injuries in Licensed Childcare Facilities 0*

* Note: Currently licensed childcare facilities are only required to report injuries that result in a child’s admission to the hospital. The data system for capturing this information is new with only a few months of data.

Program Measure: Participation in Home Visiting ProgramsHome visiting programs support families raising young children. These programs are evidence-based to reduce rates of child abuse and neglect and promote health and family stability outcomes such as increasing rates of breastfeeding, well-child visits, employment, and maternal depression screening.

Participation in Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs9

Families Served in OEC Home Visiting ProgramMaternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs (MIECHV) (Federal Funds)*

1,334

Nurturing Families Network (State Funds) 2,049Total 3,383

* These include Nurturing Families Network, Child First, Nurse Family Partnership and Early Head Start.

System Performance Measure: Access to Home Visiting ProgramsThe home visiting system is growing through state and federal investments to serve families most at risk for adverse family and child outcomes. A full analysis of need and access (still under data development) will allow the state to monitor the percent of “high risk” families who are able to access these home visiting services. As a rough proxy, in 2010, 14,477 children were born into poverty in Connecticut and more than 1,626 births in 2013 were to teenage mothers. 10 Many of these families would benefit from participation in home visiting.

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Readiness of Children at Kindergarten Entry

The OEC administers several major programs to provide access to support children’s readiness to enter kindergarten and bolster their school success. The OEC funds access to high-quality early care and education programs as a major strategy to achieve this goal.

Population Measure: Kindergarten Entry Inventory Data Connecticut Public Act 15-227 10-14n(h) Section 26 called for the development and implementation of a “state-wide developmentally appropriate kindergarten assessment tool that measures a child’s level of preparedness for kindergarten.” The OEC is developing this new tool in a seven state consortium. Once complete, the new, revised Kindergarten Entry Inventory will be administered by public schools to all children entering kindergarten. The data collected will provide information about children’s preparedness for kindergarten to teachers, schools, communities, and the state. The aggregated data, to be reported here, will address the domains of Social Foundations, Language and Literacy, Mathematics, and Physical Development. The KEI will not be designed as a tool for teacher evaluation, program evaluation, or to determine an individual child’s eligibility for kindergarten. This data is under data development.

Program Measure: Participation in Funded Early Care and Education ProgramsParticipation in a high-quality early care and education program can help prepare a child for success in kindergarten and beyond. This data, under data development, will provide insight into which children are accessing early care and education with the support of state and federal funds. The unmet needs report will address this question in depth. It is due to be released this winter.

System Performance Measure: Equity in Access to Early Care and EducationA significant measure of the performance of the early care and education system in Connecticut is the degree of equity in access and utilization of high-quality early care and education programs is. Data development underway includes the ability to report on relative access based on race, income, geography, and age. The unmet needs report will address this question in depth. It is due to be released this winter.

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Early School Success of ChildrenThe OEC partners closely with the State Department of Education (SDE) to monitor and improve the early school success of children in grades K-3.

Population Measure: Statewide Grade 3 Assessment ResultsSDE assesses student achievement levels at grade 3 and report them annually. The OEC’s programs such as early care and education funding contribute to increasing these academic measures statewide.

Smarter Balanced Results: 2015-16 11

Percent of Children in Grade 3 that Meet or Exceed the Achievement LevelEnglish Language Arts 53.9%Mathematics 52.8%

Program Measure: Percent of Children Utilizing Special Education (k-3)The OEC and SDE monitor participation in IDEA-funded entitlement programs in the earliest learning environments: Birth to Three, Preschool Special Education, and Elementary School Special Education. Early identification of a children’s needs and access to supports benefits children’s long-term educational success. The contribution of all OEC-funded programs to bolster children’s development contributes to lowering the rates of children who may need special education services in later grades.

Students served under IDEA Part B, as a percentage of population: 20153

Age of Child Percent of Population5 8.2%6 8.5%7 9.4%8 11.0%

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Early School Success of ChildrenA high-performing system would ensure that children are ready and able to participate and school environments are ready and able to include all children. The OEC partners closely with the State Department of Education (SDE) to monitor and improve the early school success of children in grades K-3.

System Performance Measure: Percent of Children Repeating a grade (K-3)1.6% of the 14,7075 students in K, 1, 2, or 3 remained in the same grade from October 2015 to October 2016. 12

System Performance Measure: Chronic Absenteeism DataSDE tracks chronic absenteeism for children in public school. The OEC’s programs such as early care and education and home visiting contribute to increasing these academic measures statewide.

Students Chronically Absent by Grade for School Year 2015/201613

Percent of Children Chronically AbsentKindergarten 9.8%First Grade 7.4%Second Grade 6.2%

The number of children chronically absent in the early grades has declined since the 2014/2015 school year by over 1% in each grade.

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Endnotes1. Connecticut Office of Early Childhood Birth to Three System FY16 Annual Data Report.

2. U.S. Department of Education, IDEA Section 618 Data Products: State Level Data Files: “ IDEA Part C Child Count and

Settings” 2015 Data extracted as of February, 2017 from https://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepidea/618-data/state-level-

data-files/index.html#cccs.

3. U.S. Department of Education, IDEA Section 618 Data Products: State Level Data Files: “ IDEA Part B Child Count and

Educational Environments” 2015 Data extracted as of February, 2017 from https://www2.ed.gov/programs/

osepidea/618-data/state-level-data-files/index.html#cccs.

4. U.S. Bureau of the Census. “Annual Estimates of the Resident Population by Single Year of Age and Sex for the United States,

States, and Puerto Rico Commonwealth: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015 “ Data accessed February 2017 from https://

factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=PEP_2015_PEPSYASEX&prodType=table

5. Help Me Grow reports that in state fiscal year 2016 5,778 children received screening services. MIECHV home visiting

programs administered by the OEC report an additional 998 children screened using the ASQ during the 2016 federal

fiscal year. Nurturing Families Network programs screened 1,616 children in the 2016 state fiscal year.

6. Data provided by the State Department of Education in February 2017 from the Special Education Data Application and

Collection.

7. Data provided by Department of Children and Families February 2017.

8. Connecticut Office of Early Childhood: Division of Licensing, 1/4/2017, 2/17/2017

9. Connecticut Office of Early Childhood: Family Support Division. MIECHV numbers represent federal fiscal year (10/1/15-

9/29/16) and Nurturing Families Network represents state fiscal year 2016.

10. “Connecticut Registration Report Births, Deaths, and Marriages Calendar Year 2013”, State of Connecticut Department of

Public Health, July, 2016, Page 23

11. Data reported by State Department of Education on EdSight for Smarter Balanced results reporting, data access February

2016 from “http://edsight.ct.gov/SASPortal/main.do”

12. Data reported by State Department of Education February, 2017.

13. Data reported by State Department of Education on EdSight for Student Attendance reporting, data access February 2016

from “http://edsight.ct.gov/SASPortal/main.do”

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