denver early childhood council fy 11-12 annual report

2011-2012

Annual Report

Denver Early

Childhood Council

Serving as Denver’s Early Childhood Hub

The vision of the Denver Early Childhood Council is that every young child in

Denver enters school ready to succeed.

Our mission is to serve as Denver’s early childhood hub, leveraging resources,

opportunities, and connections to create a quality system that impacts the lives of

children and their families.

Our Team:

Emily Bustos

Executive Director

Sharon Prueitt Keiser

Director of Finance and

Operations

Nicole Riehl

Director of Quality

Improvement Initiatives

Adey Dimalanta

Manager of Professional

Development

Jenna Bannon Davis

Manager of Systems

Building

Liliana Flores Amaro

Technical Assistance

Consultant

Kelly Bowes

Assessment &

Evaluation Consultant

Lalania Carillo

Lead Program Assistant

Erin Gager

Program Assistant

Robin Mest

Database Coordinator Visit us at www.DenverEarlyChildhood.org!

http://www.denverearlychildhood.org

Letter from the Executive Director

As I reflect back on our first year of operations as an independent nonprofit, I am amazed at how well our organization has navigated so many changes in such a short amount of time. When we settled into our new office in early July, we couldn’t have imagined how our team of 5 could grow to 10 in just a few short months.

I truly appreciate how our staff members have weathered the constantly changing environment not just with tolerance, but real enthusiasm. This unwavering dedication to bringing people

together to improve the early years of a child’s life embodies our team’s core values. Our new mission guides our work in the community to:

As you read through the Annual Report, you can see which aspects of our work reflect these core values by looking for these building blocks at the bottom of each page. We believe that focusing our efforts in these areas will help build and sustain the foundations for a thriving early childhood system capable of true and lasting impact on the lives of Denver’s children and families.

Our Board of Directors has played an integral role in developing a solid governance infrastructure that has allowed our organization to scale up with few growing pains. My heartfelt thanks for their many hours of service to the Council and those we serve.

Thanks must also be given to our committed network of community partners who inform our work and broaden our connection to community needs across the domains of early learning, family support & parent engagement, social-emotional & mental health, and health.

Best wishes to each and all of you for success in this New Year.

Emily Bustos, Executive Director Denver Early Childhood Council

Impact the Quality of Services for Young Children

Build the Foundations of an Early Childhood System

Create a Thriving Organization

Emily Bustos, Executive Director

Page 1 of 12

Internal capacity is at the core of leveraging

resources, opportunities and connections to positively impact services and the early childhood system.

Taking a Whole Child Approach

to School Readiness The effect of teaching

on student learning is

greater than student

ethnicity, family

income, school

attended, or class size

Comprehensive,

coordinated services for

young children will yield

cost savings to state

systems, community

resources, and families



Create a Thriving Organization

Access to quality

early learning

materials helps

student achievement

and improves

reading skills.

Social Emotional

Development moved

to the forefront

of our child health

and wellness

integrated approach

Page 2 of 12

Quality Improvement Initiatives

Our Quality Improvement Initiatives include the

School Readiness Quality Improvement Program and the Denver Preschool Program.

These programs strive to enhance quality in early child-hood education and improve the school readiness of all Denver children five years of age and younger, by coordinating targeted resources to Early Childhood Education Providers including: coaching, training, quality learning materials, technology, and technical assistance.

In the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the Denver Early Childhood Council provided:

2,830 hours of coaching

218 hours of stand-alone training

102 hours of training paired with coaching

$60,331.47 toward ECE Coursework Reimbursement

$205,000 of qualified learning materials and technology

to 650 classrooms in 255

childcare provider sites in Denver.

All sites participating in our Quality

Improvement initiatives are required to be quality rated by an independent third-party.

Participating childcare providers have

recognized consistent and significant gains in quality

year over year as a result of the additional quality improvement supports and resources

we provided.

“...the School Readiness program has

made a difference for the children and families in our

community. They have been given choices for quality

programming that supports children’s learning and readiness to

enter school prepared.“

~Karen Enboden, VP of Programs at Mile High Montessori Early Learning Centers


Build the Foundations of an Early Childhood System Page 3 of 12

A Closer Look at Quality Improvement: Denver Preschool Program

253

Sites 586

Class- rooms

81% Of participating programs

received high

quality ratings of

3 or 4 stars

How Sites spent their credits:*

$94,307 1,721

Hours

$143,643

*DPP Sites receive Quality

Improvement credits based on how

many classrooms they have and

their overall Quality Rating

Programs are evaluated based on the Qualistar

Rating ™ of 0-4 stars.

In 2012-13 DPP is launching a pilot program to

include the CLASS evaluation tool, which takes a

closer look at teacher-child interactions.

Impact the Quality of Services for Young Children Page 4 of 12

= 20 licensed sites

= 25 classrooms

Passed by Denver voters in 2006, the Denver Preschool Program (DPP) provides tuition credits to all Denver families and quality improvement resources to licensed early childhood education (ECE) providers in Denver; to ensure that all Denver children have access to high

quality early education. DECC manages and coordinates DPP’s targeted quality improvement resources and activities for participating ECE providers.

A Closer Look at Quality Improvement: School Readiness Quality Improvement Program

30

Sites 120

Class- rooms

Made available

through Child Care &

Development Block

Grant funding, the

School Readiness

Quality Improvement

Program supports

quality ratings and

quality improvement

resources for early

childhood programs

serving children that

will likely attend

low-performing public

schools.

Since 2003, DECC has

been administering

the program for

Denver County which

has infused over $2

million dollars into our

ECE community.

of Quality

1,169 Hours

Improvement

Coaching

to

classrooms $27,719

to assist sites with

Assessment and

Evaluation

We Spent $124,953 on

Learning Materials

An average of $1,050

per classroom!

C

B

A

We purchased over 70 cribs for

ECE providers to meet new and improved federal safety standards.


We provided

And we

provided

Professional Development

Our Professional Development and Denver

Child Care Resource & Referral programs expand

access to high quality training and scholarship

programs that provide guidance on industry best

practices and evidence-based curriculums to help

early childhood professionals increase their

knowledge and apply it in the classroom.

Our professional development offerings are often paired with on-site coaching that

enhances the application and effectiveness of the delivered content.

DECC provided 336 hours of

Expanding Quality for Infants & Toddlers

(EQIT) training for more than 130 providers

in the 2011-2012 fiscal year—in addition to the

trainings mentioned under DECC’s Quality

Improvement Initiatives.

In order to expand access to high-quality

trainings and information sessions, DECC often

combines funding to offer additional

community slots available to all Denver early

childhood

education professionals, including family home

providers and broad-based early childhood


Before taking this course, I was not confident enough in work-ing with the infant and toddler population. Through the weeks I learned so many valuable things that I will carry with me while I work with

ch


“Before taking this course, I was not confident enough in working with the infant and toddler population. Through the weeks I learned so many valuable things that I will carry with me while I work with children. This course has helped me very much to provide quality care. I’m grateful for this opportunity. “

-EQIT Training Attendee

A Closer Look at Professional Development: Expanding Quality for Infants & Toddlers

Child Care Resource & Referral

“This program has really been a credit to my childcare home... I have learned to do more quality activities and it has upgraded my child care. I learned a lot from the instruc-tors. It has made me more professional in my business.”

-Family Childcare Provider

EQIT is a 48-hour training for

teachers working directly with

infants and toddlers or their

Directors and Assistant

Directors. The hands-on

curriculum was developed for

adult learners by the Colorado

Department of Education and

is a favorite of participants.

This class is required for home

providers seeking an infant/

toddler license and can be used

in place of a college course

(ECE 111) for those seeking

Director's and Early Childhood

Teacher Qualifications.

As Denver’s Child Care Resource and

Referral Agency (CCR&R)

for providers in Denver, we support

potential and existing child care

programs and professionals by

providing technical assistance,

training and coaching services.

DECC offered

7 EQIT

classes throughout the

year

From which 138 Child Care

Professionals Graduated = 5 graduating students

DECC is contracted to provide

a minimum of

of training based on

Division of Child Care

Licensing’s Core

Content areas.

This year

we provided over hours!

hours

We answered over 50 Resource &

Referral questions! = 10 questions


Quality Improvement + Professional Development = Combined Impact

255 licensed sites in Denver County

over 650

Classrooms that implemented

significant Quality

Improvement

activities

And at least 400 additional classrooms indirectly benefit

from Quality Improvement & Professional Development activities

This year we served... = 20 licensed

sites

= 25 class-

rooms

= 50

children

That means, our programs collectively

impacted over 7,250 children

in Denver County!



Child Health Integration

In the 2011-2012 fiscal year, DECC convened four community meetings and strategic learning opportunities featuring eight experts in issues impacting child health. Additionally, DECC has incorporated child health activities into our Strategic Plan to further integrate child health awareness and best practices into all of our programmatic offerings.

School

Readiness

Child Health Behavioral

Health

Early Learning Family Support

Early Childhood System of Care

Participation on the Health Integration & Program Committee has been incredibly valuable in sharing information on services available for families in Denver and getting the word out about the Nurse Family Partnership program. It has widened our program’s circle of influence. -Marti Potter, Denver Health


implements cross-systems planning, coordination and collaboration opportunities between the

early childhood education, health, behavioral health, family support, and parent engagement partners.

The Early Childhood Health Integration Initiative

This initiative has brought partners together to examine what the barriers are in creating a systemic approach to child health and raised awareness of the critical importance of child health - from oral and mental health to nutrition and physical activity – in a child’s overall school readiness.

We have built strong

partnerships with Denver Health, Public Health, Nurse Family

Partnerships, Early Intervention, and Child Find in our joint efforts to impact child health.

Early Childhood Systems Building

Our Early Childhood Systems Building Initiative includes efforts around increasing availability,

quality, and accessibility of services for children and families and increasing the capacity of

early learning providers. This is accomplished through building public will, fostering strategic

learning and collaboration, and system-wide data analysis to build the foundations of a

thriving early childhood system in Denver.

Create a Thriving Organization Page 10 of 12

Did you know? As a result of the 2011-2012 Strategic Planning process, we hired two new coaches to ensure that childcare providers have access to high quality, lower cost coaching services. By doing so, we are leveraging existing resources, diversifying funding, and increasing our own financial stability.

Key Accomplishments:

DECC held an elected officials reception and Partner Network Open House with close to

100 people participating.

Organizational Capacity Building Milestones

Health Integration and Program Committees, comprised of twenty early childhood

community members and stakeholders, met regularly to guide systems building

and programmatic work.

July 1, 2011 - the DECC launches

officially as an independent 501c3

nonprofit and moves into new offices

in the Phillips Center (now Tramway

Nonprofit Center).

Staff, our Nonprofit Transition Work

Group, and the Finance Committee

immediately begin setting up all

operational, fiscal management, and

human resources systems from the

ground up.

July 7, 2011 - the Board of

Directors vote to amend the

bylaws to change the

Fall 2011 – Board approves operational

and governance policies and procedures.

These include: Employee Handbook,

Internal Fiscal Controls, Executive

Compensation, Document Retention and

Destruction, Capitalization, Budget

Modification, Information Sharing,

Conflict of Interest, Anti-discrimination, and

Letter of Support policies. Board also

approves our 2012-2015 Strategic Plan.

Spring 2012 – Our first

Director of Finance and

Operations is hired in March

2012. This greatly increases our

capacity to provide high quality oversight for both the operational

and fiscal sectors of our work while easing the administrative burden

for executive and program staff. Our financial systems and

internal culture have been set up in full alignment with our federal

A-133 audit requirements and general nonprofit best practices.

composition of the

Board of Directors to

foster

independent

members and

to further define their

role as

a “Working Board”.

Early Childhood Systems Building

Denver Early Childhood Council Committees & Work Groups




Our standing committees, comprised of experts and community members, provide

governance and oversight of our work. Our Executive, Finance & Audit, Nominating, and

Program Committees meet monthly with staff to review progress, approve policies and

procedures, and provide guidance. Committee check-ins, reports and status updates are

provided to the Executive Director, Board and Committees regularly to ensure accountability

for work performed and overall communication of progress to our internal stakeholders.

Additionally, DECC convened work groups in the following areas:

Community Assessment & Strategic Planning

As part of our Early Childhood Council Initiative Proposal process for 2012-15 we completed a Local

Systems Assessment process for our council area. This intensive and data-driven process included a com-

prehensive community profile. This participatory process also helped lay the groundwork for our Strategic

Planning process which was completed and approved by the board in early 2012. Resource Development

An environmental scan and series of donor and funder interviews was performed on behalf of the

Denver Early Childhood Council in late 2011. The primary goal of these interviews was to solicit

information regarding funding trends that may impact DECC as we transitioned into the nonprofit arena. The

specific action plan and recommendations have shaped DECC priorities around Resource

Development, Data, Analysis and Mapping and Strategic Communications for the coming year.

Strategic Communications/Resource Hub

Since moving into our new offices we have turned the large conference room into a community training room

that can be used for meetings of all sizes. As we become a “hub” for resources and information for our

partners, we have held several council trainings and events in our new space and make it available to our

Network Partners as well. We also send out E-mail Action and E-News Alerts to inform our partners regarding

emerging issues and opportunities for input, and have upgraded our website to make it more user-friendly.

Evaluation & Data Management

We assessed our data systems and identified recommended improvements and efficiencies that could be

created. We were able to create an in-house Data and Evaluation Coordinator position that is responsible

for administering, evaluating and modifying DECC’s databases in response to organizational needs and for

day-to-day system integrity.

As shown in the Income and Expense by Quarter graph, income increased steadily throughout the year, outperforming our original projections and allowing us to end the year with over $1.2 million in revenues.

We anticipate additional revenue growth as we strive to diversify funding in the areas of foundation grants, earned income, and individual donations.

Given our current funding makeup (90% reimbursable grants), we have set the goal of establishing an operating reserve equal to one month’s expenses within 3-5 years.

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Total Income $167,851 $230,929 $358,206 $465,766

Total Expense $176,512 $266,274 $377,731 $406,135

Total Net Assets $130,113 $94,768 $75,243 $134,874

$130,113$94,768

$75,243

$134,874

$0$50,000

$100,000$150,000$200,000$250,000$300,000$350,000$400,000$450,000$500,000

Denver Early Childhood CouncilIncome and Expense by Quarter

July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012




We spent 90% of our expenses on our Quality Improvement, Systems Building, Professional Development, and Child Health programs!

Fiscal Year 2011-2012 Financial Overview Unqualified

Unqualified Unqualified audit opinion for

audit opinion for

audit opinion for FY11FY11FY11---12 12 12 AAA---133 audit!

133 audit!133 audit!

To view audited financial statements & Form 990 visit www.denverearlychildhood.org/about/governance/

http://www.denverearlychildhood.org/about/governance/

2011-2012 Board:

Gerie Grimes Board Chair Hope Center

Lynn Andrews

Board Vice Chair Clayton Early Learning

David Cordova

Board Treasurer CPA

Susan Rider

Board Secretary Little Friends Learning Center

Anna Jo Haynes

Early Childhood Leadership Commission

Carol Edwards

Denver Public Library

Cheryl Caldwell Denver Public Schools

Devvy Altman

Kentwood City Properties

Diana Gadison Early Success Academy

Jennifer Draper Carson

Denver Parent

June Allen Denver Department of

Human Services

Lydia Prado, Ph.D. Mental Health Center of Denver

Marie Hueston

Family Flex Early Education Center

Pamela Harris, Ph.D.

Mile High Montessori Early Learning Center

Sonja O’Leary, MD

Denver Health

Susan Gallo, Ph.D. Denver Mayor’s Office for

Education and Children

Looking Forward New opportunities abound as we peek into the next fiscal year!

Shared Services to Reduce Overhead Denver Early Childhood Council and Civic Canopy are current tenants in the Urban Land Conservancy’s Tramway Nonprofit Center located in the Cole neighborhood in Denver. We plan to collaborate in order to tap programmatic synergies and administrative cost-savings by sharing services in the Tramway Nonprofit Center. Our complementary missions in strengthening neighborhoods, families and children will serve as a foundation for collaborative interactions and outcomes.

Expansion of Child Health Programs As our Phase I Early Childhood Health Integration work wraps up, we are excited to continue the work to better integrate health services and engage health practitioners in the development of local early childhood systems. We are now in the planning stages for our Social Emotional Early Development (SEED) Initiative, which utilizes the Pyramid Plus Approach and support services such as coaching, professional development trainings and mental health consultation to improve knowledge, access and availability of early childhood social-emotional development and mental health resources for early learning providers in Denver.

Spotlight on Early Childhood in Colorado Exciting developments are also on the horizon for the early childhood system in Colorado with national attention and several large changes being proposed that will impact the all elements of the system.

Special thanks to our founding individual donors that

donated throughout our first year as a nonprofit:

Thank you to our generous supporters that make the work of the Council possible.

Thank you for learning more about our work. Please consider supporting Denver Early Childhood Council by giving online:

www.givingfirst.org/denverearlychildhoodcouncil

June Allen Devvy Altman Lynn Andrews Alicia Biggs Cheryl Caldwell

Jessica Campbell David Cordova Carol Edwards Diana Gadison Susan Gallo, Ph.D.

Gerie Grimes Pamela Harris, Ph.D. Anna Jo Haynes Marie Hueston Susan Kay

Sonja O'Leary Lydia Prado Susan Rider Lisa Roy Rebecca Tankersley

Diana Romero-Campbell

denver early childhood council fy 11-12 annual report

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