Early Childhood in Delaware

Verna Thompson

Early Development and Learning Resources EDLR Office

Early Childhood in Delaware Overview

Early Success Interagency Resource Management Committee Race to the Top Early Learning Foundations

Early Success: Delaware’s Early Childhood Plan

Early Success in Delaware

Ready + Ready Early Care + Ready + Ready = Ready

Families & Education Schools Communities Children

Interagency Resource Management Council

Interagency Resource Management Committee

Governor’s Office Staff, Secretaries of Education, HSS, DSCYF, Budget Director and Controller General

Role: Approval of policy and funding decisions

Cross-Departmental

Planning Work Group

Early Childhood Managers from DOE, DHSS and DSCYF including Data Managers

Role: Strategic Planning for a Comprehensive Early Childhood System

Delaware Early Childhood

Council

Roles: Public and Private sector oversight on implementation of Early Success and serve as advisors to the IRMC and the Cross-Departmental Planning Group

JL/JC 3/5/10

DHSS DOEDSCYF

Child Care Admin.CCDBG

TANF LinkPart C Child Find TransitionPublic Health Clinics ScreeningChild Identifca.Data: ISIS

Office of Early Education:Council; Prof DevelopmentCredentialing; CompetenciesInstitute for Excellence in ECECAPPATHS Collaboration OfficeIDEA 619Early Childhood Work Group Early Lrng Gdlns;

Accountability EC-PBSData: DELSIS/e-School

Child Care LicensingEarly Intervention OfficeChild Mental HealthFoster CareData: FACTS

Early Learning Challenge Grant

Overview

Delaware awarded $49.9 million Delaware 1 of 9 states to receive the grant Grant to be implemented between 2012-2015 Focus is on the “Whole Child” Birth to Five

Early Learning Challenge GrantFour Main Objectives

Strengthen the QRIS (DE Stars) for EC programs- Improve quality of instruction, services

Address needs of whole child B-5- Health, social-emotional and development

Build a professional, effective EC workforce Bolster alignment with the K-12 system

- Measure and improve kindergarten readiness

Overview of Objectives

Delaware’s strategy is to focus grant efforts on areas that have high impact for children

Strengthen Stars

ProfessionalWorkforce

WholeChild

AlignK-12

•Participation•Awareness•Supports

•Alignment•Credentials

•Compensation

•Supports•Home Visiting•Help Me Grow

•KindergartenEntry

•RTTT•Transition

Across all areas, direct greatest resources and focus toward the children, families, and programs.

1. Strengthen Delaware Stars QRIS

49% of grant funds designated to QRIS to: Improve program quality Increase tiered reimbursement and subsidy Provide coordinated & targeted TA Increase number of programs participating Increase number of high need children in high

quality centers Promote parent awareness of DE Stars

1. Strengthen Delaware Stars QRIS

Five Quality Tiers- Tier 1 – OCCL Licensing- Tier 5 – Highest Tier of Quality

Four Dimensions (Inclusion is embedded in all) - Learning Environments- Family and Community Partnerships- Professional Development- Qualifications- Management and Administration

1. Strengthen Delaware Stars QRIS

DE Stars Participation Targets in Top Tiers by 2015: 100% of child care centers 45% family child cares 100% Head Start and ECAP centers 50% of programs funded by IDEA Part B 619 50% of programs enrolled by IDEA Part C children 50% programs funded by Title 1 55% programs funded by CCDF (POC)

2. Children’s Birth to 5 Health, Social-Emotional, Development Needs

8% of funds designated to provide: Expanded early comprehensive screening Mental health, behavioral and nutritional supports Expanded use of evidence-based home visiting in

high needs areas Coordinating services across sectors

Provided through Help Me Grow initiative

3. Build a Professional, Effective Workforce of Early Childhood Educators.

28% of funds designated to include: Access to high-quality professional development Compensation to support recruitment & retention Revised career ladder for EC Workforce leadership development Higher education partnership

- Full alignment of 2 and 4 year programs with EC standards & competencies

4. Bolster alignment with K-12 system To measure & improve kindergarten readiness

12% of funds designated Align shared goals between EC and K-12 Plan and implement statewide kindergarten entry

assessment- To inform instruction in K- To provide data to assess outcomes of EC system

Align Early Learning Foundations with Common Core Strengthen connections between schools and ECE

programs

Delaware Early Learning Foundations

Delaware Early Learning Foundations

Revised in 2010 Process

- Stakeholders Group - Expert Review – Dr. Catherine Scott-Little

Developmentally, Linguistically, culturally appropriate Alignment

- K-12 Standards- Common Core Standards- Alignment to OSEP Child outcomes

OCCL child care regulations - ELF for planning activities

Early Learning Foundations

Questions? Comments?

Make Two Master Slides Available

Secondary option also included as a master layout

Used for charts, tables, and any slide where the dark blue background doesn’t work

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