south-central oregon early learning hub five … · south-central oregon early learning hub five...

SOUTH-CENTRAL OREGON EARLY LEARNING HUB FIVE-YEAR WORK PLAN

Goal 1: QUALITY CHILD CARE Improve access to quality child care through implementing the QRIS.

Objectives Tasks - Year 1 Tasks - Years 2 – 5

1.1 Promote participation in CCR&R professional development classes, enrollment in the Oregon Registry, and Professional Development Plans. 1.2 Connect Families, Friends and Neighbors providers with Parenting Hub classes. 1.3 Train “ready” child care providers to use developmental screening instruments and referral protocols.

Support CCR&R in raising awareness of planned professional development classes, Oregon Registry, and Professional Development Plans through information sessions, newsletters, and website. Identify incentives for participation. Assist rural providers with accessing online options for accredited coursework. Develop Parenting Hub courses that are tailored to “families, friends, and neighbors” child care. Assign the Parent/Consumer Advisory Council to work with CCR&R to develop strategies that reach out to families about the importance of choosing quality child care. Assign the Professional Advisory Committee to work with CCR&R to develop training methods for child care providers to conduct developmental screening and appropriately refer young children with developmental delays. Identify “ready” child care providers and begin training.

Connect CCR&R and local community colleges to expand offerings in accredited coursework for child care professionals. Implement specialized Parenting Hub courses and conduct outreach to increase attendance. Implement parent outreach strategies to promote quality care. Identify additional “ready” child care providers. Evaluate and assess training methods, adjust and train more providers. Engage workforce providers to focus on early learning as a sector for enhanced training opportunities.

Measurable Five-Year Outcomes Increase the number of child care providers within the Hub region participating in the Oregon Registry by 50% in five years. Increase the number of child care providers that are working on moving up the QRIS tiers by 25% in five years. Increase the number of children participating in high quality early learning experiences as measured by QRIS by 25% in three years (required metric).

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Goal 2: HOME VISITING Expand and streamline home visiting services for families needing ongoing support, with family support managers and other family support workers acting as tutors and mentors for families.


2.1 Align services to create a home visiting system that serves all at-risk families who need home visits, blending traditional eligibility silos. 2.2 Implement identified screening protocols. 2.3 Implement identified referral protocols.

Assign the Professional Advisory Committee to further develop an aligned home visiting system model, breaking down silos in existing home visiting programs. Review:

• Caseloads • Protocols • Decline rates • Quality issues

Combine the Healthy Start Advisory Board functions into the Professional Advisory Committee. Pilot test the Home Visiting System Entry Questionnaire. Develop training for early learning staff on “quality basics” and “warm handoff” best practices.

Field test the aligned home visiting system. Review home visiting data to assess progress, adjust and improve services based on data. Develop outreach strategies for hard-to-reach families to expand screening. Assign Parent/Consumer Advisory Committee to review and evaluate protocols for sharing screening results with families. Implement protocols. Continue to expand screening through relationship with CCOs. (See Goal 4.)

Measurable Five-Year Outcomes Increase the number of at-risk families receiving regular home visits by 20% in five years. Increase the numbers of appropriate referrals to services by 50% in five years. Decrease foster care entry by 10% and increase foster care return by 10% over five years (required metrics). Increase children served safely at home by 50% over five years (required metric). Decrease the average age of onset services from age 1 year 3 months to age 6 months over five years (required metric).

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Goal 3: SUPPORTS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES OR DELAYS Expand coordination with community agencies and school districts to enhance early learning for children with developmental disabilities or delays.


3.1 Target Parenting Hub trainings to identified needs of families of children with developmental disabilities or delays. 3.2 Expand child care options for families of children with disabilities or delays. 3.3. Provide additional parent engagement opportunities as part of P-3 alignment. 3.4 Increase awareness and skills among early learning and social services providers to promote inclusion and address the needs of families of children with disabilities or delays.

Develop parent training sessions that meet family needs. Implement and evaluate trainings. Integrate child care for families with disabilities or delays into the QRIS strategies (See Goal 1). Assign Professional Advisory Committee to develop a training plan for raising awareness and skills about inclusion of children with disabilities in other service sectors. Expand peer support for families.

Implement and evaluate additional parent training sessions. Assess QRIS strategies, evaluate and adapt. Assign Parent/Consumer Advisory Committee to review training plan from a parent perspective. Implement and evaluate the training plan.

Measurable Five-Year Outcomes Increase services available to children with disabilities or delays and their families, including child care, parenting classes, and parent engagement opportunities as part of P-3 alignment (system outcome).

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Goal 4: HEALTH CARE TRANSFORMATION Execute agreements with coordinated care organizations (CCOs) serving the region so that health care and early learning overlaps are tightly coordinated.


4.1 Jointly implement recommendations from the Early Learning Council/Health Policy Board Joint Subcommittee.

Begin joint discussions with each of the five coordinated care organizations to discuss improved care coordination and other mutual interests. Seek cross governance with CCO boards or, at a minimum, information sharing. Assure cross governance with Community Advisory Councils. Conduct a joint needs assessment between the CCOs and Hub. Work with the coordinated care organizations to expand developmental screening and align screening tools. Develop consistent protocols for sharing screening results with families.

Discuss and implement shared utilization of Oregon Health Authority’s Transformation Center to align early learning and health systems. Develop strategies for increasing general developmental screenings. Develop strategies for enrollment in patient-centered primary care homes. Collect shared health outcome data and assign to Professional Advisory Committee for review.

Measurable Five-Year Outcomes Increase number of children under age 3 who receive general developmental screenings from 1,607 to 6,000 in five years (required metric). Increase the number of children age 6 and under enrolled in patient-centered primary care homes from 903 to 6,000 (required metric).

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Goal 5: PARENTING SKILLS Promote strong parenting skills, building on our successful parenting hub with a nine-year track record.


5.1 Promote parent education curricula that are evidence-based and/or use proven practices. 5.2 Expand parent education opportunities in frontier areas with focus on Lake County. 5.3 Use the Parenting Skills Ladder instrument to assess parenting classes. 5.4 Increase the number of parents participating in parenting classes.

Assure evidence-based curricula for any parenting program funded through the Hub. Provide technical assistance to Lake County to develop a menu of parent education options. Train Lake County and other new Parenting Hub sites in using the Parenting Skills Ladder. Compile and analyze Parenting Skills Ladder data. Conduct outreach to expand participation in parenting classes. Assign Professional Advisory Committee to develop strategies that increase parent engagement in P-3 alignment.

Expand evidence-based practices to include any providers funded through the comprehensive children’s budget. Implement expanded parent education options in Lake County. Assess, evaluate and adjust. Make adjustment to parenting programs based on data. Expand parent education courses for groups, including families with children with disabilities of delays. (See Goal 3.) Field test P-3 alignment parent engagement strategies. Assign Parent/Consumer Council to assess and evaluate parent engagement strategies. Make adjustments based on feedback.

Measurable Five-Year Outcomes Sustain the number of parents participating in parenting classes over five years (3,000 parents estimated). Increase the percent of parents who report improvement in finding positive ways to guide and discipline my children (baseline 81%). Increase the percent of parents who report improvement in dealing with the day-to-day stresses of parenting (baseline 81%).

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Goal 6: ACADEMIC ALIGNMENT Align academic goals for children enrolled in preschools and child care with OEIB goals and targets, use Kindergarten Assessments to inform academic alignment.


6.1 Align academic and social goals and outcomes with common core standards. 6.2 Use the Kindergarten Assessment data to inform academic alignment.

Provide training and technical assistance to Hub partners in the use of common core goals. Provide training in use of SMART goals to early learning partners to measure child outcomes by group and individual. Identify 3-5 communities of greatest need to begin alignment. Analyze and review Kindergarten Assessment data for the 2013-14 school year. Assign the Professional Advisory Committee to research the Framework for Planning, Evaluating and Implementing P-3 approaches (Kauerz & Coffman, Oregon Community Foundation).

Implement 5-7 focus goals each year across all early learning programs in selected communities to measure outcomes, until all communities are aligned. Analyze and review Kindergarten Assessment data each year. Implement or adapt Oregon Community Foundation Framework to assist with alignment approaches.

Measurable Five-Year Outcomes Increase children assessed as ready on the Kindergarten Assessment by 20% over five years (required metric).

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Goal 7: CROSS-SECTOR ALIGNMENT Build on the existing strong collaboration among early learning and other partners. Decrease cost per child to


7.1 Align data collection methodologies. 7.2 Implement screening and referral protocols. 7.3 Remove barriers to information sharing to improve

client care. 7.4 Assure service quality across early learning and

family support service delivery. 7.5 Promote cultural competency across the sectors. 7.6 Promote building on family strengths, recognizing

“Culture of Poverty” values and beliefs. 7.7 Implement a flexible governance structure that

maximizes cross-sector participation in decision making about service design and resource allocation issues.

Develop data collection protocols and technology. Develop and/or refine a multi-organization release of information form and negotiate with CCOs to delineate the parameters of sharing client data. Establish a peer review process for addressing quality issues. Identify and develop training in evidence-based practices. Engage and empower parents in addressing service quality, access and cultural competency issues. Embed quality and cultural competency standards into Hub contracts, including staff training requirements. Develop community-wide trainings and forums in cultural competency and culture of poverty. Review and analyze data on service disparities. Develop strategies for course correction. Organize and support Community Governance Councils, Parent/Consumer Committees, and Professional Advisory Committees.

Implement data collection protocols and technology, as developed. Field test and refine release of information form and client data sharing protocols developed jointly with CCOs. Implement the peer review process. Implement trainings in evidence-based practices, cultural competency, and culture of poverty. Develop structures for ongoing parent input on quality, access, and cultural competency issues. Monitor Hub contracts to assure ongoing performance. Offer technical assistance or discontinue contracts with non-performing providers. Implement strategies for course correction, based on review and analysis of data on service disparities. Sustain momentum in supporting the flexible governance structure, while assuring accountability to standards and outcomes.

Measurable Five-Year Outcomes Decrease cost per child to serve at-risk children including administrative overhead by 5% over five years (required metric).

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Goal 8: SERVICE CAPACITY Expand service capacity to meet the needs of at-risk young children and their families. Increase the number of at-risk children served across early learning, health, human/social services by XX% over five years (required metric). Increase the number of at-risk children served across early learning, health, human/social services by XX% over five years (required metric).


8.1 Increase the numbers of “ready” service providers throughout the Hub region. 8.2 Increase system capacity through Family Resource Managers. .

Embed provider self-readiness assessment standards in performance-based contracts, peer review processes, and design work. Tightly coordinate services to gain efficiencies. (See Goal 7.) Raise community awareness about the importance of early learning

• Community Forums • Website, Media • Speakers’ bureau • Business outreach • Governance structure

Work with business and philanthropic sectors to identify potential resources to expand early learning services. Hire Family Resource Managers to expand capacity in connecting with hard-to-reach families with needed services.

Report to community on improved outcomes and system improvements. Seek grants and contributions. Continue efficiency strategies. Continue and expand training for early learning staff and Family Resource Managers. Recruit, train, retain and supervise Family Resource Managers. Assess system impacts.

Measurable Five-Year Outcomes Increase the number of at-risk children served across early learning, health, human/social services by 20% over five years – 2,700 to 6,000 (required metric).

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Goal 9: SCHOOL TRANSITIONS Develop common understandings and protocols to better coordinate transitions to kindergarten.

Objectives Tasks - Year 1 Tasks - Years 2 – 5 9.1 Build on the work of UCAN and Klamath Family

Head Start to improve communication with schools and put practices into place to ease transitions of young children from preschools, child care, and early learning services to kindergarten.

9.2 Replicate “lessons learned” from the Yoncalla Early

Works Project in other Hub school districts. 9.3 Organize opportunities for kindergarten teachers and

early learning teachers and staff to express perspectives and develop common understandings and appropriate approaches.

Develop transition strategies for families with children attending preschool and other early learning services, and for families where children are at home, based on the Yoncalla Community Needs & Resources Assessment Results: School Year 2012-13 (Green & Lambarth, Portland State University)

• Ensure that parents and early childhood care providers have the knowledge and skills to promote children’s self-regulation skills and learn key early literacy and math concepts.

• Develop a strategic and proactive plan to strengthen positive relationships between parents, teachers, and the schools and work to dismantle any tensions, historical, disconnect, or mistrust.

• Identify and implement strategies for improving communication between school staff, the school, and parents.

• Work with teachers and other providers to enhance their understanding of poverty and how to work with parents who are living in poverty.

Develop strategies for ready communities.

• Build community awareness about the importance of the birth-to-five period for children’s school readiness and school success.

• Implement community activities that combine opportunities for parent education, leadership development, and peer support with fun, accessible, family-friendly activities, and support the success of these activities with strong communication and family engagement planning.

• Develop community activities and support that capitalize on “small town norms” such as using intergenerational supports and engagement of older youth and elders in promoting school success for young children.

Measurable Five-Year Outcomes Increase children assessed as ready on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment by20% over five years (required metric). See also Goal 6.

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Goal 10: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Strengthen the early learning workforce qualifications and skills through partnerships with Child Care Resource & Referral agencies, workforce organizations, and higher education institutions.


10.1 Promote credit courses, certificate programs and degree programs for early learning professionals. 10.2 Develop partnerships with community colleges, universities, and workforce programs to expand professional development opportunities.

Work with local community colleges and universities to expand credit courses, certificate programs and degree programs for early learning professionals. Conduct an inventory of staff qualifications for early learning programs. Assign the Professional Advisory Committee to consider professional standards and training needs.

By Year 3, require increasing numbers of early learning staff to obtain credit hours, certificates or degrees.

Measurable Five-Year Outcomes Increase the number of early learning professionals with certifications or degrees. Increase the number of professional development opportunities for early learning and family support staff.

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south-central oregon early learning hub five … · south-central oregon early learning hub five...

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