Quality Initiatives Workgroup The purpose of the Quality Initiatives Workgroup, is to support this vision, to "Create a collaborative alliance of early childhood providers and programs to promote and provide high-quality learning environments for young children from birth to age 5 through":  - Coordinating with the Public Awareness workgroup of Birth to Five Ingham GSC, to raise public awareness among parents, family, business and community members about high-quality early childhood learning environments: i.e. where it’s found, what it is and why it’s important -  Supporting professionalization of the field by: a) facilitating staff training and education through preservice, recruitment, in-service, and retention strategies and b) promoting and supporting activities to help with provider recruitment and retention, including appropriate staff compensation (salary and benefits), other incentives, and support services  - Supporting efforts to recognize early childhood professionals  - Increasing the number of high-quality, accredited early childhood programs  - Exploring, strategizing and promoting collaborative and partnership models for funding high quality education and child care to insure access to all families who want it and need it  - Creating connections and linkages for early childhood providers and programs to existing community services/resources available for themselves and the families they serve  - Coordinating with the Kindergarten Transition Committee of Birth to Five Ingham GSC to support and promote best practices in transition into kindergarten - Promoting commitment to continuous quality improvement processes Meetings are usually held at the Head Start Administrative Office (101 E Willow Lansing) on the 2nd Monday of each month 2-4pm, and are open to all.  For more information contact Marcia Rysztak at rysztam@lcc.edu (517)483-1141, or  Michelle Nicholson at mnichols@inghamisd.org (517)244-1384.

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Birth to Five QUALITY INITIATIVES
Workgroup

Agenda July 7, 2008   3:00 – 5:00 

Willow Head Start Office

Adjustment to agenda

Review of last meeting notes

Next meeting date:

QI member on Operations Committee:

Scholarship oversight:  Michelle

Updates on ECIC and GSC:  Michelle

Standards work:

§        Update: articles on Social-Emotional for Infants/Toddlers
§        Update:  Environments for Infants/Toddlers
§        Current activities, article distribution

RFP on coaching :
            Development of a coaching model

• Strategy B3:  Coaching
• Please bring information on coaching/mentoring to that meeting related to the following questions:
• What are essential elements of coaching/mentoring?  What are our current experiences? 
• What elements of coaching/mentoring could be adapted and adopted by directors and other supervisors?
• What are ways we can build coaching into our community, across agencies?

Strategic Goals:

• Strategy A2;  Professional Recognition
• Discussion of Professional’s reception
• Strategy B4:  Kinship care
• Strategic planning discussion of activities
• Strategy D2:  Utilize EarlyOn and Project Find:  Barry
• Strategic planning discussion of activities

Updates

Next meeting Agenda:

Quality Initiatives Workgroup

Minutes Monday, June 16, 2008

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Kellogg Center, Room 6

Members Present: Marcia Rysztak, Jill Lawler, Beany Tomber, Renee DeMars-Johnson, Kellye Wood (recorder), Barry Kaufman, Michelle Nicholson

Prior Agenda Confirmed

Updates Provided by Various Members

Next Meeting Set for Monday, July 7, Head Start Willow Office, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Coaching Proposal:

Reviewed from the Capital Region Community Foundation/Capital Area United Way Youth Initiative:

6.            Project Component Name:  Quality Early Care and Education – Professional
Development

Outcomes: High-quality early education opportunities will be available for children at-risk.  High-quality early education opportunities will prepare children in the tri-county area to enter the school setting.

Discussed measures to use to evaluate outcomes; wording for the Indicators

column: 

For example, “Indicators:  Early Care and Education providers receive materials

and consultations targeted to improve their knowledge and skills.”

Move “Measures:  No. of 2 hour on-site visits…” to underneath “Measurable

Outcomes” as “Additional Measures”

Under “Measurable Outcomes,” switch #1 and #2.  Reword “Providers will meet

goals set in Individual Improvement Plan for each provider” to “Providers will

meet goals set in their Improvement Plans.”

Fix Typo:  “QIRS” should be “QRIS”

6.b.      Reviewed and discussed as part of our input being gathered/included with that of other partners

Coaching Model:

Marcia poses this question for whole group consideration: 

What do we want our project to look like?

Essential Elements – Coaching model design; Need to review/analyze/adapt effective models; Target audience – mix of directors and staff; Identifying and choosing programs/participants (recruitment/selection)

Additional discussion about lead teacher-director combinations and an “Instructional Consultation Team” kind of model; helping centers go from “good to great” with staff employed for 3 or more years, for example

Who are we serving?

Higher quality programs because the gain will be more sustainable. 

How do we determine who they are?

o  Meeting with licensing and OYC staff and LCC staff    

 o       Motivation to be engaged in the process

o       Staff their 3 + years

Selection:

• Buy in and sanctioning by the director 

What are we providing training on?  Brainstorming included: 

• Is the focus director or classroom? 
• Involve director up front to be a collegial support role for their staff.  Top down.
• Staff:  bottom up
• Director and staff work on team goals.
• Low risk, collegial, I will take risks and try it model.
• Focused on building relationships with children --- from that all else comes.  Across all areas:  teacher-child; parent-teacher; director-teacher; etc.
• Offer some type of incentive to the director who allows the coaching in their program.  Parallel process. 
• Lead Teacher and director

Google: instructional consultation team to get more info on the model.

Meeting Adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

Quality Initiatives Workgroup

Meeting Notes 5/12/08

Head Start Office

Present:  Marcia Rysztak – LCC, Michelle Nicholson – Ingham ISD, Karen Woodman – CACS Head Start, Renee DeMars-Johnson – CMAEYC, Barry Kaufman – CMH, Shera Emmons – Parent, Lin Hirai – OYC, Kelly Wood – Child Development Lab, Elaine Williams – CMAEYC

Adjustments to Agenda

          Elaine Williams from CMAEYC coming at 3:30 to discuss the professionals reception.

Changes to Minutes

          Ken’s last name spelled wrong – should be Sperber

Standards Work

·        Lin will check with Mindy about the Infant/Toddler Environments article
·        How are we using these articles?  Kindergarten Transition committee requested PD date w/LSD.  It will be open to all districts – we can disburse the articles then.
·        CMH is starting a series of 4 workshops in October for Early Childhood providers – maybe they can be given out here
·        OYC is currently moving into Mentoring – already put finished articles in newsletter
·        Michelle said the 2^nd set of Social/Emotional articles is done.  She will forward the colored set, along with the PDF.
·        What’s next?
o       Marcia will e-mail notes from 7/12/07 meeting so that everyone can check over the standards and pick a new standard to start on

ECIC Update

·        Michelle passed out info on the STAR rally – she encouraged all committee members to register and attend

Capital Region Foundation/United Way

·        The final version is going in this week and they will hear by the end of the month.
·        We talked about switching the wording in the grant to “coaching” and take out “mentoring”
·        We discussed whether we built in enough money for other costs.  Should we increase costs to $3000?    Here’s how we came up with the initial amount:
o       20 visits x 2 hours
o       1 hour prep
o       1 hour travel = 4 hours x 80 hours x $25.00/hr
·        Discussed whether $25.00/hr was enough money?

Coaching/mentoring

·        Karen’s mentor kit on the next agenda
·        Megan Shedd was wondering about whether we planned to do research on coaching

Professional Recognition

·        Elaine Williams
o       Has had 4 meetings planning professional recognition reception
o       Have had 3 receptions recognizing caregivers receiving degrees (CDA, TEACH, etc) and accredited programs
o       Thursday Oct 9, 16, 23:  possible dates
·        Conversation about recognizing accreditation
·        Participates will be allowed 1 guest
·        4 county area
·        Music, awards (pins etc)
·        Possible locations:  LCC West, Trinity, JNL
·        Next meeting June 10^th, 5:30-7:00pm, 4C office, dinner provided
·        Developing a resource sheet to help support accreditation
·        Looking for connections/networking to help support resources

Next Meeting

·        Monday, June 16^th, 3:30-5:00pm at the Kellogg Center, Room 6 in the basement
·        NOTE CHANGE in TIME and LOCATION

Quality Initiatives Workgroup

QI Agenda 4/07/08    Head Start Office 2-4pm

Adjustment to agenda
Review of last meeting notes
Next meeting date:
Updates on ECIC and GSC:  Michelle
Review and discussion of RFP on coaching

• Strategy B3:  Coaching
• Please bring information on coaching/mentoring to that meeting related to the following questions:
• What are essential elements of coaching/mentoring?  What are our current experiences? 
• What elements of coaching/mentoring could be adapted and adopted by directors and other supervisors?
• What are ways we can build coaching into our community, across agencies?

Strategic Goals:

• Strategy A2;  Professional Recognition
• Discussion of Professional’s reception
  

• Strategy B4:  Kinship care
• Strategic planning discussion of activities
  

• Strategy D2:  Utilize EarlyOn and Project Find:  Barry
• Strategic planning discussion of activities

Standards work:

§        Update: articles on Social-Emotional for Infants/Toddlers

§        Update:  Environments for Infants/Toddlers

§        Current activities, article distribution

Agenda items held from last meeting:

• Substitutes (table to May meeting)

Updates

Next meeting Agenda:

Quality Initiatives Workgroup

4/7/08 Meeting Notes 

Head Start Office

Present:  Marcia Rysztak – LCC, Ken Spurber – Ingham ISD, Karen Woodman – CACS Head Start, Lucy McClintic -   CACS Head Start, Jill Lawler – OYC, Shera Emmons – parent, Renee DeMars-Johnson – CMAEYC

Adjustments to Agenda:
          Review Request for Proposals

Reviewed Request for Proposals

·                    Capital Region Community Foundation and Capital Area United Way are creating a youth initiative and have chosen Birth to 5 as their focus topic.

·                    The group reviewed the handout that Ken provided and discussed different ideas about how the QI group thought some of the money should be used.  Suggestions included focusing on attachment and on coaching.

·                    Shera, Karen and Lucy will compile ideas discussed for the proposal which will focus on coaching.  They will e-mail the group for input.

Updates

·                    Marcia talked to Elaine about the Caregivers Reception and they would like to work with the QI group on this in the fall.

·                    OYC is doing a pilot – Adult Caregivers/Providers

o       They attend a group meeting then they get 4 home visits (1 ½ hours) from April to September

o       OYC staff to coach them

o       Right now there are 12 providers

o       One of the target areas is Baker Donora

Reviewed List serve for the QI and deleted members no longer interested in being on the workgroup.

Next Meeting  -  May 12, 2:00-4:00pm

Quality Initiatives Workgroup

(NOTE CHANGE IN DATE AND TIME)

Agenda 4/07/08   2:30 – 4:00

Adjustment to agenda

Review of last meeting notes

Next meeting date: May 12, 2- 4, Willow Head Start

Updates on ECIC and GSC:  Michelle

Strategic Goals:

• Strategy A2;  Professional Recognition
• Discussion of Professional’s reception

• Strategy B4:  Kinship care
• Strategic planning discussion of activities
  

Standards work:

•         Review of article on Social-Emotional for Infants/Toddlers
•         Next topic and writer:  Environments for Infants/Toddlers
•         Current activities, article distribution
  

Agenda items held from last meeting:

• Substitutes

Updates

Next meeting Agenda: 

• Strategy D2:  Utilize EarlyOn and Project Find:  Stephanie
• Strategic planning discussion of activities

• Strategy B3:  Coaching
• Please bring information on coaching/mentoring to that meeting related to the following questions:
• What are essential elements of coaching/mentoring?  What are our current experiences? 
• What elements of coaching/mentoring could be adapted and adopted by directors and other supervisors?
• What are ways we can build coaching into our community, across agencies?
  

Quality Initiatives Workgroup

3/10/08 Meeting Notes

Head Start Office

Present:       Marcia Rysztak – LCC, Michelle Nicholson – Ingham ISD, Karen Woodman – CACS Head Start, Renee DeMars-Johnson-CMAEYC, Jill Lawler – OYC

 Adjustments to Agenda:
                    Add Great Start Collaborative update
                    Add Substitutes

 Updates to last meeting notes:
·                    Jill will remind Lin @ article on Infant Exploration
·                    Barry asked Fran to write Infant Exploration Social-Emotional…Michelle & Marcia will ask Fran on Wednesday about article
·                    OYC – Coming Together for Children conference – 240 attendees.  Suggestion for next year is to have Caregivers Reception after the conference for caregivers
·                    OYC is celebrating children during Month of the Young Child – not caregivers.
·                    Next OYC training is April 24^th – Make it, take it Multi-aged Literacy 6-9:30pm, dinner/workshop,
·                    D(2) – State did not apply for Special Quest Team

 Next Meeting Date:
                    April 14^th from 2:00-4:00pm at the Head Start office

 Review of Articles:
·                    Discussion about how to edit articles without attacking the author.
·                    Discussion about whether or not to have author’s names listed or should it be “Great Start” generic article.
·                    Decided to let authors know up front that the group will make changes in order to get all perspectives
                              – we want to promote something we agree with.
·                    Reviewed articles – Michelle will make changes on Barry’s
·                    Distribution of articles – at Kindergarten Professional Development day Tuesday, March 11^th, also at OYC training April 24^th.  Will ask Fran for her article by March 21^st.  It will get sent out, everyone can make changes, Marcia will compile suggestions/corrections and get that to the group.  We will make final changes at our April meeting.

 
Strategic Planning:
·                    A(2)
o       Professionals Reception (CMAEYC) – we’ll wait to hear from CMAEYC to see how we can support them with this

 ·                    B(3) Mentor Coaching
§         Michelle collected info from OYC and LCC about their Mentor Coaching.  This is something we can look at.
§         What are the elements of coaching and mentoring that can be adapted/adopted for directors, supervisors, etc.
§         What are critical elements of coaching and mentoring?
§         How can we build Mentor Coaching into the community – how do we get the community behind it?
§         Is there funding to support this?

 
Great Start Update
·                    ECIC funding directed to family, friend & provider.
·                    Proposed budget – one of four choices was a pilot for QRIS and non-regulated care
·                    How can we be more systematic/intentional about getting info/trainings for family, friend & neighbor?

 Next Meetings:
·                    April:
o       Professional Reception
o       Review of B(4) Kinship Care
o       D(2) – Barry & Stephanie (utilizing Project Find /Early On)

Quality Initiatives Workgroup

1/04/08 Meeting Notes

Present: Marcia Rysztak – LCC, Michelle Nicholson-Ingham ISD, Karen Woodman-CACS Head Start, Renee DeMars-Johnson-CMAEYC, Jill Lawler-OYC, Barry Kaufman-CMH

Adjustment to Agenda:  Add Speakers Bureau

Changes to Minutes:  Page 2 – 2^nd bullet:  Change to “Marcia gave it to Michelle”

Next Meeting Dates:  February 11, March 10, April 14 from 2:00-4:00pm. at the Head start office.

 
Review Standards work:
 
·        Jill will ask Lin about writing the Infant/Toddler article on Environments for Exploration
·        Barry will ask Fran about writing the Infant/Toddler article on Social Emotional
·        Changes made to Preschool article “Environments for Exploration”
·        Changes made to Preschool article “Fostering Healthy Social-Emotional Development with Preschoolers Through Exploration”
·        The format of the articles was discussed.  The consensus was that the standard needed to stay at the top of the article but drop the template paragraph to a box at the end of the articles.  Jill was checking with the person who does their newsletter article for suggestions of how it would look best.  Michelle will check with her printer person and also ask for suggestions.
·        Michelle was going to make changes to Barry’s article
·        Karen was going to make changes to her article and send out

Panel Discussion/OYC Training:

·        Jill reported that 26 attended the event and it went well.
·        25% of the attendees were CMAEYC members
·        Good mix of providers and experience
·        The topic for OYC’s next event is “If you’re going to teach the alphabet, don’t start with the letter A”.
·        QI group needs to make sure we have our articles at these events so they are available to providers
·        Coming Together for Children conference – 10 sessions offered 3 times.  We need to have articles done and to Jill by February 1^st – 300 copies.
·        If Lin or Fran get their articles done, send them to Michelle or Marcia so we can get them out and proofed.

 
Goals of Great Start:

·        Strategy A(2)
o       Discussed Caregivers Reception.  OYC not doing it this year – could another group take it over?

·        Strategy B(3)
o       OYC is piloting coaching – will be offered with Basic I class.
o       Offered from March – June
o       Coached on 3 topics:  Curriculum, Guidance & Discipline, and Professionalism

·        Strategy B(4)
o       MSU Dept of SW is home of Kinship Care – we need to get them on the 0-5 Committee
o       Ahma would also be a good resource for Kinship Care
o       OYC will be teaching Parenting classes at Baker Donora

·        Strategy C(2)
o       Barry would like to see some way to link Early On, OYC, KEEP to identify special needs children early and get them services
o       The state is applying to be a Special Quest Team.
 

 Speakers Bureau:

·        Michelle passed out “application”.  Any agencies interested in presenting Early Childhood information to businesses, faith-based community and/or the private sector should fill this out.

Next Meeting:

·        Re-look at articles
·        Prioritize Goals and work plan for this group
·        Share information from Clinton County Group

Quality Initiatives Workgroup  

12/05/07 Meeting Notes

 Head Start Office

Present:        Marcia Rysztak-LCC, Michelle Nicholson-Ingham ISD, Karen Woodman-CACS Head Start, Stephanie Peters – Ingham ISD, Lin Hirai – OYC, Renee DeMars-Johnson – CMAEYC

Adjustment to Agenda:

                   Talk about United Way and Foundations funding

Changes to Minutes:

                   It should say Birth to Five website under the review of how the articles are being distributed

Discussion About Articles

·        Ronda in Eaton County asked about using the articles for their Eaton County insert.  Discussed if it was appropriate for that newspaper – as the newspaper insert is mainly for parents.  She asked if she could change it the group decided that it could not be modified.  Michelle suggested they use the Great Start articles as they may be more appropriate.

·        Renee told the group that the articles may be in the Beacon

·        Marcia was going to fix the top of the article and resend to everyone.  We were also going to send it to June to get it to the Readiness Committee.

·        Discussed “softening up” the articles so they are more reader friendly – such as adding pictures.  Renee suggested a template – could Great Start funds be used for this?  Michelle said either Great Start or ISD could do it.

·        We need to make it look nicer than decide how to get it to people.

·        Another suggestion was to try to put the article into columns

·        Looked at Environments for Exploration – Marcia suggested using a different example rather than dinosaurs.  Dinosaurs were the examples in Peter Rillera’s article so we really can’t change it.  Karen will do some more work on the article and will bring to next meeting.  Marcia will look around for someone to write the Infant/Toddler piece. 

·        Next article:  Barry Kaufman and Fran will do the next round of articles on Social Emotional Development

Ingham GSC Early Care & Education

·        Stephanie asked if QI would be taking a leadership role in Section D.   This is not something the group has yet focused on but that’s not to say we can’t.  We’ve dealt more with professional development – not so much with “hands on”.

·        Michelle’s version was missing information.  Marcia gave it to Michelle to update.

·        Looked at QI goals and matched up to Early Care and Education Plan. 

o       1.  fit with strategy B

o       2. fit with strategy A

o       3. fit with A1 and B3, 4, 5

o       4. fit with C

·        What else can we focus on to have an impact?  Marcia would like to look at coaching.  Are there ways to work with OYC and the new project with Howell?

United Way

·        Birth to Five presentation to United Way and other foundations
·        The group came to the consensus about supporting Early Childhood.
·        They are looking at raising ½ million dollars for a year for the next 3 years
·        Michelle made it clear that there is not one solution – it is about meeting the needs of families, parent education, quality care etc.
·        The group wants the strategic plan and $ ranges for  some of these things
·        Michelle asked OYC and Marcia to get dollar amounts for scholarships, coaching, and incentives to her ASAP.

Strategy B – Promote Professional Development and the enhancement of early caregivers’ skills

·        Michelle said that the Kindergarten transition committee was interested in looking at the standards we used for the articles for the basis of their PD in March

·        Suggestion:  Can we tie mentoring/coaching to quality & professional development?

·        QECC was discussed

·        Maybe we need to look at the Literacy Alignment again

Next Meeting

·        Monday, January 14^th, 1:30-3:30 at Head Start

·        Will re-look at dates/days of future meetings

Birth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup

Meeting Reminder - 12/5/07

REMINDER

The next meeting of the Quality Initiatives Workgroup of Ingham Birth to Five Great Start Collaborative is
Wednesday, 12/5/07 from 2-4 pm at Head Start 101 E. Willow St.

Notes from the November (10/30/07) meeting are attached. An Agenda will be available at the meeting.

mnichols@inghamisd.org
Michelle Nicholson
Supervisor of Early Childhood Education
Ingham Intermediate School District
2630 W. Howell Rd.
Mason, MI 48854
(517)244-1384
fax (517)244-1738

Birth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup

10/30/07 Meeting Notes

Quality Initiatives Workgroup – Head Start Office

Present:       Marcia Rysztak-LCC, Michelle Nicholson-Ingham ISD, Lucy McClintic-CACS Head Start, Barry Kaufman-CMH, Shera Emmons-parent, Karen Woodman-CACS Head Start, Jill Lawler-OYC, Laura Anderson-MSU Extension

Adjustment of Agenda:

·        Talk about tying our work to the Kindergarten Transition Committee

Review of Community and Parent Conversations

1.                   Merged Playgroup notes – this was input from parents
2.                 Community Conversations – all other community members

 ·        The group read through the comments and came up with the following themes, which were then grouped into categories:

 1.                   Improving Quality of Care

        a.      Training
        b.     Qualified teachers
        c.      Coaching/mentoring
        d.      CPR
        e.      Support parents
        f.      Family/Friends/Neighbors
 

2.                 Family Friendly Workplace

a.      Collaborative programs
b.     Affordability
 

3.                 Advocacy with Policymakers Around Early Childhood and Care Programs
a.      Childcare seen as a legitimate business
b.     Quality Rating System
c.      Childcare provider wages
d.      Affordability
e.      Consistency of care (retaining of staff)
f.      Mentoring/coaching funding
g.      Universal preschool

 
4.                 Transitions Across Programs
a.      Consistency of care

 
The group talked about the kinds of things this group should focus on and some ideas were given:

·        coaching/mentoring
·        resource fair
·        playgroup model
·        family friendly workplace
·        advocacy

 
Review of Articles 

·        Discussion about how the articles have been distributed
o       On Ingham website

·        How will the articles get distributed?
o       Marcia will fix the top of the articles and send out to all members
o       OYC – Jill taking care of it in OYC newsletter
o       LCC – Marcia putting in student newsletter
o       Head Start – classroom/staff newsletter
o       Jane – on list serve
o       Jim Simmanon – Marcia will get it to him
o       Michelle – ISD website

·        Let Marcia know if you are adding it to any other newsletter so that we can keep track of where it is being distributed
·        Jill needs hardcopies for the Creativity Cruise and the December training (50 copies).  Michelle will copy for her.
·        Talked about the training with Kindergarten teachers, Head Start, MSRP, and childcare providers.  Could exploration be the topic?  Will talk more about this at next meeting.
·        Passed out “Honoring Exploration”.  Comments need to get to Karen Woodman by Friday, Nov. 2.
·        Next article – Barry Kaufman – Tying social-emotional to exploration

  
Next Meeting:
                    *          December 5, 1:30 – 3:30  Head Start

Birth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup

AGENDA Quality Initiatives Meeting  10/30/07, 2-4pm, Head Start Willow Office

• Review of last meeting notes
• Adjustment to agenda
• Review Community Conversation feedback and make recommendations
• Update on Articles and distribution
• Next topic and writer
• Next Steps - Workshops
  
• Updates
• Next meeting Agenda

Birth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup

10/3/07 Meeting Notes 

Quality Initiatives Workgroup – Head Start Office

Present:        Marcia Rysztak – LCC, Michelle Nicholson – IISD, Rene DeMars-Johnson – CMAEYC, Lucy McClintic – CACS Head Start, Barry Kaufman – CMH, Shera Emmons – parent

Adjustment of Agenda:

· Renee questioned whether work group was on target with purpose of group

· Consensus of current work; raise awareness of state standards, integrate standards into trainings

· Michelle will email ahead and bring to next meeting a copy of Root Cause Framework, revised mission statement, and summary of related community conversations

· Group will review documents in preparation for 0-5 retreat, Nov 14.  Strategic plan needs to be turned in to ECIC Jan 15

Review of Articles and Distribution:

· Reviewed infant/toddler, preschool and combination articles.  Decision to standardize heading and introductory paragraph.  Also suggested adding a footer to number the articles.

· Distribution – send to CMAEYC for newsletter, send to web site – Michelle

· Get introduction from OYC to act as cover letter for article.  Send articles with letter to Birth-5 members ask that articles be distributed in newsletters

· Marcia will send articles to Jim Sinemon for “Child Care Matters”

Next Article:             “Honoring Exploration”

Explore how we can work with CMAEYC on training events

Next meeting:            October 30 from 2 – 4 p.m. Head Start, 101 E. Willow

· Review and prioritize recommendations from community conversations

Birth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup

8/2/07 Agenda 1:30-3:30

Head Start 101 E. Willow 517-482-1504

Developing/refining a plan for incorporating standards into training

 Agency newsletter Articles Related to the Quality Standards

 Updates

 Next Meeting

Birth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup

7/12/2007 Meeting Notes

Maple Hill Head Start

640 Maple Hill Ave

Lansing, MI 48910

517-882-5025

Present:

Laura Anderson-MSUE, Renee DeMars-Johnson-CMAEYC, Mary Fullmer-CMAEYC, Judy Goth-Owens-LCC, Jill Lawler-OYC, Lucy McClintic-Head Start, Michelle Nicholson –IISD, Marcia Rysztak-LCC, and Beany Tomber-WKAR

INCORPORATING STATE STANDARDS INTO TRAININGS AS A WAY TO FOCUS ON QUALITY:

            Renee introduced the State Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Pre-Kindergarten (ECSQ-P) which includes sections on Quality Standards and Early Learning Expectations for 3 and 4 year old children. (Copies distributed and available on MDE web site.) The standards are designed to “provide guidance to all early care and education programs for providing all 3 and 4 years old children with opportunities to reach essential developmental and education al goals” (ECSQ-P, p.2).   Early Learning expectations are linked to K-12 expectations.  “Clear research-based expectations for the content and desired results of early learning experiences can help focus curriculum and instruction.  By defining the content and outcomes of young children’ early education, the early learning expectations will lead to greater opportunities for preschoolers positive development.” (ECSQ-P, p. 3) The standards provide for the individuality of each child and program and do not imply that all pre-K programs should look the same.  They allow for a variety of strategies and curricula to meet the diverse needs of children and choices for families. 

            Judy Goth-Owens introduced the State Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infant and Toddler (ECSQ-IT) Programs (available on the MI Department of Education web site) has two main sections – Quality Program Standards and Early Developmental and Learning Strands.  The Standards define high quality in home and center-based programs for children birth to age three. The Strands define what young children might reasonably be learning and doing (knowledge, skills and attitudes), and what adults should be helping them learn and do.  The Strands support the Standards by helping to guide practice.  The goals, list of developing skills (not intended to be exhaustive), examples of experiences and strategies, and questions for reflection provide an organizational framework intended to provide a way to think about each child’s unique developmental and learning pathway.

            It was noted that an important step was convincing early childhood professionals and the community that standards of quality matter. Some early childhood professionals can be like the “general public” in their perceptions of the profession. There is confusion with licensing.  Others are unsure about what difference it really makes.  There is debate about the “real world” vs. the “ideal”. 

Ideas for ways to incorporate state standards into community trainings by all training groups were generated. 

• Highlight standard in newsletters (CMAEYC, OYC, LCC, etc.)
• “Standard of the Month: so that all agencies are doing the same standard.
• Highlight standard in all workshops, showing how the topic is related to a state standard.
• Creativity Cruise:  show how the Strand or Early Leaning Expectation is being promoted by the activities showcased.
• Standards strand at CTFC Conference; have all workshop sessions incorporate the standard it addresses
• Design a workshop on a specific standard
• Design a training using the I/T strands questions for discussion (This will address the tremendous knowledge of child development needed to incorporate the Learning Strands for Infants and Toddler standards.)
• Promote the importance of the standards: 
• “One pager” on standards (Michelle distributed examples of other “one-pagers.)
• Integrate standards into courses (such as scavenger hunt of standards)
• Have ACCESS come up with a collection of ideas how standards have been incorporated into classes
• Use “Frameworks” approach which looks at a building foundation analogy for brain development.  If child care is a “warehouse”, then children are packages and we don’t need to pay package movers high wages.  (Judy will forward ideas from Frameworks)
• Use videos: My Parents/My Teachers Brain video; Parenting Counts videos; EdPro video on advocacy (http://www.edpro.com/advocacy/advocacy.shtml); Use brain video at all trainings; Show video and do a scavenger hunt: how does it relate to practice.
• Head Start has linked Head Start Performance Standard with their curriculum materials.  Can do this with state standards as well. 
• Ask ECIC to develop a user friendly version of the standards. 

Suggest/Identify Narrowed Number of Standards to Incorporate:

Ideas included:

• Not focus on Language and Literacy because of high level of training on this
• Do a balance between standards and expectations:  linking them
• Climate and Social Emotional development seem to go hand – in –hand
• Problem solving:  how do you set up activities to promote problem solving
• What do children bring and how do we use that with problem solving (#15 with infant- toddler ) Relationships and Climate
• Approaches to Learning
• Page 32: interactions
• Teaching Practices #3 (p. 30)
• Climate and Social Emotional:  Program Standard #4 and #1 under Climate
• Relationships, Experience and Climate
• Approaches to Learning
• Maybe focus on the Early Learning Expectation and how the standard connects with it. 
• Case study is a strategy for how to help providers learn. 
• We have to make the standards meaningful. 
• Problem solving connects various items

It was decided that the Early Childhood Standard of Quality for Pre-K focus will be:  

Standard area:  Teaching Practices (pg. 30): 

            Standard #3 (exploration): The program is planned and implemented to permit children to learn from exploration, acquisition of skills and knowledge, practice, and application;    

            Standard #1 (play): The value of play is demonstrated throughout all aspects of the program and children have opportunities to use play to translate experience into understanding;  and

            Standard #7 (problem solving):  Child-child interactions are encouraged through the use of learning experiences that include cooperative play, conflict resolution, and large, small, interest-based, and  multi-age groupings.   

The Primary focus for the “one pager” will be on Standard #3. 

The Early Learning Expectations focus will be: 

Approaches to Learning (pg. 43)

1.  Children show increasing initiative and curiosity about their work and play in all areas of the curriculum.

2. Children show increasing engagement and persistence in their work and play in all areas of the curriculum

3. Children show increasing invention and imagination in their work and play in all areas of the curriculum.

AND

 Social and Emotional Development (p. 45)

1.  Children will develop and exhibit a healthy sense of self.

2. Children show increasing ability to regulate how they express their emotions.

3.  Children develop healthy relationships with other children and adults.

Two Program Standards from the Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infants and Toddlers (ECSQ-IT) were chosen to provide a focus for training in the early childhood community.

Program Area:  Relationships and Climate (p. 69) : Standard #7 (experiences for exploration) and Activities and Experiences (p. 73) Standard #15 (supportive relationships)  and a corresponding Strands are:

Relationships and Climate, Program Standard #7 (p. 69) : The program facilitates a climate of supportive and responsive child-caregiver relationships that enhances the development of each infant and toddler.

Strand B – Belonging (p. 21)

Goal 1: Infants and toddlers experience environments where they know they belong and have a place.

Activities and Experiences Program Standard #15 (p. 73): Activities and experiences build upon, support, and enhance infants’ and toddlers’ well-being, feeling of belonging, growing capacity to make contributions, communication, and expanding interest in exploration.

Strand C – Exploration (p. 28)

Goal 3: Infants and toddlers experience environments where they learn strategies for active exploration, thinking, and reasoning. (p. 30)

GATHERING PARENT INPUT ON QUALITY:

The group suggested all community conversations ask the questions on quality programs that the parent liaisons were going to ask.  These questions were; What are you looking for in a quality early childhood program?  What are your perceptions?  This will be forwarded to the Operations committee.

UPDATES:

• Renee shared information on the new “Teaching Young Children” pages that will be coming out from NAEYC.  They are intended to be a practical piece.  Multiple copies can be ordered online. 
• Nicole Wells and Michelle are going to a workshop on playgroups as a vehicle for providing training for parent-aide and relative aides. 

NEXT MEETING:

Because of conflicts with the regular date, it was decided that the next meeting would be Thursday, August 2 at 1:30 at Willow Head Start pending Michelle having that date open.

Birth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup

7/12/07 Agenda 10:45-12:00

Maple Hill Head Start

640 Maple Hill Ave

Lansing, MI 48910

517-882-5025

Discuss How State Standards Can Be Incorporated Into Trainings Offered

Suggest/Identify Narrowed Number of Standards to Incorporate

Gathering Parent Input on Quality

Representation for Accreditation Committee

Updates

Next Meeting

Birth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup

Meeting Notes 6/6/07

Marcia Rysztak chaired

Present:  Lucy McClintic, Beany Tomber, Karen Woodman, Reneé DeMars-Johnson

Agenda - Added item of prioritizing items for discussion/inclusion in the strategic plan for Great Start Collaborative, Ingham Birth to 5 Subcommittee.

Continue Strategic Planning Process

  Confirmed that the Key Issue that we needed to focus our discussion on was "There is a lack of accessible, affordable, quality early education and care"

Some of our items need to be carried out hand-in-hand with the Public Awareness Workgroup - e.g., what is quality early care and education - for parents, providers, etc. with a focus on what it actually looks like.  Beany reported that the message needs to be clearly crafted, targeted and intensive.  Lucy reported that the Great Start / ECIC "report card" is going to take a major focus of the PA workgroup.  She suggested that the data drive the messages.

We don't think we can get the reimbursement rates to be raised, but we do think we can help raise awareness of standards, their importance.

Activity:

  Public awareness group incorporates some of what quality looks like into their work (to coincide with elements of the Report Card).

  Consistently integrate use of the Michigan Standards into all training venues as a way to objectively focus on quality.  Convene the groups that do training and have conversations about how the standards can be integrated into the training that they are doing.  We could develop a "key elements to consider" in incorporating standards into training.

We recommend striking the "(hand in hand with reimbursement rates)” and all of the activities listed except the last and to move the #3 from QI’s Purpose into this space.  Incorporate standards into training.

Marcia reported that Shera has been offered a parent liaison contract with Ingham Great Start and may be able to survey parents at the playgroups regarding their perceptions of "What are you looking for in a quality program?"

Lucy reported that Shiawassee has their report card drafted and may be used as an example for way(s) to get the information distributed.

It was suggested that we convene a group of the training entities and determine which of them should be the focus for training.  This would meet an activity.  Invite other key people within each of the training entities to our next meeting to have discussion about how training could meet this request.

Michelle - invitations go to MSUE Better Kid Care, OYC, LCC, CMAEYC, Ready to Learn, Ingham ISD, and Great Start. Suggest having 2 people from each agency if possible.

Date for invitation / our next meeting: July 12, 10:45 a.m. - 12:00, Maple Hill Head Start

Agenda:

Discuss the state standards and how various training entities can incorporate elements of the standards into their training

Suggest a narrowed number of standards to be incorporated into trainings

Renee - PreK standards

Judy Goth-Owens - I/T standards

Second action, Shera's data gathering at parent meeting.

Priority for Birth to 5 goals:

The priorities that 0-5 should receive from the issues, are to

increase the quality of early education and care programs, including all ages and types. 

Suggest using playgroup model for relative / aide care providers. 

[Great Start Collaborative could provide a mailing to them (mailing list from OYC) of the current play groups, encouraging them to attend.]

Last item - Accreditation committee.  Reneé will be liaison between.  All are to think about an individual who might be able/willing to serve on this committee and work on supporting accreditation and actively participate in the Professionals reception planning.

irth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup

Agenda Quality Initiatives  6/6/07, 1:30-3:30pm,  Kellogg Ctr Centennial A

Continue Strategic Planning Process

     Update Work Plan

     Identify Strategies/Timelines

Updates

Next Meeting

     Continue at Head Start for the summer?
     1^st Wed in July is the 4^th, another date?

Birth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup

Birth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup - 5/2/07 Notes

Present:  Renee DeMars-Johnson, Shera Emmons, Lucy McClintic, Michelle Nicholson, Marcia Rysztak, and Beany Tomber

Strategic Planning for Improving Quality

Most of the meeting was spent reviewing and revising the QI Purpose Statement into goal statements. (See Attached) The Root Causes Matrix (See Attached) was also reviewed regarding previously identified priorities of Birth to Five and action steps that had been identified. We began linking the action steps with the goal statements. At the next meeting we will continue to revise the action steps and reframe them to support the goal statements.

There was some discussion about looking at our existing system for professional development and how to make it work while also brainstorming an ideal system.

Another suggestion was to bring in experts in parent education and family support to talk about research based curriculum and practices.

Updates

GRCC has started a leadership course which may be interesting to learn more about

Susan Neumann is working with Baker College to offer a 12 week course from September-December for 150 people. Some would take the course, some would take the course and receive coaching, some would receive coaching only, and others would receive nothing. MI4C is helping with recruitment and coaching.

LCC has a 2+2 arrangement with Ferris State for child development or early childhood

It was suggested that institutions of higher education offer a 4 year degree program in early childhood, there is a pilot with U of M Dearborn.

MDE requires State Aid MSRP programs to have teachers with a BA in child development, a teaching certificate with a ZA endorsement or to get a ZA endorsement in 4 years.

Next Meeting

The next meeting for Quality Initiatives will be Wednesday, June 6, 2007 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Kellogg Center Centennial Room A.

Birth to Five Quality Initiatives Workgroup

The Quality Initiatives committee is a workgroup of the Ingham County Great Start Collaborative Committee 0-5 Subcommittee. The vision of the 0-5 subcommittee is “All children ready to succeed in school and life.”

The purpose of the Quality Initiatives committee, in support of this vision, is to “Create a collaborative alliance of early childhood providers and programs to promote and provide high-quality learning environments for young children from birth to age 5 through”:

Coordinating with the Public Awareness committee of HSAC 0-5, to raise public awareness among early childhood educators, parents, family,  business and community members about high-quality early childhood learning environments: i.e. what it is and why it’s important

1.      Supporting professionalism in the early childhood education and care field by: a) facilitating training and education from preservice experiences to ongoing professional development and progression on the early childhood education and career.lattice and b) promoting and supporting activities to help with provider recruitment and retention, including appropriate staff compensation (salary and benefits), other incentives, and support services

2.      Supporting efforts to recognize early childhood educators.

a.      Coordinate efforts that currently exist among groups such as CMAEYC , LCC, OYC, MSU,  Head Start Accreditation Task Force that recognize early childhood educators who demonstrate meeting milestones, benchmarks or criteria by convening a conversation/dialogue to expand recognition opportunities.

3.      Increasing the number of early childhood programs that meet high standards of quality such as accreditation, state standards, quality rating systems, Head Start Program standards or other recognized standards of quality

a.      ‘Why are there standards in Early Childhood Education and Care?’ Convene focus groups, forums, dialogues, community forums to discuss AND distribute through newsletters or other written forms to generate by-in from providers, directors, parents and community member on the value of standards.

b.      ‘What are the standards in Early Childhood Education and Care? NAEYC, Quality Rating Standards, etc. Inform about WHAT these are.

c.      Augment/supplement existing community Early Childhood Education and Care trainings/education that address these quality issues by exploring supports such as coaching, mentoring, etc.

d.      Pilot playgroup model as a way to implement training opportunities for relative/day care aides by coordinating with 4C , Great Start and/or Early On.

4.      Promoting collaborative and partnership models for funding high quality early childhood education and care to insure access to all families.

5.      Creating connections and linkages for early childhood providers and programs to existing community services/resources available for themselves and the families they serve

6.      Coordinating with the Transition Committee of Great Start Collaborative 0-5 to support and promote best practices in transition into kindergarten

7.      Promoting commitment to continuous quality improvement processes  among early childhood educators and our community partnerships

 
 - Revised 3/28/2007