Promoting Early Childhood Outcomes Through a Systems-focus on Quality

1. Promoting Early Childhood Outcomes Through a Systems-focus on Quality A Dialogue with Arizona & Iowa Early Childhood Outcomes Conference Baltimore, MD

2. ECO & Program Quality • The influence of state contexts • Specific efforts • Systemic integration • Use of data • Capacity building

3. ECE Fragmentation in AZ US Department of Health & Human Services Funding Streams US Department of Education Regulatory Authority Office of Head Start Child Care Bureau OESE OSERS/OSEP Tentative Connections AZ Department of Health Services AZ Department of Economic Security AZ Department of Education AZ Early Intervention Program Child Care Programs (Centers & Regulated Homes) School District Preschool Programs Head Start Grant Recipients Nagasawa, N.D.

4. Where we hope to be in Arizona • “First Things First” • Smart Start inspired • Year One Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board, 2008

6. Iowa’s Approach SPP Activities for ECO Include Alignment with… • Quality Preschool Program Standards • Curriculum • Assessment of Child Progress • Iowa’s Early Learning Standards

7. Where We Started… • Early Childhood Iowa: State Context • Support an Early Care, Health and Education System • Iowa Department of Education • Assure quality early childhood education • Contribute to an early care, health and education system

8. Early Childhood Education: One of Iowa’s Priorities • Early Childhood Iowa • Alliance of stakeholders in early care, health & education • “Children Ready to Succeed in School” • http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/index.html • State Board of Education • “All children will enter school ready to learn.” • Iowa Department of Education • “All children will enter school ready to learn.” • http://www.iowa.gov/educate/

9. Iowa’s Quality ECSE StudySpring 2005 • Randomly Selected EC and ECSE Settings • 50 early childhood classrooms • 50 early childhood special education classrooms • Findings • 42% of teachers did not use a curriculum; • Majority of teachers did not use a comprehensive, evidence-based assessment tool; and • Over 10% of teachers only form of monitoring children’s progress related to IEP.

10. The Essential Question • Are students with disabilities entering school ready to learn at high levels?

11. Stars Lining Up…DE Early Childhood Services Bureau Federally Funded Programs: • Early ACCESS (Part C) Lead Agency • Early Childhood Special Education • Even Start • Head Start Collaboration Project Office State Funded Programs: • Community Empowerment Liaison • Voluntary Preschool for 4-Year-Old Children • Shared Visions – Family Support and Preschool Programs for Children At-Risk

12. Early Childhood Education Quality Program Standards Early Learning Standards Professional Development Community Collaboration Iowa’s early childhood education system integrates these four strategies.

13. Very Similar Foci in AZ

14. Another Way to Look At It

15. Relationships Curriculum Teaching Assessment of Child Progress Health Teachers Families Community Relationships Physical Environment Leadership & Management Iowa’s Quality Preschool Program Standards (QPPS)

16. In Arizona • Staff Qualifications • Operations • Cultural and linguistic congruence • Family involvement • Staff development • Program evaluation • Transitions • Health • Nutrition • Social Services • Collaboration • Assessment • Resources

17. Iowa’s Early Learning Standards Birth-Five • Physical Well-Being & Motor Development • Approaches To Learning • Social & Emotional Development • Communication, Language & Literacy • Mathematics and Science • Creative Arts

18. Iowa Physical Well-Being & Motor Development Approaches To Learning Social & Emotional Development Communication, Language & Literacy Mathematics and Science Creative Arts Arizona (Ages 3-5) Social Emotional Language & Literacy Mathematics Science Social Studies Physical Development, Health & Safety Fine Arts Early Learning Standards Side by Side

21. Professional DevelopmentFocuses on Quality Improvement Target Audience • EC/ECSE personnel providing early childhood special education services Areas of Emphasis • Quality Preschool Program Standards (QPPS) • Iowa Early Learning Standards (IELS) • Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) • Curriculum and Child Assessment (e.g. Creative Curriculum and Developmental Continuum Assessment) Outcomes of Professional Development • Implement research-based program standards, curriculum and assessment of child progress • Enhance children’s developmental skills • Ensure children are progressing toward positive early childhood outcomes

22. 10 Area Education Agencies (AEA) – regional service agencies • 365 Districts

23. Implementation is a Collaborative Effort!

24. Ongoing Progress Monitoring Training • Built on 2 years of standards training • Foundational skills • Training of trainers • Professional learning communities • Every other week for six weeks • Initial year, N=30 district teams • Other existing meetings & conferences

25. The Early Childhood Quality Improvement Process (ECQUIP) • Statewide training – 2 years • Horizontal & vertical alignment • Monitoring: Have tos (compliance) • Validation: Want tos (quality)

26. Alignment with K-12 School Improvement Standards • School and District Leadership • Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development • Classroom and School Assessments • School Culture, Climate and Communication State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) • RTI Self-assessment process • Use of ECE data • Kindergarten transition plans

27. Standard 1: SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP Indicators • 1.1 Leadership has led an inclusive process of developing a sustained and shared vision and mission as well as a written philosophy that is the basis for program planning, implementation, evaluation and modification. • 1.2 The Leadership meets regularly with the early education staff to formulate, review, or revise the ECQUIP process/plan. • 1.3 Leadership promotes and sustains continuous school improvement by providing organizational structure, allocating funding, monitoring the use of resources (e.g., fiscal, professional development, planning time). • 1.4 Leadership ensures systems are in place to monitor the integrity and accuracy of child assessment data collected and reported by the program. • 1.5 Leadership provides and supports professional development opportunities for early education program staff to strengthen their competencies in planning and implementing appropriate and effective educational programs for young children. Staff are committed to long-term professional growth that is continuous and job-embedded

28. Standard 1: School and District Leadership The district and school leadership focuses on improved student achievement by using the results from the ECQUIP process to assess the effectiveness of program management practices as the basis for improvement.

29. Telling the Story of ECE in AZ • Monitoring and reporting • State & local program evaluation • State Quality Improvement Rating System: Alignment of ECQUIP & Program Standards • Strategic communications

30. For More Information • Iowa’s Early Childhood Standards: http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/view/681/805/ • Early Childhood Special Education: http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/view/631/594/ • State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Reports: http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/category/22/552/592/ • Contact Dee Gethmann, 619 Coordinator Dee.Gethmann@iowa.gov or 515.281.5502

31. For More Information • Arizona Early Learning Standards http://www.ade.az.gov/earlychildhood/downloads/EarlyLearningStandards.pdf • Guidelines for Comprehensive Early Childhood Programs http://www.ade.az.gov/Guidelines/EarlyChildhood/ • Early Childhood Quality Improvement Practices http://www.ade.az.gov/earlychildhood/ECQUIP/ • Contact Valerie Andrews-James, 619 Coordinator valerie.james@azed.gov or 602.364.1948