State Advisory Council Community Support Grant

1. State Advisory Council Community Support Grant Summary Presentation for Policy Committee Meeting December 3, 2012

2. STATEWIDE ADVISORY COUNCIL GOALS and Status: • Early Childhood Information System Development and Use • Ongoing (WEAVE) • Needs Assessment • Completed • Early Education / Higher Education Workforce Preparation Partnership • Ongoing • Policy and Best Practices for Children and Families with Limited English Proficiency and/or Developmental Delays or Multiagency Involvement • Did not Implement, but instead merged with Community Support Grants to focus on Birth through 8 Alignment

3. SAC Community Support Grants and Phases of Birth to 8 Initiatives: • Round 1 (October 31, 2011 – February 29, 2012) • ARRA Funding released to target rural communities • Round 2 (July, 2012 – October 31, 2012) • ARRA Funding released to focus on communities in Gateway, Home Visiting, and Level 4 School Districts • RTTT Early Learning Challenge Funding 5.3 to continue to accelerate birth through 8 alignment initiatives • Year 1: September 1, 2012 – August 31, 2013 • Year 2: September 1, 2013 – August 31, 2014 • Round 3 (December 3, 2012-June 30, 2013) • ARRA funding to focus on community initiatives that support an infrastructure that develops and aligns within a community the formal and informal activities that support child growth

4. SAC Community Support Grant Goal III: Objectives • Facilitate dialogue among local entities to support the trainings in the communities served (local entities being: public schools and early education alignment and a shared understanding of curriculum, assessment, and screening practices and care programs, including out-of-school time providers) ; • Make clear, specific recommendations on assessment and screening tools and practices that will support alignment; and • Develop a plan for coordinated assessment, screening, and curriculum alignment that will best support children and families in the communities served across the mixed delivery system.

5. Round OneRural Community Support Grant Birth to 8 • Rural Community Strategic Planning:  One-time grants to selected Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) grantees serving rural communities to support community birth through age 8 (“B-8”) three year strategic plans, anchored in local data.  • Three grantees were awarded $5,000 each: • Ashburnham-Westminster • Nantucket • Sandwich

6. Round OneRural Community Support Grant Birth to 8 • Birth to 8 Assessment, Screening, and Curriculum Support and Alignment:  One-time grants to non-profit entities serving rural communities in partnership with public school districts and/or charter schools serving children pre-kindergarten to third grade. This grant seeks to support assessment, screening, curriculum support, and alignment within the communities. • Three grantees were awarded the following: • Cape Cod Children’s Place ($21,103) • Lower Pioneer Valley Educational ($43,146) • Nantucket ($14,971)

7. Round two SAC Community Support Grant • Grantees cover service areas that aligned with SAC’s recommended goals to support the following: Gateway Community, Level 4 School District, and/or Home Visiting Community. • Birth to Eight Grantees, $5,000 each: • Barnstable • Fall River • Gill Montague • Malden • New Bedford • Triumph

8. Round two SAC Community Support Grant • Strategic Planning Grantees, $5,000 each: • Gill Montague RSD • Holyoke-Chicopee-Springfield • Fall River Public Schools • Lynn Public Schools • Malden Public Schools • PACE Child Care Works

9. Strategic Planning Activities Achieved to Date: • Conducted community assessments (needs, assets, strengths, concerns), collected data, held roundtable discussions, collaborated with community stakeholders, increased community dialogue, developed specific timelines, and developed three-year strategic plans. • Held focus groups to integrate effective systems of assessment, early childhood curriculum, and screening alignment to serve children birth through age eight. • One Grantee (Gill Montague RSD) held 2 focus groups, one for parents/caregivers and service providers. These focus groups generated data that was used to complete their strategic plan. • One Grantee (Holyoke) used SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis to also help inform their direction as a council.

10. Birth to 8 Assessment, Screening, and Curriculum Support and Alignment: Activities Achieved to Date Continued: • Conducted surveys, collected data, forged partnerships, facilitated community meetings, discussed professional development opportunities, and established plans for birth-8 assessment and screening. • One example of collaboration came from Nantucket Public Schools, who are now more integrated with and have involved the wider community in the implementation of new kindergarten screening opportunities.

11. Other Activities Achieved to Date: • Birth- 12th Grade Resource Guide” that any parent/caregiver will have access to (print and online) • Developed curriculum materials • Provided training for directors, teachers, and parents • Developed a binder of curriculum materials for each child care center in town • Reviewed and explored common core instructional practices and how they link to what programs are already doing • Identified barriers and obstacles • Completed trainings with 18 home and center based providers on the Tools of the Mind curriculum in the early education programs • Secured consultants

12. Applicants: Round Three • RFR was released for a third round of funding on October 19, 2012 • Applications were due by November 2, 2012 • Applications were reviewed by November 26, 2012 • Implementation is anticipated to begin on or around December 3, 2012 upon follow up • Requests may be made up to $40,000 per application • Total amount of available funds is approximately $437,000.

13. Total Awards

14. Next StepsRemaining ARRA SAC funding: • Over $337,000 amendment request submitted to the federal government • EEC intends to contract with a vendor to conduct a series of trainings for the EEC field operations staff. • The training content must cover a broad view of each the following: • Screening • Assessment • Program evaluation tools • The purpose of the tool • Hands on training for EEC staff to become familiar with use of the tool