Transcript Two Generation Strategy Whose job is child development?

Two Generation Strategy
Whose job is child development?
--Vision for the Child and Youth Readiness
Cabinet,
The Patrick Administration Education Action
Agenda, June 2008
“There is widespread awareness that children do not
develop and learn in schools alone. Instead, they
mature across many dimensions — physical, social,
emotional, ethical and intellectual — within networks of
families, schools, neighborhoods, communities and our
larger society. Consequently, government agencies
charged with fostering children’s development and
working with families must incorporate these
dimensions and networks into their service delivery
systems and improve their coordination.”
Whole System Reform
for Children and Families
Capacity Building vs. accountability
Group Solutions vs. individual solutions
Technology to drive practice
Integrated system vs. a fragmented system
HIGH NEEDS CHILDREN
Of the nearly half million children birth to age five in
Massachusetts (2010 Census), close to one-third are lowincome, according to the National Center for Children in
Poverty, while 17.4% are English language learners, 6.7%
have special needs, and .9% are homeless.
Based on the data from the National Center for Children in
Poverty, we believe that 135,000 children in MA experience at
least one risk factor and 20,000 have three or more risk
factors, which without intervention, may lead to developmental
delays.
Children with risk factors are more vulnerable to encountering
developmental delays and having school readiness gaps, and
are most likely to benefit from high-quality early learning
experiences.
Whole Family Approach
From an Ascend at the Aspen Institute report, “TWO GENERATIONS, ONE FUTURE:
Moving parents and children beyond poverty together”. 2012
TWO GENERATIONS
STRENGTHENING FAMILIES
Supporting families concrete needs
Supporting parents to understand growth and
development
Supporting parents to understand the social and
emotional needs of children
Supporting families to have social networks
Supporting family resiliancency
RESOURCES THAT SUPPORT CHILD
DEVELOPMENT
Housing Resources
Health Care
Public Safety Services
Nutrition Assistance
Support for Parents
Recreation and Enrichment
Crisis and Support Services
Children’s Programming
Early Education
Elementary and Secondary Education
Adult Education
CONDITIONS OF
EFFECTIVE RESOURCES
Accessibility
Prevention Programs
Community Initiatives
Community and Agency Practices
Birth to 3 rd grade
mechanisms for cross-sector alignment (Governance, strategic plans)
Administrators and Leadership Quality (Leadership is inclusive/facilitative and focused
on instruction)
Teacher Quality and Capacity (Focus on credentials and professional development;
professional dispositions; professional community)
Instructional Tools and Practices (Curriculum content; alignment of standards and
curricula; pedagogical methods)
Instructional Environment (Student-centered learning culture (classroom and school)
home
Data and Assessments (Data and assessment used to improve instruction)
Engaged Families (Families and communities engaged in student
learning)
Transitions and Pathways (Focus on children’s movement through the
continuum)
1 Kauerz, Kristie (2011). Sustaining Your Work: PreK-3rd Implementation and Evaluation Framework; a presentation to ESE PK-3 grantees. Harvard University: Cambridge, MA
STRATEGIC AREAS OF FOCUS
EEC is focused on strengthening the system of early education and care
in Massachusetts as a critical element of the education pipeline from
cradle to career.
The child outcomes that we are trying to achieve require investment in
four critical areas:
teacher /educator quality,
program quality,
screening and assessment, and
engagement of communities and families.
The system EEC is building includes all children not just those in formal
care.
EARLY CHILDHOOD INFORMATION
Providing parents/families with information about early learning and
development programs available to them and giving them the information
needed to support their children development
Providing programs and services with information about the children they
are serving and to improve individualized teaching and learning at the
classroom and program level through formative assessment,
Provide an opportunity for state agencies to understand where children
may be served by multiple systems that would benefit from greater
coordination and integration; and
Providing policy makers with information about the current use of early
learning and development programs
Opportunities
Committed leadership
Support from the governor
Support from the legislators
Resources for alignment
Defined goal to close the achievement gap
Infrastructure to build from for young children
Challenges
Leadership buy in vs field buy in
Defining supporting development of children as a
shared goal
Lack of data systems to demonstrate benefit of
two generation focus
Unequal infrastructure at the state and local level
What we are doing?
Making services family focused
Creating a child development lens
Recognizing that parents are children's first teachers
Using a single service entry point to have a single message
about the development of children
Create service models that support, not hinder child
development
How are we doing this?
Understand the science of child development in the early years
Using as a foundation a two generation focus with a do no harm to child
development
Understanding the opportunities children need to grow and develop
(Early Learning Standards)
Supporting parents as first teachers to understand what supports
development as well as adverse conditions (Screening)
Knowing each child and family by name in a trusted relationship (data)
Sharing responsibility for all of our children and their growth and
development (cross training and professional development)
Today's charge
Define concrete next steps for cross agency
training and the uses of engagement
Look at eligibility differences and determine
where we align and where we can move to align
Frame for our work today
Increase an understanding of what we want
children to learn and how our agencies support,
advance or hinder that learning
Remind ourselves of the importance of family
engagement as a necessary tool for child growth
Urgency
We are now faced with
the fact, my friends, that
tomorrow is today. We
are confronted with the
fierce urgency of now. In
this unfolding conundrum
of life and history, there
is such a thing as being
too late. Procrastination
is still the thief of time.
Martin Luther king