1 EEC Board Policy and Research Committee October 2, 2013 State Advisory Council (SAC) Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building

Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC) Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building SAC Summary Status Update EEC Planning and Evaluation Committee (June 3, 2013) Discussed -SAC funding ended on June 30, 2013, SAC worked, and next Steps to support sustainability Committee asked EEC to explore what other states were doing, resources needed to support ongoing work, and presented potential recommendations to sustain the SAC work State and Territorial Administrators Conference (STAM) (July 29, 2013) ACF provided guidance: SAC States Responsibilities & Sustainability Early Childhood Investments in the future RTTT-ELC-Grant –III Revised CCDF Regulations link to work of the SAC President Obama’s Birth to Five Plan (Home visiting, EHS Partnerships, Pre-K for all) State Advisory Council Final Report Submitted to ACF (August 30, 2013) Included: sustainability plan- EEC recommendation to support SAC sustainability. (i.e. what to sustain, resources, barriers, and viable strategies to achieve the SAC goals) 2

The Department Recommendation: (Discussion) In sustaining the State Advisory Council (SAC) work, the Council will be merged with the Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSSCO) Council to continue developing a high-quality, comprehensive system of early childhood development and care in the Commonwealth; In Massachusetts, the work and the goals of the merged councils are aligned to ensure statewide coordination and collaboration among the federal, state, and local agencies to support high-quality early education and care systems; (see next slide HSSCO Strategic Plan, SAC Goals, and EEC strategic Plan) Regarding the membership of the SAC and the HSSCO Advisory Council, EEC recommends that a member of the EEC Board serve as the liaison to the HSSCO council in order to ensure communication and potential collaboration opportunities to support the work of the merged councils; The Commonwealth’s Director of Head Start Collaboration be designated as the individual responsible for coordinating the activities of the SAC/HSSCO Advisory Council 3 Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC) Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building

4 EEC Strategic Direction, SAC, & HSSCO Goals EEC Strategic Direction(s) HSSCO National Framework 1.Quality SAC Goal 1 Child Care and Early Childhood Systems : -Coordinate activities with the State Child Care agency. -Support HS programs participation in QRIS and partnering with child care and early childhood systems at the local level. -Data System sharing and implementation. 2.Family Support, Access & Affordability SAC Goal 3 -support full-working-day and full--calendar –year services -Support family and community partnerships; health; disabilities; support to military families, and Dual Language Learners. -Support school transitions. 3.Workforce SAC Goal 4 -Develop state level partnerships with Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) to assist educators to obtain AA & BA degrees -Work with MA T/TA State Based Office to expand opportunities for collaboration to support educators. *=Include areas identified in the MA-HSSCO Needs Assessment 12

Priority areas to be completed in the coming up months: In merging the SAC with the HSSCO Advisory Council work, the council will have the opportunity to conduct and expand the HSSCO Needs Assessment Annual Survey to a larger field of early education and care providers. HSSCO funds will be used to conduct the annual update of the needs assessment. This assessment survey will integrate key areas from the SAC Family and Educator Survey. ( Dec Jan estimated) Goal 2 In aligning the work of the SAC and the HSSCO Advisory Council to support collaboration and coordination among federal, state, and local initiatives, the following are some of the key activities that will be conducted in the coming year: Conduct regional meetings with Head Start, Public Schools, Early Intervention, Coordinated Family and Community Engagement grantees, and early education providers to support to support joint professional development opportunities, transitions, and implementation of E-ELD Standards. (Four Round of Statewide Meetings) ( June 2014 estimated) Goal 3 5 Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC) Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building

The following action steps will ensure the effectiveness of this process: Recommendation to merge SAC and HSSCO work and functions will be presented at Policy and Research Committee meeting (October 2, 2013) Recommendation to merge SAC and HSSCO work and functions will be presented at the HSSCO Advisory meeting (October 31, 2013) Quarterly HSSCO/SAC Council meetings are scheduled throughout the year to review progress and project accomplishments (October, January 2013, & March, and June 2014) An EEC Board member will serve as the EEC liaison to the HSSCO Advisory Council to ensure communication, collaboration, and coordination on matters related to federal, state, and local initiatives that strengthen early education and care programs, families, and educators in the Commonwealth The HSSCO Director will coordinate and provide quarterly updates, progress, and outcomes of projects and activities accomplished by the HSSCO/SAC Advisory Council to the Policy and Research Committee of EEC’s Board. 6 Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC) Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building

Questions? 7

SAC REFERENCE INFORMATION STATE ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAC) MASSACHUSETTS 8

Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC) Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building SAC Goals: Develop high-quality, comprehensive systems of early childhood development Ensure statewide coordination among the wide range of early childhood programs offered in the states, including child care, Head Start, IDEA, Pre-K, and home visiting programs, among others SAC Functions : Conduct a periodic statewide needs assessment of quality and availability of early childhood programs & services (Goal 2 –MA Needs Assessment) Identify opportunities for, and barriers to, collaboration & coordination among federally and state-funded, childcare and early education programs, including outreach to special populations (Goal 3-MA B-8 Community Planning, PK-3 Partnerships) Develop recommendations for: increasing the overall participation of children, establishment of a unified data collection system (Goal 1-MA Data System) improve professional development systems, (Goal 4-MA Workforce) Recommend improvements in State early learning standards 9

Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC) Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building Background –In Massachusetts  “In 2010, Governor Patrick designated the Board of EEC to serve as the Head Start State Advisory Council (SAC) after determining that the federal goals and membership recommendations of the SAC demonstrate a close parallel to the goals, functions, and membership qualifications of the existing Board of EEC, as Formulated under M.G.L.C.15D, § 3 Membership of the Board.”  SAC membership included a representative of: State Agencies responsible for: Child Care, Education, 619 or Part C, Health or Mental Health, Local educational agencies, & local providers of early education, Institutions of higher education in the state, Head Start agencies, including immigrant and seasonal HS, The State Director of Head Start Collaboration, and Other entities determined to be relevant by the Governor.  To ensure systems building alignment, quarterly meetings of the Board were designated to focus on issues directly related to the SAC. 10

SAC Funded Activities Completed: (highlights) Early Childhood Data Consultation Support :( ) (Goal 1) Massachusetts SAC Needs Assessment: (2011) (Goal 2) Family Survey- conducted to gain a better understanding of the existing needs of children and families. Educator Survey- conducted to gain a better understanding of the workforce. Birth to 8 Initiatives: ( ) Grants (Goal 3) Support an infrastructure child growth and development, literacy assessment, and dual language learners.(Target: Rural Communities, Communities in Gateway, Home Visiting, & Level 4 Schools) Mapping of Higher Education Institutions of 2-and 4-year public and private institutions that support early childhood educators ( ) (Goal 4) UMASS Post Master’s Degree Program in early education research, policy, and leadership (2012) (Goal 4) 11 Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC) Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building

Resources State Advisory Council: Early Childhood Head Start State Collaboration Offices: 12