Welcome Quality Counts Neighborhood Learning Network Orientation

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The Children’s Trust-Primary funder for the Quality Counts initiative, approximately $10 million -Provides professional development for Quality Counts field staff Early Learning Coalition of Miami- Dade/Monroe -Administration of Quality Counts: new programs, renewals, assessments, support grant applications, communications United Way of Miami-Dade Center for Excellence in Early Education -Communities of practice -Accreditation supports -School readiness enhancements Children’s Forum Quality Counts Career Center -On-site Quality Improvement coaching with integrated technical assistance and career advising functions Citrus Health Network-Child mental health supports: behavior/mental health short term intervention

QC-NLN program partners and activities will support a regional network of ECE programs who advance and advocate for the healthy development of children and families.

Intent: Uniquely leverage, coordinate, and deliver comprehensive supports and coherent services Promote and model continuous quality improvement Enhance the professional capacity of early care and education teachers, directors, and programs

Expectation: Ongoing communication, respectful relationships, and shared values for meaningful and continuous quality improvement among community and early care and education partners Effectively coordinated partnerships and comprehensive supports

Conceptual framework: inspired by Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory, understanding children as existing within a multilayered context influenced by families, teachers, directors, ECE programs, community supports, and community partners.

Children’s Forum The Forum has an organizational history that is grounded in the development of principles, programs and policies that continue to serve early childhood development and education in Florida since Create and sustain quality particularly for most vulnerable children Efficiently maximize resources, data, research, advocacy, direct service and training

Program Activities Snapshot On-site Coaching: Quality Improvement Specialists (QIS) and directors co-create quality improvement plans (QIPs). Coaching is guided by the learning environment level and observations performed by QIS for teachers not formally assessed by Devereux QIS’s create individual career development plans (CDP) for eligible practitioners

Principles and Focus Individualized Attention & Resources Professional Development opportunities Ongoing support for Director and Staff Focus on evidence-based practices in ECE Successful partnership and collaboration Program success “We are here to serve”

United Way of Miami-Dade (UWMD) UWMD has provided services to the MDC community for over 90 years including effective oversight of programs serving over 150,000 individuals annually. UWMD’s Center for Excellence in Early Education is dedicated to elevating the quality of early care and education in Miami-Dade and beyond. Since 2006 the Center has administered over 11 complex, large- scale, multi-site interventions to improve the quality of ECE. The scope of these programs ranges up to 39 sites and up to 4,000 participants served annually.

Program Activities Snapshot Communities of Practice (CoP): Center director CoPs and family child care home CoPs. Content includes leading purposeful change and supporting classroom teaching and learning. Practitioner CoPs for teaching, learning, and assessment are offered to practitioners in programs with learning environment levels three, four and five.

Program Activities Snapshot Accreditation Supports: Facilitation supports to any program pursuing accreditation from a Florida Gold Seal approved accrediting agency Accreditation specialist serves as an information resource for program staff and allows programs to take the lead while guiding them through a structured process. Accreditation supports include on-site meetings, document review, classroom observations, assessment of the program administration and mock assessments.

Program Activities Snapshot School Readiness Enhancements: Will be offered to programs with learning environment levels of four and five Multi-session professional development series will be customized to program needs and interests

Citrus Health Network, Inc. Citrus Health Network, Inc. (CHN) is a Community Based Federally Qualified Health Center with more than 35 years of experience. Our programs are County-wide and include more than just behavioral health such as: Primary Care, Pediatrics, Gynecology, Specialized Foster Care for children, Housing Programs for individuals with disabilities, and persons who are homeless Psychiatric Services, Assessment & Crisis Stabilization Units, Case Management, School Health, Adult Senior Day Treatment, Outreach for Homeless Mentally Ill, Early Childhood Development Interventions and Infant Mental Health. Remember: We are also the Screening Follow Up and Early Intervention Program funded by the ELC to serve all school readiness children county-wide so NO child is left without services at your center!

What is Infant Mental Health & Why is It Important? The first years of life provide the basis for children's mental health and social emotional development. Infant mental health focuses on a child’s healthy social and emotional development from birth through age five. A child’s world depends on the love and care they receive from those around them and therefore, it is essential that first relationships are trusting and caring, as they provide an important foundation for later mental health development.

Behavior/Mental Health Short Term Interventions: Child centered Short-term interventions are provided based on need using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional (ASQ:SE) Screening. To be completed by teachers with parental consent. Services include: – Parent/caregiver and child sessions focusing on child-family-school relationships and behavioral management – Additional assessments and evaluations – Information, referral and care coordination Sessions take place in the early learning center or in our offices Referrals made via ELC WARM LINE ( ) or our offices directly ( )

Envisioning our collaborative work Above and Beyond: Education for the 21 st Century

Thank You ! “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” –Helen Keller