Building Iowas Early Care, Health, and Education System

1
Building Iowas Early Care, Health, and Education
System

• Every child beginning at birth, will be healthy
  and successful.

2
Iowas Community Empowerment

• Legislated in 1998
• Communities and state government working together
  to improve the well-being of our children 0-5
  years.
• 58 areas representing all 99 counties

3
Iowas Community Empowerment

• Community Empowerment Areas have a citizen led
  board to support activities to promote
  collaboration and system development
• Board membership includes
• Consumers
• Business
• Faith
• Human Services
• Education
• Health

4
Integrating Local Level Initiatives into State
Level Planning

• Local level alignment with the ECI Strategic Plan
• Leadership at the state level to promote public
  awareness and quality early care, health, and
  education programs
• State and local level partnership to develop a
  professional development system

5
Iowa Empowerment Board

• Support state and community partnerships
• Promotes collaboration
• Board membership
• 16 citizens
• Directors of Departments of Education, Health,
  Human Services, Human Rights, Economic
  Development, and Workforce Development
• Six legislators serve as ex-officio members

6
Building Iowas Early Care, Health, and Education
System

• Iowa is one of 6 states/communities to receive
  grant from North Carolinas Smart Start
• Early care, health, and education assessment
• Strategies for system change are developed
• Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Grant
• Common, unified vision

7
Iowas ECCS Project

• Promote implementation of strategies to address
  the critical components
• Continue to strengthen leadership and
  collaboration
• Further develop results accountability for
  data-informed decision making
• Create a commitment for broadening public will
  and investing resources

8
Iowas ECCS Project

• Single Early Childhood Strategic Plan
• Partnerships with early care, health, and
  education initiatives
• Medical Home, Oral Health, ABCD II, Quality
  Rating System, Quality Preschool Program
  Standards, Early Learning Standards

9
Iowas ECCS Project

• DOM/
• Community Empowerment
• DPH
• DHR
• DHS
• DE
• DED

Empowerment Technical Assistance Team
Implies advisory and information exchange
10
Early Childhood Iowa Stakeholders

• PURPOSE Be a catalyst in the development of
  Iowas comprehensive, integrated Early Care,
  Health and Education System.
• Advisory role to the system building efforts
• Work teams to address the system components

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Safe and Nurturing Families
Building Iowas System Collaboration
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Component Groups of ECI

• Program
• Quality Services and Programs
• Professional and Workforce Development
• Public Engagement
• Infrastructure
• Accountability for Results
• Resources and Funding
• Governance, Planning, and Administration

13
Opportunities

• 501c3 for Early Childhood
• Report Card
• Local early childhood structures involved at the
  state and local level

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Web site

• www.earlychildhoodiowa.org
• www.parents.earlychildhoodiowa.org

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For More Information

• Gretchen Hageman
• Iowa Department of Public Health
• [phone]
• ghageman_at_idph.state.ia.us
• Shanell Wagler
• Office of Empowerment
• [phone]
• shanell.wagler_at_iowa.gov