Report to the CT General Assembly Appropriations Committee: 4th Year Early Childhood RBA

1
Report to the CT General Assembly Appropriations
Committee4th Year Early Childhood RBA

• March 18, 2009
• Dr. Janice M. Gruendel, Co-Chair, Early Childhood
  Education Cabinet
• Dr. Mark McQuillan, Co-Chair, Early Childhood
  Education Cabinet

2
Whats Inside Part I. Setting the Context for
an Early Childhood System Part II. CTs RBA Goes
National Part III. Meeting the Cabinets
Legislative Mandates 2008-2009 Part IV. Lessons
Learned Moving Forward Part V More Detail
(not for presentation)
3
Part I Setting the Context for a
Connecticut Early
Childhood System A National Model for an Early
Childhood Development System Service Components
of CTs Early Childhood Design Connecticut as a
National Leader
4
An Evolving National Model
Source Formative Assessment of the Cabinet,
2009, p.7
5
B-9 Service and Support Components in CT
Child and Family
6
Connecticut as a National Leader

• Context
• At the request of the Cabinet co-chairs, the
  Early Childhood Research Policy Council
  contracted with national expert Charles Bruner
  -- to examine the systems building capabilities
  and progress of the Cabinet and to make
  recommendations for ongoing structure and
  process.
• Findings
• From all this, it is clear to me that
  Connecticut has more than sufficient leadership,
  expertise, and passion to be the national leader
  among states in building an early learning system
  that can meet childrens goals of ready by five
  and fine by nine.
• Public investments will be made in early
  childhood when there is confidence that those
  investments are needed and can be used
  effectively. The Cabinet and Council
  collectively, and its members individually, are
  the ones best positioned to make that compelling
  case for public investments and early childhood
  systems building and to deliver on it as
  resources are deployed.

7
Part II CTs Early Childhood RBA Goes
National Web video from the national

Center for the Study of Social
Policy http//link.brightcove.com/services/player
/bcpid5189554001?bctid15138403001
8
Part III Accountability Update June 07
December 08 Expanding RBA Meeting the
Cabinets Legislative Mandates (to date) Status
of Accountability Plan Summary of
Accomplishments
9
Accomplishment Continued RBA Expansion (Goal I
RBA System Measure)
Source Cabinet RBA 2009
10
Meeting the Cabinets Legislative Mandates 7/07
thru 12/08

11
Status of the Required Accountability Plan

• Public Consulting Group Review of RBA measures
• 2007 and 2008 RBA measures were reviewed from a
  data perspective. Recommendations were for
  uniform data collection and measurement across
  agencies better measures of program outcomes
  and goal setting with specific timeframes.
• 2. Near Final Cabinet Accountability Progress
  Report
• Draft 3 of Early Childhood Accountability
  Where we are now and what we have learned is
  nearly complete.
• 3. Taking Stock Assessing and Improving Early
  Childhood Learning and Program Quality national
  TA for Accountability Plan development
• In the fall, 2008, Connecticut was selected with
  3 other states to receive national technical
  assistance from two national leaders in early
  childhood assessment and accountability,
  sponsored by the Council of Chief State School
  Officers (CCSS). A team including SDE, DHE and
  the Office of the Cabinet is working with
  consultants to develop a 2nd draft of the
  Cabinets Accountability Plan for submittal to
  the Cabinet at its April meeting.
• 4. Target for submittal to the CT General
  Assembly May 2009

12
A Few Other Accomplishments in 18 Months

• Birth to Three Program (DSS) expansion.
  
  Increased numbers of very young children
  identified early for developmental delays
• Two thousand additional slots and 150 new spaces
  
  in new or renovated preschool
  facilities
• First unduplicated count of preschoolers
  
  Just over 27,000 preschoolers
  are enrolled, each with a unique identifier for
  tracking development and school success
• First solid data on the status of the ECE
  workforce
  CT is far from
  achieving the statutory mandate that by 2015 each
  SR classroom will have a BA teacher in it
• First birth cohort study
  
  44 of the babies born
  in 2006 live(d) in families at or below 185 of
  the FPL
• Leveraged over 1.2 million in each year in
  private funding
  Community Co-Investment and
  parent trust fund public-private partnerships
• Important quality gains from Cabinet preschool
  Investments
  
• Early Childhood Information System moving forward
• National recognition
  
  3
  National Governors Association grants formal
  partnership with Harvard Center on the Developing
  Child, NGA. NCSL, and the Kellogg, RW Johnson and
  Annie E. Casey foundations

13
Accomplishment ChallengeFinding Individual
Children at Risk Early
in their Lives (Goal I RBA Population
Indicator)
Source Cabinet RBA 2009
14
Accomplishment ChallengeDeveloping the Early
Childhood Information System (Goal I RBA System
Measure)
Source Cabinet RBA 2009
15
Accomplishment ChallengeLeveraging Private
Foundation Funds (Goal I RBA System Measure)
Source Cabinet RBA 2009
16
Challenge Present and Future Preschool Quality
Improvement Investments (Goal I RBA System
Measure)
Source Cabinet RBA 2009
17
Part IV Lessons Learned Moving Forward 9
Lessons for Policy, Practice and
Accountability Continued Challenges Seen Through
RBA Data Connecting the Dots on Resource
Investment
18
9 Principles for Policy, Practice and
Accountability

• 1. Science matters
• Use the science of child development to guide
  policy decisions, practice and investment
• 2. Early Identification and Effective Action
• Identify early risks/stressors on the child and
  family and intervene with (a) early supports to
  buffer the impact of stressors and (b) targeted
  interventions to remediate problems and
  strengthen development
• 3. Core Systems. Core Interactions. Fidelity
• Focus on (a) core system components across
  sectors, (b) interactions between child and
  parent, caregiver and/or teacher, and (c)
  implement with fidelity to proven models
• 4. Public-Private Partnerships Co-Investment
  matters
• No one sector can solve the problems of
  un-readiness and the achievement gap alone. The
  best partnership involves public-private, state-
  local partnerships
• 5. Governance and accountability matters
• Responsibility for systems building must exist,
  and be accompanied by authority
• 6. Outcomes matter. Target. Evaluate
• Do not choose expansion over outcomes quality.
  Evaluate progress regularly
• 7. Data matters

19
Continued Challenge CT Disparities At Entry to
K(Goal I RBA Population Indicator)
Ready
Not Ready
Not Ready
Ready
Source Cabinet RBA 2009
20
Continued Challenge Disparities in K-3
Attendance (Goal II RBA Population Indicator)
Source Cabinet RBA 2009
21
Continued ChallengeK-3 Behaviors that Make
Learning Difficult(Goal II RBA Population
Indicator)
Source Cabinet RBA 2009
22
Continued Challenge CTs Third Grade Reading
Achievement Gap(Goal II RBA Population Measure)
Source Cabinet RBA 2009
23
Continued Challenge Teacher Preparation for
Teaching Reading (Goal II System Measure)
Source Cabinet RBA 2009
24
Moving Forward Connecting the Dots
for Continued Resource Investment
Towns
Private Matching Funds for Models
Kids Families
Services
Federal Stimulus Funds to Local Programs
Federal Stimulus to State
Federal Stimulus Funds to People
State Funds 2010 2011
25
One way to connect the dots Think about towns
with many vulnerable children
Federal Stimulus Funds to People
Services
Town(s)
Kids Families
Federal Stimulus Funds to Local Programs
Private Matching Funds for Models
State Funds 2010 2011
Federal Stimulus Funds to State
26
Better yet Connect the dots across funding
streams to kids at risk in targeted towns with
targeted services
Services
Town(s)
Federal Stimulus Funds to People
Kids Families
Private Matching Funds for Models
Federal Stimulus Funds to Local Programs
State Funds 2010 2011
Federal Stimulus Funds to State
27
A Good Place to Start Work across state and
federal stimulus funds, and private funders --
with selected communities
Services
Town(s)
Federal Stimulus Funds to State

• Work Across
• SDE
• Ed Stabilization
• Title I Title IID Tech
• McKinney-Vento
• IDEA Part B C
• DHE
• Title II Pell
• DSS
• CCDBG Quality I/T
• TANF
• DPH Home Visiting
• DCF Child Welfare

Kids Families
State Funds 2010 2011
Private Matching Funds for Models
28
A 1st Cut at Finding Target Communities

• Ansonia PSD Corrective action (C-Act)
• Bloomfield PSD
• Bridgeport PSD C-Act B-9 Plan
• Bristol PSD B-9 Plan
• Danbury PSD C-Act B-9 Plan
• East Hartford PSD C-Act, B-9 Plan
• Hartford PSD C-Act, B-9 Plan
• Meriden PSD C-Act, B-9 Plan
• Middletown PSD C-Act, B-9 Plan
• New Britain PSD C-Act, B-9 Plan
• New London PSD C-Act (SAMHSA systems grant
  for young children)
• New Haven PSD C-Act, B-9 Plan
• Norwalk PSD, C-Act, B-9 Plan
• Norwich PSD C-Act, B-9 Plan

• Putnam PSD
• Stamford PSD C-Act, B-9 Plan
• Waterbury PSD C-Act, B-9 Plan
• West Haven PSD
• Windham PSD C-Act, B-9 Plan
• Colchester CSD B-9
• Greenwich CSD B-9
• Manchester CSD B-9
• Mansfield CSD B-9
• Shelton CSD B-9
• Stratford CSD B-9
• Thomaston CSD B-9
• Torrington CSD B-9
• Windsor CSD B-9

29
Part V More Detail
30
Cabinet Council Working Structures as of 2.28.08
31
Meeting the Cabinets Legislative Mandates (in
detail)

• 1. Advise SDE Commissioner on school readiness
  goals in CGS 10-16o
• In compliance, ongoing through Cabinet and
  Standing Committee work 2 formal preschool
  policy reports, and B-3 and K-3 Frameworks
• 2. Conduct statewide longitudinal evaluation of
  SR program starting 7.1.08
• Not completed. Funding allocated by Cabinet in
  SFY 08. Design of study completed by NIEER, April
  2008. Disapproval of funds transfer to any CT
  higher education public institution. SFY 09
  Cabinet funds for this cut by Deficit Mitigation,
  fall 2008
• 3. Develop budget requests for early childhood
• In compliance, ongoing. Three sets of fiscal
  requests completed, fall 2008 for expansion, for
  hold steady, and for planned reduction of 10
  in Cabinet funds. 10 Reduction option
  transmitted to Governor and OPM on 12.12.08
• 4. Develop in consultation with OWC a quality
  workforce development plan for school readiness.
  Report on plan by 12.31.08 and annually
• Completed, ongoing through an effort led by OWC
  and DHE through the Early Childhood Research and
  Policy Council. Statutory change proposed re date
  of BA degree. Note Only 31 of current preschool
  teachers have BA or higher 25 have AA 44 less
  than AA. Among assistant teachers, 87 have less
  than AA degree.

32
Meeting the Cabinets Legislative Mandates
continued

• 5. Promote consistency of quality/comprehensivenes
  s in early childhood services
• In compliance, ongoing
• January Feb 2008 PreK reports to Appropriations
  Committee
• Funded Interim Preschool Quality Improvement
  Project with Charter Oak State College to rate
  classrooms with new SRP slots then awarded
  improvement grants. Funds cut for SFY 10/11
• Cabinet public-private Community Co-Investment
  Partnership with state and private funds invested
  with 23 at risk communities to develop RBA-based
  B-9 plans and fund expanded parent leadership
  development Cited by NGA Center on Best
  Practices. Funds cut for SFY 10/11
• Expect 4 million in Robert Wood Johnson
  Foundation funds over 3 years to replicate
  nationally evaluated Child FIRST program.
  Cabinet and DCF funds secured for next biennium
  Cabinet 165,000 DCF federal funds 300,000.
• 6. Develop minimum/higher standards for quality
  for state-funded ECE programs. Report annually
• In compliance, ongoing. Adopted minimum standards
  in July 2007 for all state funded preschool
  programs serving 6 or more new SRP slots in
  current biennium. Interim Preschool Project
  assessed quality. Yale analyzed data. Under half
  of these classrooms rated as good quality.
• Adopted a Quality Rating and Improvement System
  (QRIS) proposal, November 2008
• 7. Develop Accountability Plan for Early
  Childhood Education services
• Partial Compliance. Complete Compliance by
  4.30.09 Draft status report in December. Being
  finalized now. Expect formal Plan to be submitted
  by end of April 2009. Fiscal work delayed
  progress this fall, but secured national TA at
  the same time.

33
Meeting the Cabinets Legislative Mandates
continued

• 8. Consult with OPM and SDE to consider the
  development of data sharing agreements between
  state agencies and analyze whether data can be
  combined to assess the progress of children
  toward school readiness
• Partial Compliance, ongoing
• ECE Data Registry up and operational with Cabinet
  and DSS dollars. Can now generate unduplicated
  information on who is teaching in the
  state-supported preschool workforce. Funds cut
  for SFY 10/11
• Unique student identifiers now assigned by SDE
  for preschoolers in state funded programs. First
  ever unduplicated count just over 27,000
  students. Need much more work on data systems
• Unique program identifier could be built but
  funds cut from SFY 10/11 cabinet budget
• Birth cohort study shows that we cannot tell how
  many young children experience multiple risks,
  putting them at high risk for impaired brain
  development and subsequent school un-readiness
• Consult with DSS and SDE commissioners as
  agencies develop a multi-year agreement re duties
  and responsibilities for an integrated school
  readiness plan
• Not completed. Staff from agencies have met
  independent of the Cabinet. No report provided to
  the Cabinet to date. Current system is not
  integrated across the School Readiness Program in
  SDE, the child care centers funded by DSS, and
  Head Start funded by SDE with a position as State
  Collaboration Direction in DSS

34
Key Findings from the Neuroscience of Early
Development
1. The interaction between the mother (as the
first primary caregiver) and the very young child
provides the foundation for early neural growth.
2. Positive interaction between caring,
consistent adults (parents caregivers) and the
child ALSO acts as a protective factor when the
child faces normal and more extreme stress.
3. Stress releases cortisol, a brain chemical
that increases respiration and heart rate.
Repeated infusion of cortisol in young childrens
brains damages cell growth, impairs neural
connections and reduces the set point (the
level of stress) that activates the next cortisol
release.
4. The presence of multiple stressors results in
toxic stress for very young children. Early
toxic stress is related to poor executive
function (i.e., less self regulation) and to both
early and later health and mental health problems
(e.g. diabetes, obesity, heart disease as well as
fear, anxiety, depression, PTSD).
35
Where Do Most at risk Children Live?

• The 19 Priority School Districts
• Ansonia, Bloomfield, Bridgeport, Bristol,
  Danbury, East Hartford, Hartford, Meriden,
  Middletown, New Britain, New London, New Haven,
  Norwalk, Norwich, Putnam, Stamford, Waterbury,
  West Haven, Windham
• The 44 (now 45) Competitive School Districts
• Andover, Ashford, Branford, Brooklyn,
  Canterbury, Chaplin, Colchester, Coventry,
  Derby, East Haven , Eastford, Enfield,
  Greenwich, Griswold, Groton, Hamden, Hampton ,
  Killingly, Ledyard, Lisbon, Manchester,
  Mansfield, Milford, Naugatuck, North Canaan,
  Plainfield, Plymouth, Preston, Shelton, Sprague,
  Stafford, Stratford, Scotland, Seymour ,
  Winchester/Winsted, Windsor, Wolcott , Woodstock