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	Work Groups Early Childhood Advisory Council Early Childhood Education Articulation Work Group Early Childhood Interagency Child Identifier Work Group Early Care and Education Fiscal Model Work Group Professional Development Work Group Social/Emotional Work Group Early Childhood Advisory Council In June 2008 the Early Childhood Advisory Council will have its first meeting. Recommendations for membership are currently being reviewed. Membership will include the mandated participants outlined in Head Start reauthorization. The purposes of an advisory body are: To advise the Early Childhood Cabinet on policy and resource development priorities. To assist and recommend on-going communication strategies for early childhood stakeholders. To recommend how existing stakeholder/workgroups relate to the EC Cabinet. To comply with requirements of Head Start Reauthorization that mandate each Governor to establish a State Advisory Council on early childhood education and care that will: Conduct statewide needs assessments on the quality and availability of early care and education and development programs and services Identify barriers to collaboration; and To develop recommendations Early Childhood Education Articulation Work Group Amended House Bill 119 contained language instructing the Ohio Board of Regents, in consultation with the Governor’s office and the Ohio Department of Education, to convene a work group to “establish coursework for content knowledge and teacher competencies for early care and education [Early Childhood Education] degrees to support articulation and transfer coursework certifications, and credit earned across state-supported institution of higher education.” The purpose of the committee is to advise the Board of Regents in developing a seamless, transparent, articulation pathway for early education practitioners through the two-year and four-year higher education system. This work will also serve as the foundation for additional conversations and work related to developing seamless alternative pathways and credit transfers for national credentials. The articulation and transfer work will build upon the efforts of the Board of Regents that lead to the design and implementation of course equivalencies and a fully articulated system for specialized areas. Protocols and templates exist that can be modified to assist in this new effort. Similar to the earlier work, appropriate faculty panels will assist in developing course outcomes, desired competencies and approval of institutional curricular mapping. The process will employ the newly developed Articulation and Transfer Clearinghouse to ensure credit transfer. The work of the committee will take place over a nine-month period which began in March 2008. Back to the top Early Childhood Interagency Child Identifier Work Group A key component of an early childhood system is an accountability system that measures child progress and program effectiveness for the purpose of informing decision-making about early childhood programming, policies, and investments tied to the larger K-12 system. To ensure an effective, coherent, and integrated early childhood accountability system, it is critical for state agencies to be able to link and track children’s program experiences, progress, and development from birth to age 6. The charge of the Interagency Workgroup is 1) to propose the use of a common single unique identification number for children entering Ohio’s early childhood programs to facilitate linkages across information systems in state agencies; 2) to identify the issues that state agencies will need to address in order to initiate and engage in this approach and 3) make recommendation to the Cabinet. Back to the top Early Care and Education Fiscal Model Work Group Advocates in Ohio have been working for nearly a decade on the development of strategies to address the system of funding for early care and education. Simply put, parents in the early stages of their careers/fiscal independence can not afford to pay for the cost of high quality early care and education. If we want to increase the quality structural indicators of a program (more teachers, small class sizes, more highly qualified teachers, etc.) and influence the process quality (teacher instruction and reflection and teacher/parent/child interactions), more resources have to be committed to funding the system. In addition, existing funding streams must be reviewed for maximum efficiency. The School Readiness Solutions Group provided Ohio with an opportunity to further explore the possibilities for the future. In an effort to continue to work towards the development of a new fiscal model for early care and education, staff within the Ohio Department of Education and several early care & education organizations approached a leading economist, Dr. Rick Brandon (University of Washington), to develop a proposal regarding Ohio’s next steps. In addition, Anne Mitchell has been approached to work on the project as well. Anne completed an extensive, yet incremental, cost model for Cuyahoga County’s Pre-K program that rolled out in September 2007. What are the costs of improving quality under Ohio’s current quality rating system, Step Up to Quality? What is required of providers at each of the three stars and what does it cost a provider to move from one level to the next, differentiating transition costs from ongoing costs. How would these changes affect the ability of families at different income levels to afford the higher quality levels for their children? What would be a reasonable number of centers to move to higher quality levels each year and what would be the additional cost to the system for building capacity. What level of public and private assistance to families and providers would be required to assure that quality standards can be achieved and high quality settings financially accessible to children from all income groups. The findings will be available by August 2008. For more information on the cost factors included in Ohio's fiscal model structure please see recommendation four in the School Readiness Solutions Workgroup report: From the Beginning, Firm Footing for Children, Families & Schools Back to the top Professional Development Work Group The Ohio Early Childhood Professional Development Network (OPDN) provides a forum for input and involvement of early childhood advocacy and professional organizations, and their public and private partners to examine early childhood professional development initiatives. This collaborative partnership continues its efforts to strengthen and build a system that provides support for the continued growth, learning, and advancement of early childhood professionals in Ohio. For more information on OPDN meetings or to join the listserve please visit www.ohpdnetwork.org. In response to interagency policies and requirements the Early Childhood Cabinet has created and interagency professional development workgroup. Some key items that will be discussed include the integration of multiple professional databases, training requirements for the Early Learning Initiative and Step Up To Quality, minimum qualifications and inservice requirements for early care and education teachers, and technical assistance and coaching resources and supports. The Early Childhood Cabinet has approved the following purpose statement: Early childhood professionals have access to professional development opportunities and on-going supports that build their knowledge, competencies and skills for working with young children (ages birth-eight). An early childhood professional includes not only those who have the responsibility for the direct care and education of young children but all those whose primary work responsibilities are related to the well-being of children birth through age 8. These professionals, though they are found in a wide variety of roles and settings, share a common goal of ensuring young children’s healthy development, optimal care, and success and joy in learning. (definition from “Ohio’s Early Childhood Core Knowledge & Competencies”, Ohio Professional Development Network) Back to the top Social and Emotional Development Work Group This work group has responsibility for making recommendations to the Early Childhood Cabinet to further develop and support a system that coordinates and provides a comprehensive continuum of care for young children by partnering with families, providers, communities, other stakeholders and government. This work group's goal for service delivery is that Ohio's families will have access to the most highly effective: promotion prevention early and periodic screening assessment early intervention treatment services necessary consumer supports to ensure appropriate individualized service delivery. To access more information regarding this work group please contact: Back to the top