Head Start and ECEAP Directors Meeting

Wednesday December 6th—Thursday December 7th

Embassy Suites in Tukwila

Wednesday December 6th

9:30am to 10amWelcome and Introduction

The WSA team will kick things off and lay out the agenda and work ahead for the following two days. Please note we will be joined throughout the day by the Region X Office of Head Start and Department of Early Learning staff.

10am to 11amRecruiting, Retaining, Supporting Staff Panel and Discussion

Starter: Pam Grisby Jones, ESD 113 and Mary Ellen Lykins, Skagit Valley College Head Start and ECEAP

  1. What strategies can we utilize to recruit staff to work for Head Start and ECEAP?
  2. Where are the greatest needs?
  3. How are programs doing meeting the new credentialing and degree requirements laid out in the standards?
  4. In what ways are programs adjusting their professional development plans and supports for staff?
  5. How are programs dealing with the new requirements around criminal background checks?
  6. How have you changed or strengthened coaching?
  7. How are programs dealing with succession planning?
  8. Have you considered applying to reduce the number of slots you are serving in order to pay staff?

11am to 12 noonFacilities Discussion

Starter: Patty Allen, Spokane County Head Start and ECEAP

  1. What are some strategies to locate a suitable space?
  2. How are ECEAP and Head Start contractors dealing with pressures from public schools also needing space to meet class size reductions?
  3. How do you find good contractors?
  4. What are some good and or creative partnerships that work?
  5. What’s are the latest developments on facilities fund?

12pm to 1pmLunch

1pm to 1:30pmDepartment of Early Learning Update

Nicole Rose, Assistant Director and our new Child Care Subsidy Manager Jason Ramynke from the Department of Early Learning will be joining us. They will be discussing the latest on ECEAP and working connections child care.

1:30pm to 2pmWSA State Advocacy Goals for 2018

Melissa Johnson, WSA’s lobbyist will be providing us an Olympia update.

  1. What’s the latest status on the capitol budget in Olympia?
  2. How will the new make-up in Olympia shape our work?
  3. Our two specific advocacy goals:
  4. Expanding ECEAP eligibility?
  5. Supporting student parents

2pm to 3pmEnrollment and Eligibility Panel and Discussion

Starter: Connie Mueller, Kitsap Community Resources

  1. What strategies you are using to recruit the most hard to reach families?
  2. How difficult will it be for you to fully-enrolled?
  3. What can we do to increase the number of foster care children that enroll in Head Start?
  4. How has the minimum wage increase impact eligibility?
  5. What will be the practical implications of increasing the eligibility of ECEAP to 185%?

3pm to 3:15pmBreak

3:15pm to 4:15pmDuration

  1. How’s the transition going from part day to full day? What changes did you need to make it to make this successful? What have been some of the challenges?
  2. How have you supported staff and teachers in this transition?
  3. What have you noticed are the benefits to increasing duration to families?

4:15pm to 5pmStar (Data) Tours: Preparing for Monitoring

Starter: Ginger Williams, Snohomish County Head Start

The new Head Start monitoring protocol set up a “data tour” for grantees to demonstrate how “they use data to ensure oversight and on-going program improvement and to improve service delivery, child outcomes, and school readiness.” During this session we will be talking about how Head Start programs can prepare for this new monitoring aspect.

Thursday December 7th

9am to 10:30amRaising Wages for Early Learning Professionals

We will be joined by Dr. Caitlin McLean from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of Berkeley who will be discussing how we can achiever compensation parity for Pre-K teachers.

10:30am to 12pmFederal Budget and Policy Update

Delia Garica, Interim Executive Director of the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association

12pm to 1pmLunch

1pm to 2pmImmigration Issues

Starters: Puget Sound ESD

  1. Are you seeing a decline in enrollment and parent engagement because of aggressive enforcement actions?
  2. What types of planning have you done at your program to support immigrant families?

2pm to 2:30pmOpen Discussion

2:30pm to 3pmWrap Up and Next Steps