Early Childhood Development Initiative

Early Childhood Development Initiative

Engagement Opportunity Request (EOR)

Vision: All children in Monterey County live in safe, nurturing homes and communities; they are healthy, valued, succeed in school and realize their full potential.

The Early Childhood Development Initiative (ECDI) invites all communities in Monterey County to actively engage in supporting early childhood development. In order to support children and families in our county, it will take mutual commitments and agreements from ECDI and interested communities.

ECDI recognizes the value and challenges of cooperative action and through mutual engagement with interested groups intends to advance collaborative impact in our community. To do this ECDI realizes it must: A) intentionally meet the needs of community members; and B) strategically leverage (and manage) resources in support of collective action.

For the first year (2014-2015), ECDI will form a Policy Advocacy Network, provide support to Collaborative Action Teams (CATs) and provide more intensive support services to 3-5 Intensive Collaborative Action Teams (ICATs).

To assess the amount of support needed, ECDI is asking for Engagement Opportunity Requests (EOR) from interested collaboratives as defined within the Eligibility section below. ECDI will support the formation and communication among Collaborative Action Teams (CATs) and work more directly with ICATs that request support and are approved by a panel of reviewers. This (EOR)is meant to initiate engagement and does not commit communities or ECDI to specific funding or technical assistance. However, future direct funding opportunities through ECDI will be openonly to communities that are successfully engaging with ECDI through this process.

Support Services

ECDI seeks to advance and enhance the work of CATs and ICATs by providing support that will enable them to engage in a continuous improvement process for our residents. Technical assistance support isdependent upon existing community skills and resources. Below is a list of potential support services.

Support Services for Collaborative Action Teams and Intensive Collaborative Action Teams:

Advocacy: Support will be provided to enhance policy and advocacy efforts through the Policy and Advocacy Network for early childhood development, through trainings, visits to local elected officials, letter writing campaigns, etc.

Training and Facilitation: Support will be provided to ensure the success of communities including: participation in community and collaborative capacity building trainings.

Data System: Access to county wide data system to foster continuous improvement through periodic updates on how early childhood indicators are progressing regionally and countywide.

Support Services for Intensive Collaborative Action Teams:

Community Capacity Building: Support will be provided to ensure the success of communities including: facilitation of meetings and trainings in necessary tools (data sharing technology, asset mapping, collaborative and community capacity building, etc.).

Data Analysis: Resources and trainings will be provided to collect, input, analyze and share data for the purpose of collaborative continuous improvement throughout the county.

Planning: Facilitation and training will be provided to articulate ICAT shared values and accountability and create a community action plan.

Based on the capacity of ECDI staff and consultants, and depending on the number of requests submitted, support to ICATs may also include:

Communications: For those ICATs interested in further raising awareness for their work and engaging community around their “collective impact” efforts, limited strategic communications support, including grassroots outreach and media relations may be offered. Requests for communications support need to be provided with sufficient detail in order to determine costs.

Access to resources: For ICATsthat have identified specific non-monetary resources as critical to their success, for example facilities for meetings, access to school buildings for programs, transportation services, etc. support may be available. Requests for non-monetary resources need to be provided with sufficient detail in order to determine availability.

Development: Facilitationmay be provided for grant writing to help find additional funds to support the work of the collaborative action plan. It should be clear how existing resources will be leveraged as a match for any new funds.

Eligibility

ECDI is seeking requests from Teamsready to engage in this work.

To be eligible, all Teams need the following:

Representation from the following sectors:

•Education – early childhood; and

•Education – K-3 [Participation of: administrator (Superintendent, Principal) or primary teacher leader with early reading experience].

Representation from at least 5 of the following sectors:

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•Health/Social Service;

•Local Government;

•Parents/Parent Groups;

•Business;

•Community-based Groups;

•Faith-based Groups;

•Local Elected Official.

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All Teamsneed to include the following information within their EOR:

A.TheTeams supported by ECDI will agree to focus on improving at least one of the following indicators:

1)3rd grade children reading at 3rd grade reading level

2)Parents reading or showing picture books to children entering kindergarten

3)Social and Emotional skills of children ready for kindergarten

4)Availability of licensed childcare

5)Maternal education level

6)Mothers receiving prenatal care

B.Teammembers will agree to share their relevant program data to engage in the continuous improvement process [note:protocols for data confidentiality will be jointly developed].

C.Team members will also agree to adopt/adapt best and promising practices that come forward by theircontinuous improvement process as appropriate for each organization.

D.Team members will need to meet monthly to conduct the necessary work. In addition, members will need to agree to attend necessary trainings for capacity building. It is anticipated this will be a minimum of a 10 hour a month commitment for trainings and meetings.

E.Teamsmay be requested/required to periodically allow new members/organizations to join provided those organizations agree to abide by all operating principals and outcomes shared by the existing collaborative members.

F.Team members need to include a letter of support signed by participating members that fall in the categories identified above.

In addition, ICATs must be working to improve outcomes in early childhood development within the designated intensive areas (see Attachment A).

Form and Content of Requests

Complete the Request Form (Attachment B).

In an effort to encourage collaborative efforts, only 1 (one) EOR will be accepted per community. If we receive several EORs from a community, the EOR will be returned with the request to submit as 1 (one) EOR. For the purposes of this EOR,"communities" are defined by zip codes (see Attachment B).

Requests need to be received no later than 5:00 pm on Friday, September 19, 2014 and delivered via email to .

Review Process and Next Steps

It is anticipated that 3-5 communities will become ICATs. It is also anticipated that CATs which provide a complete request form will be invited to participate in ECDI. Members of the Monterey County Children’s Council Executive Committee and ECDI Backbonemembers will review each EOR. The panel will base decisions to supportTeamson the strength of the request and the overall capacity ofECDI. Once the Teams have been determined, the Teamswill work with ECDI to further define needs and available resources.

Participation Requirements

Designated ECDI Teamsreceiving support and technical assistance will be asked to:

Enter into a Memorandum of Understanding.
Input data into a shared data system.
Participate in the Policy Advocacy Network.
Submit a progress report:
CATS – annually
ICATS - triannually.
Present to the Monterey County Children’s Council.

Timeline*

June 2014:ECDI Engagement Opportunity Request (EOR)Released

June-July 2014:Community Working Sessions

September 19, 2014:Requests Due

October 13, 2014:Decisions Announced

* All dates are tentative and subject to change.

If you have any questions, please feel free to submit them or (831) 444-8549 ext. 11.

Attachment A

Areas for Intensive Collaborative Action Teams (ICAT) map - Dark Blue

Attachment B

Form for ECDI Engagement Opportunity Request

Attachment C

List of Collaborative Action Team members

Attachment D

Sample Letter of Intent to Participate in ECDI

Attachment E

Theory of Action

Attachment A

Areas for Intensive Collaborative Action Teams (ICAT) - Dark Blue

ATTACHMENT B - Form for ECDI EngagementOpportunity Request

EORCONTACT INFORMATION – Individual we should contact regarding EOR for questions or further information

Contact Person Title (if applicable) E-mail address
Organization (if applicable)
Address City, State, Zip
Telephone Fax Website Address
Contact Mailing Address (if different than above) City, State, Zip Contact Direct Dial #

Applying for Collaborative Action Team (CAT)

Intensive Collaborative Action Team (ICAT) (See Attachment A)

Mark the zip code(s) area of yourCollaborative Action Team:

Greater Salinas

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93901

93902

93905

93906

93907

93908

93912

93915

93962

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Peninsula

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93920

93921

93922

93923

93924

93933

93940

93942

93943

93944

93950

93953

93955

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North County

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95004

95012

95039

95076

93907

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South County

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93426

93450

93451

93925

93926

93927

93928

93930

93954

93960

93932

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COLLABORATIVE INFORMATION - provide information on the current status of the collaborative:

What has your community done to prepare for the collective impact approach, including any history of the collaborative or other collaboratives working on early childhood development?

Why is this a good time for your community to focus on early childhood development?

Collaborative Action Team – Check off all sectors represented. OnAttachment C, list theEORcontact, phone number, e-mail and organization (if applicable).

CATs and ICATs need representation from the following sectors:

Education – early childhood; and

Education – TK-3 (Administrator: Superintendent, Principal or primary teacher leader with early reading experience. Describe the experience in the separate sheet)

CATs and ICATs need to initially include representation from at least 5 of the following sectors:

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Health/Social Service;

Local Government;

Parents/Parent Groups;

Business;

Community based Groups;

Faith-based groups;

Local Elected Official.

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Indicators – Check off the indicator(s) that your I/CAT is interested in improving. Checking off the indicator(s) does not commit your collaborative, but gives ECDI an idea of interest.

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3rd grade reading level

Reading to Children

Social and Emotional Skills

Licensed Childcare

Maternal Education Level

Prenatal Care

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THEORY OF ACTION – Exploring Phase:

Response Required:Does your community have a well-rounded cross sector Collaborative Action Team committed to improving early childhood development that has signed letters of intent to participate in ECDI?(Please describe below)

Yes In Process Need support

We anticipate that most Collaborative Action Teams will need support from ECDI for the following questions. Please describe your collaborative to the best of your ability so we can determine what type of support your community will need.

Has your Collaborative Action Team prioritized core indicator(s)?(Please describe below)

Yes In Process Need support

Have all members of your Collaborative Action Team signed an agreement to share relevant data?(Please describe below)

Yes In Process Need support

Does your Collaborative Action Team have a document stating their shared values and accountability? (Please describe below)

Yes In Process Need support

Has your Collaborative Action Team identified opportunities and barriers to improving early childhood development? (Please describe below)

Yes In Process Need support

Who from your Collaborative Action Team anticipates participating in the ECDI Policy Advocacy Network? (Please describe below)

Yes In Process Need support

Does your Collaborative Action Team have a formalized system for continuous communication (ex: listserve, google group, facebook group, meetings, etc.)? (Please describe below)

Yes In Process Need support

C. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPORT REQUESTED – Using the list of potential supports provided, identify which supports your collaborative requests:

Support Services for Collaborative Action Teams and Intensive Collaborative Action Teams:

Training and Facilitation: Support will be provided to ensure the success of communities including: participation in community and collaborative capacity building trainings.

Data System: Access to county wide data system to foster continuous improvement through periodic updates on how early childhood indicators are progressing regionally and countywide.

Support Services for Intensive Collaborative Action Teams:

Data Analysis: Resources and trainings will be provided to collect, input, analyze and share data for the purpose of collaborative continuous improvement throughout the county.

Planning: Facilitation and training will be provided to articulate ICAT shared values and accountability and create a community action plan.

Briefly describe how you hope to utilize the identified supports requested above to further the work of the collaborative:

Based on the capacity of ECDI staff and consultants, and depending on the number of requests submitted, support to ICATs may also include:

Briefly describe how you hope to utilize the identified supports to further the work of the collaborative:

Access to resources: For ICATs that have identified specific non-monetary resources as critical to their success, for example facilities for meetings, access to school buildings for programs, transportation services, etc. support may be available. Requests for non-monetary resources need to be provided with sufficient detail in order to determine availability.

Briefly describe how you hope to utilize the identified supports to further the work of the collaborative:

Development: Facilitation may be provided for grant writing to help find additional funds to support the work of the collaborative action plan. It should be clear how existing resources will be leveraged as a match for any new funds.

Briefly describe how you hope to utilize the identified supports to further the work of the collaborative:

Attachment C

List of Collaborative Action Team Members

Sector / Organization
(if applicable) / Contact person / E-mail / Phone number

Attachment D

Sample letter of Intent to participate in ECDI

Subject: Intent to participate in Early Childhood Development Initiative

Dear Monterey County Children’s Council,

Please accept this letter as [name of collaborative]’s intent to participate in [city]’s Early Childhood Development Initiative (ECDI) Collaborative Action Team (CAT). By way of this letter, [name of collaborative] agrees to:

G.Focus on improving at least one of the following indicators:

3rd grade children reading at 3rd grade reading level
Parents reading or showing picture books to children entering kindergarten
Social and Emotional skills of children ready for kindergarten
Availability of licensed childcare
Maternal education level
Mothers receiving prenatal care

H.Attend necessary ECDI trainings and meetings to further the improvement of early childhood indicators;

I.Participate and support the efforts of the ECDI Policy Advocacy Network;

J.Share relevant program data to engage in the continuous improvement process;

K.Participate in developing an early childhood development action plan;

L.Adopt/adapt best practices surfaced by the continuous improvement process as appropriate;

[Name of collaborative] understands that participation in ECDI will be deep work towards improving early childhood development and therefore will take time including, a minimum of: 6-8 hours a month to attend trainings (asset mapping, leadership, team building, data training, etc.) and 2 hours a month to attend meetings.

[Paragraph on why[name of collaborative] believes participating in ECDI is important.]

[name of collaborative] recognizes that there may be additional CAT responsibilities. Also, this letter of intent to participate does not commit either ECDI or the collaborative to support services, but expresses a request to engage.

Sincerely,

[name of collaborative]

The letter can be signed by all the collaborative members or separate but similar letters can be provided by each member of the collaborative. From the education sector, the letter must be signed by an administrator.

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Exploring: / Developing / Fostering / Integrating / Applying
Working on the beginning pieces of formulating a partnership / Focused around accessing and collecting data and putting in place the supports necessary for data-driven decision making / Focus on using data in a continuous improvement process to identify improvements and interventions to impact an outcome / Focus on navigating the necessary evolutions, transitions, and continuous improvement a partnership goes through to improve outcomes / See real impact as evident through improvement in the community level outcomes and indicators.
Shared community vision: A broad cross-sector of community partners gathered around a shared vision and joint approach towards improving early childhood development / Does your community have a well-rounded cross sector group (I/CAT) committed to improving early childhood development that has signed letters of intent to participate in ECDI? / Has your I/CAT released baseline data on the current state of early childhood development within your community? / Does your I/CAT consistently inform the community of progress towards improvement? / Has your I/CAT continued to actively engage the community despite changes in leadership? / Communities are in systems change and see indicators improving
Has your I/CAT developed a common, consistent message on early childhood development for the community? / Does your I/CAT continually mobilize the community to improve the prioritized indicators? / Does your I/CAT demonstrate shared accountability for improving prioritized indicators?
Does your I/CAT effectively communicate attribution of success and recognition of challenges?
Joint measurement: Community partners collect, analyze and share program data to prioritize services, hold each other accountable and continually improve services / Has your I/CAT prioritized core indicator(s)? / Has your I/CAT conducted an asset mapping of current early childhood development resources in the community? / Does your I/CAT continually review selected indicators for accuracy and validity? / Does your I/CAT consistently share appropriate data across partners in a timely manner to enable continuous improvement for the prioritized indicators?
Have all members of your I/CAT signed an agreement to share relevant data? / Has your I/CAT adopted a shared data system for recording indicator aggregate data or can an exisiting data system adapt for sharing? / Has your I/CAT adapted the shared data system to report on individual data?
Leverage Community Resources : A committed community plan of action recognizes the community's variety of services, while coordinating efforts towards the sustained work of improving early childhood development / Does your I/CAT have a document stating the shared values and accountability? / Does the I/CAT have the necessary capacity to support the daily management, data needs, facilitation and communication and engagement of the community? / Does your I/CAT actively participate in ECDI Policy and Advocacy Network events and trainings? / Does your I/CAT community have financial and community resources aligned to what works to improve community level outcomes?
Has your I/CAT identified opportunities and barriers to improving early childhood development? / Is your I/CAT participating in the Policy Advocacy Network to change local, state and/or national policy to improve community level outcomes? / Does your I/CAT allocate and align resources to improve the prioritzied indicators? / Does your I/CAT have sustainable funding for multiple years?
Does your I/CAT have representation in the ECDI Policy Advocacy Network? / Has your community developed an action plan for how to maximize existing resources in improving early childhood development? / Does your I/CAT community have the necessary policies in place to sustain improvement?
Continuous Communication: Consistent, open communication and shared motivation by participants ensures trust and the opportunity to implement a continuous feedback loop / Does your I/CAT have a formalized system for continuous communication? / Has your I/CAT developed a system for continuous improvement to guide the work? / Does your I/CAT routinely review programs and systems to ensure consistent feedback and improvement? / Does your I/CAT use continuous improvement to identify activities/practices that are improving community level outcomes and spread these to increase access and impact?

Attachment E: ECDI Theory of Action