Early Learning Action Alliance Meeting Notes

Early Learning Action Alliance meeting notes

Thursday, August 11th, 9am-12pm

Educare Early Learning Center (625 SW 100th St., Seattle)

Attendance: Leslie Dozono (Children’s Alliance), Gary Burris (Economic Opportunity Institute), Katy Warren (WSA), Pat Dickason (League of Women Voters), Laura Wells (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids), Linda Clark (Parent Trust), Margie Reeves (League of Women Voters, Community Action Networks), John Bancroft (Educare), Marge Johnson (Dept. of Defense), Betsy McAlister (Arc of King County), Sue Winn (Family Child Care Association), Marty Jacobs (Child Care Resources), Donna Horne (Volunteers of America: Child Care Resources), Sarah Francis (MomsRising), Lois Martin (Community Day School for Children, WEEL), Ryan Pricco (R&R Network)

On phone: Erica Hallock (United Ways of Washington), Karen Tvedt (League of Women Voters, WAEYC)

I. CONTEXT/UPDATES

a. Budget

i. Across-the-board cuts

1. Governor told agency directors this week to prepare for possible 5% and 10% cuts

2. At this week’s Steering Committee meeting we discussed the possibility of including revenue on our ELAA legislative agenda. The Governor is only considering cuts, not new revenue.

ii. DEL budget

1. Working Connections Child Care (WCCC)

a. New legislation passed during 2011 session made changes to TANF. One change gives families the opportunity to opt-out of work requirements if they have 2 children under 6 or 1 child under 2

b. DEL lowered the WCCC cap from 35,200 to 32,000 assuming that fewer TANF families would need child care assistance because they would be opting out.

c. The letter sent to families explaining the opt-out option was confusing and we are not seeing the cost savings expected—this could mean additional cuts

d. There was not agreement between the House and the Senate on approach—the Senate wanted families to opt-in

e. We will see opt-out numbers soon

b. QRIS program standards chosen by UW and DEL

i. DEL and UW released final program standards for QRIS

1. All five field sites focused on different components of the standards. This model draws on lessons learned from the pilots. Standards from the pilot were refined to create new program standards.

2. DEL hired a communications consultant to do some work around quality and QRIS

ii. Progress recruiting early adopters

1. DEL has received more applications (65 applications) than there are spaces (60 spaces) and is considering allowing more early adopters than anticipated

iii. Questions

1. Are assessment tools applicable in family child care homes?

2. How long will phase two last?

a. At least a year

3. When will the program be solidified? Will it be a continuous process of reinvention?

a. DEL wants to expand to over 100 programs in 2012, dependent on funding.

4. What is the provider incentive?

a. For a center $1200-1500

b. For a family child care home $300-600

c. Professional development and mentoring

5. Legislature’s decision to allocate CCDF funds to increase ECEAP slots

a. Suggestion that we should get the quality dollars back in the Supplemental budget

c. Seasonal Child Care

i. Very few families have been approved for Seasonal Child Care assistance—there are a number of errors in the approval process. As a result, there is concern that children are not always in safe environments.

1. SEIU 925 is working with providers and families to address these problems

2. We will send out information as it is made available to us

ii. We should connect with legislators and growers to try and improve the system.

II. ELAA WORK GROUP UPDATES

a. ELAA work groups

i. Defining Quality Work Group

1. A sub-group of the Quality and Access Work Group focused on creating a common definition for quality and what it looks like in various settings

ii. Licensing and CCDF

1. Discussing the use of federal CCDF dollars for licensing

iii. PreK/Birth to Five

1. Discussing possible legislation for 2012 legislative session

iv. Federal Work Group

1. Holds calls every Monday at 2:00 to discuss federal updates. Currently planning site visits for our Congressional delegation

v. Candidate Education Work Group

1. Bringing early learning to the forefront of the conversation and forming candidate forum questions

vi. Quality and Access

1. Discussing a Coalition emphasis on quality early learning

b. CCDF and Licensing Work Group

i. Licensing and quality background

1. Statutes, regulations, enforcement, consumer education, technical assistance together promote an effective licensing operation

2. More inspection improves scores (threshold was minimum of 2 per year and more (4) if facilities were experiencing difficulties with compliance)

ii. Looking at licensing and CCDF expenditures—want to know more about what licensing buys in our state

1. In 2011 chart, 60% of CCDF quality dollars are used for licensing

2. Identified a list of questions for DEL, will bring the list of questions to the quality and access group before bringing to DEL

iii. Discussion

1. Requirements/training for licensors should be more rigorous if we want to increase quality

a. Supervisors are more of the issue than the licensors

iv. Next steps: bring group conclusions/questions to the Quality and Access Work Group and then meet with DEL

III. LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

a. Preliminary 2012 legislative agenda discussion

i. ELAA legislative meetings

1. At the end of special session the lobbyists met to determine legislators to meet with in the interim

ii. SB 6759 PreK Work Group

1. Charged with exploring opportunities and barriers to making PreK an entitlement or a part of basic education

2. Full-day meeting on August 10th

3. Timeline

a. 9/2—first draft to work group members

b. 9/7—9:00-1:00 meeting

c. 9/22—9:00-1:00 meeting

d. 10/11—9:00-1:00 meeting

e. 10/21—9:00-1:00 meeting

4. Conclusions and questions

a. How does this program relate to ECEAP and the child care system

b. What strategy gets us to the most kids in 10 years, builds political will?

c. HB 2731 calls for phasing that is similar to full-day K phasing

d. Phase-in would be like a magnet program—locate in low-income areas across the state, but make them open to all children in that neighborhood

e. The system needs to be integrated between child care and PreK

i. National Common Core Standards may be an effective way of bridging the systems

iii. ELAA PreK Work Group

1. We have an opportunity to introduce the idea of a PreK system since Representative Goodman is willing to carry it

2. This would be a stepping stone to future years

3. Phase in plan by biennium rather than by year—start very small

iv. Agenda-setting timeline

1. Late August—Steering Committee meeting

2. September—ELAA retreat

3. October—Steering Committee meeting and strong agenda outline (in time for ILABS legislative tour)

4. November—Steering Committee and final agenda adopted

v. ILABS site visit for all of our targets on November 16th (morning and early afternoon)

1. Representation: we should decide which ELAA members should come once we know the legislators who are coming

2. We will try to schedule a second tour for advocates

vi. Department of Education

1. Leslie Goldstein is holding a stakeholder meeting in September with early learning, K-12, and higher education representatives

2. Our concerns:

a. Equal representation for early learning

b. Losing a cabinet-level position

c. Child care should be moved into the division of early learning

d. Concern that the Director of the Department of Education had the option to change the divisions

e. Concern that the Director of the Department of Education could also scrap planning processes that have already been completed

b. ELAA retreat

i. Complete registration http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22CRN63JPYT

ii. Inviting legislators, legislative staff, and state agency representatives to join us for lunch on either Monday, 9/12 or Tuesday, 9/13 based on their availability

VI. FEDERAL UPDATES

a. Draft federal agenda. Please send comments/edits to Leslie () using track changes.

b. Patty Murray was appointed to the Super Committee

c. National partners holding a call on the effects of the budget on early learning. Contact Casey () if you would like call-in information.

d. Race to the Top guidelines expected at the end of the month. Funds need to be released by the end of the calendar year.

e. Home Visiting federal apps

Application for non-competitive home visiting funds; $1.3 million in FFY 2010 1.8 in FFY 2011Application for competitive home visiting funds; $6-$9 million over four years
Will know by the end of September whether we will receive the money

VII. ANNOUNCEMENTS

a. Children’s Alliance Advocacy Camp will be October 19th-21st at Rainbow Lodge in North Bend. Additional information and application available at http://www.childrensalliance.org/news-events/advocacy-camp-2011

b. The September retreat will take the place of our regular September ELAA meeting (no meeting on Thursday, September 8th)

Next Meeting:

ELAA Overnight Retreat

Monday, September 12th-Tuesday, September 13th