Washington State Wakids Regional Early Learning Collaboration

Washington State WaKIDS Regional Early Learning Collaboration

Self-ReflectionMatrix

The WaKIDS Regional Early Learning Collaboration (ELC) Self-Reflection Matrix is designed to help regional coalitions think about implementation of the Early Learning Collaboration component of WaKIDS. It is intended as a way to support regional thinking and self-reflection about current early learning collaboration work.

The goal of the early learning collaboration component of WaKIDS is to increase communication and build connections between kindergarten teachers and early learning providers to promote smooth and successful transitions to kindergarten for children and families.

To advance this goal, Early Learning Regional Coalitions and ESDs through their WaKIDS Steering Committee, will bring professionals from both the early learning and K-12 systems together to:

1. Build and strengthen relationships between early learning organizations and elementary schoolsacross sectors.
2. Develop a shared understanding and common expectations for kindergarten readiness;
3. Share and better familiarize districts and the early learning community with Teaching Strategies GOLD®, the data being collected, and the reports that can be generated;
4. Analyze regional WaKIDS data to inform practice and improve future school readiness; and
5. Coordinate with districts and elementary schools to engage kindergarten teachers, elementary principals and administrators in the ESD/Coalition convenings.

Actions around goals 4 and 5 have been embedded in the matrices for goals 1, 2, and 3.A goal of the self-reflection process is to share best practices within and across regions, which is goal 3 from the WaKIDS ELC framework.

This tool has been developed to support regions in identifying where they are along a continuum of early learning collaboration in which reflection and self-evaluation have been embedded as part of a continuous cycle. Regions can use this tool to recognize their accomplishments and identify future goals. Each regional early learning coalition agreed to complete this tool as part of the Community Momentum grant. Each WaKIDS Steering Committee will use the tool to review and self-identify where the coalition currently fits along each point of the continuum. Movement along the continuum is fluid and coalitions may find themselves at different points along the continuum for each of the bulleted strategies above. A region’s placement along the continuum will not affect the base ELC Regional WaKIDS funding.

The following terms are used to describe stages along the WaKIDS ELC continuum:

Aware– This is a beginning phase as regions implement the goals of the ELC framework. Organizations are mindful of the strategies and actions they are doing individually to support school districts, early learning stakeholders and early learning providers in implementing the WaKIDS ELC goals.

Connect– Regional entities have strong working relationships with partners (community, district, early learning, governmental, state-level) who can assist with early learning collaboration. Entities work with districts and early learning partners to encourage home-school-community partnerships, relationship building, and collaboration at the local and regional level.

Strategize- Regional entities work together with local school districts and early learning partners to develop strategies directly connected to the WaKIDS ELC goals.

Implement- Regional entities work together with local school districts and early learning partners to implementstrategies connected to the WaKIDS ELC goals.

Integrate - All stakeholders (regional and local) work together to ensure that integrated systems of home-school-community partnerships are in place. Emerging best practices are shared within and across regions.Regions and districts are able to borrow and leverage resources from other members to increase the overall capacity and impact of the work.

Look at each identified area and the supporting columns on the following pages. Think about your region and the structure in place to support each Early Learning Collaboration strategy. Use the examples that are listed under each stage to assist you in identifying which stage your coalition would fall under. Keep in mind that these examples are provided to clarify what types of work might be occurring at each stage, the examples are not to be considered requirements and coalitions do not need to be doing all examples under a particular stage. You may use the discussion questions or your own prompts to reflect on where you are in your community and plan for next steps.

• What column(s) does your region identify with most as it relates to Early Learning Collaboration?
• What are your identified strengths?
• What strategies will help to plan next steps for your Early Learning Collaboration work?
• What strategies do you need to know more about?
• What resources are needed to accomplish this work?
• How can your work be used to inform and enhance early learning practice and policy at the community, regional and state level?

In some cases, activities build upon each other across columns. In those cases, we have moved those items to the top of the chart, so you can see the continuum more clearly. In other cases, activities do not build upon each other and are placed appropriately on the continuum.

GOAL / Aware
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Connect
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Strategize
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Implement
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Integrate
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has:
Buildrelationships across sectors by coordinating with districts and elementary schools to engage early learning providers, kindergarten teachers, elementary principals and administrators in the ESD/Coalition convenings. / Identified the school districts within their region.
Identified early learning providers found within their region (such as licensed child care, Head Start, ECEAP, private preschools, co-op preschools, faith-based preschools, Family Friend and Neighbors (FFN)). / Shared the web link which connects principals with early learning providers on the child care aware website.
Invited and encouraged district administrators to attendWaKIDS Steering Committee meetings. / Reviewed research based P-3 frameworks as a resource for encouraging strong collaboration between early learning and K-12. / Committed to support activities that facilitate relationship building such as release time, substitutes, stipends, travel, flexible meeting locations and time. / Systematically gathered feedback to inform regional adjustments and improvements to activities that increase connections between early learning providers and kindergarten teachers.
Provided information about WaKIDS to organizations offering early learning opportunities for families found within their region (such as Play and Learn groups, museums and libraries). / Provided opportunities for collaborative gatherings for district administrators, early learning administrators, early learning providers and kindergarten teachers. / Established a collaborative process that includes district and early learning partners to develop regional WaKIDS action plans. / Hosted convenings that promote strong and innovative practices in engagement between early learning providers, kindergarten teachers, elementary school principals and early learning and/or K-12 administrators.
Incorporated WaKIDS and other related data in their regional discussions and action plans. / Created annual goals to increase the number of early learning providers and kindergarten teachers participating in WaKIDS ELC work.
Shared best practices on how:

• Districts currently leverage resources with early learning partners to further early learning collaboration work.
• Districts are engaging in high quality early learning collaboration activities.
• Convened organizations to exchange innovative funding strategies including repurposing existing resources and seeking new sources.

Publicly stated its commitment to shared professional development. / Identified shared professional development opportunities in the community. / Identified needs for shared professional development in the region. / Coordinated and publicized shared professional development for early learning providers and kindergarten teachers. / Helped to create shared
professional development delivery methods that are sustained over time and are refined to meet changing needs.
Build and strengthen relationships between early learning providers and kindergarten teachers: A Coalition’s Story-
Which column best describes your coalition’s current level of implementation within this category?
Examples of current work that reflect this:
What are anticipated next steps for your coalition?
GOAL / Aware
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Connect
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Strategize
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Implement
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Integrate
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has:
Develop a shared understanding of common expectations for kindergarten readiness. / Discussed Washington’s research-based tools related to supporting child and program based kindergarten readiness:
Early Learning Development Guidelines, Early Achievers Quality Framework and Characteristics of Entering Kindergartners. / Widely disseminated existing research-based tools:
Early Learning Development Guidelines, Early Achievers Quality Framework, Characteristics of Entering Kindergartners to key stakeholder groups of:

• teachers
• early learning providers
• families
• leaders outside of districts and early learning programs (business leaders, policy makers).

/ Developed strategies for communicating across sectors the connections of the Early Learning Development Guidelines, Early Achievers Quality Framework and Characteristics of Entering Kindergartners as they relate to kindergarten readiness. / Implemented additional strategies for communicating across sectors the connections of the Early Learning Development Guidelines, Early Achievers Quality Framework and Characteristics of Entering Kindergartners as they relate to kindergarten readiness.
Convened conversations between early learning and K-12 to implement regional child, K-12 school and early learning program goals related to kindergarten readiness. / Systems in place to share common expectations of kindergarten readiness.
Systems in place to share common expectations of kindergarten readiness with a broader audience that extends beyond formal early care and education settings.
Regularly gathered feedback to check for understanding and refine common expectations of kindergarten readiness.
Participated in the development of the voluntary Washington State
Kindergarten Transition Tool. / Developed strategies for piloting the voluntary Washington State Kindergarten Transition Tool. / Piloted the voluntary Washington State Kindergarten Transition Tool. / Created opportunities to share and learn from other regions about best practices and innovative strategies for increasing understanding of common expectations for kindergarten readiness.
Develop a shared understanding and common expectations for kindergarten readiness: A Coalition’s Story-
Which column best describes your coalition’s current level of implementation within this category?
Examples of current work that reflect this:
What are anticipated next steps for your coalition?
GOAL / Aware
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Connect
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Strategize
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Implement
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has: / Integrate
The WaKIDS Steering Committee has:
Build knowledge and understanding using cross sector data to inform practice and improve future school readiness. / Identified data available in communities such as WaKIDS data, TS GOLD®, Early Achievers, Home Visiting, health, community based and demographic data. / Developed a deeper understanding of data available in communities such as WaKIDS data, TS GOLD®, Early Achievers, Home Visiting, health, community based and community demographic data.
Shared with districts information about which regional early learning providers are collecting GOLD® data or are participating in Early Achievers.
Shared early learning providers’ GOLD® data with districts and coalition partners engaged in school readiness. / Promoted the use of inquiry based methods to examine data through an equity and strengths-based lens.
Encouraged districts to share, with early learning providers in their district catchment area, aggregated GOLD® data. / Convened regional meetings to learn about TS GOLD® reports, state report card data reports, and how to use reports to analyze data.
Implemented additional strategies for using cross-sector data to inform practice. / Promoted the use of building TS GOLD® and WaKIDS into the data dashboards.
Created opportunities to respond to data at different points in the school year.
Recognized family experiences as a form of data. / Included available resources that include family experiences of as a form of data. / Developed strategies to engage families to inform regional planning and decision making.
Worked with district and early learning provider coalition members to learn about TS GOLD® reports that are most helpful for sharing with families. / Engaged families in regional planning and decision making activities. / Created annual goals that are responsive to the experiences of engaged families within the region.
Established feedback loops with families.
Visited the state report card to understand the WaKIDS data that is publicly available. / Supported/helped coalition members to understand how to navigate the state report card and WaKIDS data. / Used state report card data to identify gaps and trends. / Used state report card data to build community support around use of datato inform practice and improve future school readiness. / Set annual goals and feedback loops to provide regional entities with evidence of success and new understandings.
Developed data-based, collaborative action plans and strategies to support a regional goal of more students entering kindergarten at kindergarten expectation levels. / Set annual goals and benchmarks that support the ongoing use of shared data across the region / Highlighted best practice and innovative strategies with other regions across the state.
Share and better familiarize districts and the early learning community with Teaching Strategies GOLD®, the data being collected, and the reports that can be generated: A Coalition’s Story-
Which column best describes your coalition’s current level of implementation within this category?
Examples of current work that reflect this:
What are anticipated next steps for your coalition?

Additional Conversations

Excerpts from BUILD’s working papers on Principles, Characteristics and Core Functions of Collaboratives

The following pages are optional activities/questions that regional entities may wish to consider and think about in their ongoing work of improving, facilitation and implementing Early Learning Collaboration at a regional level.

Stakeholder Engagement: A stakeholder is a person who has a “stake” or a part to play in the issue of concern and/or its solution. Who is engaged impacts how problems are defined, what is determined to be “changeable” and eventual solutions to be put into place. Key stakeholders for early childhood systems include: Parents of young children, Service Providers – Early Childhood Health, Family Support and Learning Programs, Community Organizations and Decision-makers – Funders, organizational leaders, and policy-makers. Measured by:

What stakeholders are currently involved? How is diversity considered/sought in what stakeholders are engaged?

What roles do stakeholders play? To provide input? Brought to the table to share their story? Helping to make decisions? Making the case for the change? Engaged in designing the strategies to make change?

What are expectations for involvement of stakeholders? How are those communicated?

What perspective(s) are missing that you think are critical to the work?

Parent Leadership and Voice: Parents of children are viewed as critical partners, whose unique perspective and expertise are crucial for creating programs, services and systems that work for the people who are intended to benefit from them. Parent leadership and voice is realized at the family, program, organization, community, state and national level. Measured by:

Are parents of young children members of the collaborative? (If the answer is no, then the questions will be about the value they place on parent voice and what steps if any they have taken to try to engage.)

Does the culture of the collaborative value parent voice in systems change? How does it demonstrate that it values parent voice?

Connections: Relationships and exchanges between and across different sectors, organizations and system characteristics (examples: information sharing, referrals, resources and learning). Measured by:

Are connections a focus? How are connections a focus?

Who is involved in the work on connections?

Is the focus – coordination? alignment? collaboration? integration?

Vision and Goals: Vision - a statement about the desired future state of the group and Goals - Statements about what will be achieved or needs to be achieved. Measured by:

Does the collaborative have a vision statement? Does the collaborative have goals?

Is there any other “framework” or “theory of change” or “strategic plan” guiding the work?

Who was engaged in creating the Vision/Goals/Framework? How were they engaged? What does the collaborative look for in terms of assessing commitment to the Vision/Goals/Framework?

Who involved with the collaborative is committed to the Vision/Goals/Framework? How is that commitment being demonstrated?

Resources: Human, financial and social resources used within the system. Measured by:

What human, financial and social resources does the collaborative have?

Does the collaborative consider those it has to be sufficient?

How is the collaborative addressing the sustainability of these resources?