Early Childhood Community Network Pilots
Model and Expected Results
Model for Community Network Pilots:
Programs in
network agree to
high standards
measured by
common program
and child
assessments
State provides
training, coaching
and support (e.g.
online resources)
on new standards
and assessments
Community
networks
coordinate efforts
and resources to
help all programs
and professionals
meet new
standards
State provides
access to
information on
quality of
interactions in
classrooms and
how children are
progressing
Community
networks use
information to help
professionals
improve practice
Program quality
and child outcomes
improve across the
network
Laying the Foundation:
Coordinated Enrollment Systems for Early Childhood
Community Network Pilots are expected to achieve the following:
• Replicable models for building sustainable community capacity
• Professionals improve skills and demonstrate progress on assessments of teacher/child interactions and instruction
• Children from age infant-to-age-five demonstrate growth on child assessments
• All programs accepting public funds participate
in the2new
outcomes-based quality rating system and receive letter
Cohort
Networks
grades by Spring 2015
• Every at-risk four-year-old is enrolled in a program by Fall 2015
• Families have easy access to information about early childhood education program quality and can enroll children
through unified application process, starting with four year olds for the 2014-2015 school year
• More at-risk infant-to-age-five children are served in high-quality inclusive settings by Spring 2015
• More children enter kindergarten ready for success by Fall 2015
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Coordinated Enrollment
Agenda
Agenda
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Early Childhood Overview
Importance of Coordinated Enrollment
Act 717 – Defining Coordinated Enrollment
Coordinated Enrollment Self-Assessment Review
Coordinated Enrollment Model
Timeline for Development
Expectations for 2014-15 and 2015-16
Next Steps
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Leading Up to 2015: Background, Vision, and Shared Challenges
Making Progress
Louisiana’s fragmented early childhood system led to Act 3 (2012), which calls for a unified
system to ensure all children enter kindergarten ready.
2012
BESE approves multi-year plan for implementation
2013
13 Early Childhood Community Network Pilots launch
2014
16 more Community Network Pilots launch
Additional legislation is passed to unify licensing, enrollment, and funding
2015
Full implementation of Act 3 required by August
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Early Childhood Overview
Vision for Unified System
Each year Louisiana continues to make progress toward a unified system.
Fragmented System
Unified System
Children are falling through the
cracks and are not consistently
prepared
High standards for what children should
learn and what excellent teaching looks
like
Teachers are not equally
prepared nor rewarded for their
work
Teachers who are excellent at interacting
with children and guiding learning are
supported and rewarded
Families do not have easy-to-use
information to make the best
choice
Families apply through shared processes
and are satisfied with their children’s
experience
Providers are subject to
inconsistent expectations and do
not have equitable resources to
achieve outcomes
Consistent expectations for health, safety
and learning, and adequate funding
levels across programs based on serving
children well
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Early Childhood Overview
Making Progress Through Community Pilots
Act 3 (2012) creates an Early Childhood Network to eliminate fragmentation and unify
the early childhood system to improve kindergarten readiness.
To improve kindergarten readiness, local Early Childhood Networks are expected to:
1. Establish collaborative leadership
2. Support all teachers to be effective
3. Coordinate enrollment for families
31 parishes have launched Community Network Pilots to begin this work
For more information, please see Community Network Pilot Rubric
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Current Lack of Coordination
Families Often Face Tremendous Challenges
Current enrollment processes make it more difficult to access.
Current Enrollment Challenges
• Families don’t have a primary contact to learn about all early childhood programs in the
community.
• Families have to go to too many places to determine if they are eligible for a program and
apply.
• Families may be on a waitlist for one provider while another in the community has empty
seats.
• There is no way to know the full demand for early childhood and plan to meet families’
needs.
• Providers are often on their own in recruiting and connecting with families.
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How Coordinated Enrollment Benefits Children
No single provider (schools, Head Start, or child care) can serve all families and prepare all
children. Therefore, each community has to work together.
Coordinated enrollment at the community level helps ensure:
• Families know of all available seats,
• Families have an easy way to know what they are eligible for and apply, and
• Families do not occupy more than one seat, thus ensuring maximum use of available
slots.
Coordinated enrollment results in the most number of children being served.
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Importance of Coordinated Enrollment
Serving More At-Risk Children
Kindergarten readiness depends on children having access to high-quality providers. Knowing
where access is limited, and working to fix it, is the function of coordinated enrollment.
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Louisiana is currently not serving all at-risk children at any age.
Infants
Estimated At-Risk Estimate
(Census 2012, FRL Rate 67.1% )
Need
Child Care (CCAP 10 Mth. Avg. 08/13-5/14)
Early Head Start (2012-13 cumulative)
Head Start (2012-13 cumulative)
LA 4 (2014-15)
Esimated Title I (2012-13)
8(g) (2014-15)
Served
NSECD (2014-15)
IDEA Part B (2013-14 self-contained)
Total Served Estimate
Percent Served
Estimated
Unserved Gap Estimate
SPED*
42,233
1,467
268
Ones
42,585
2,747
363
Twos
41,810
3,273
633
Fours
Totals
41,699
3,040
43,183
1,886
9,938
7,440
16,283
8,309
2,569
1,544
140
38,171
88.4%
211,510
12,413
1,264
17,378
16,283
8,309
2,569
1,544
241
60,001
28.4%
1,735
4.1%
3,110
7.3%
3,906
9.3%
101
13,079
31.4%
(40,498)
(39,475)
(37,904)
(28,620)
(5,012)
(151,509)
1,810
3,493
5,303
4,145
IDEA Part B (2013-14)
inclusive & home-based
IDEA Part C (Dec.2013 )
Threes
718
1,440
1,987
*these counts may be reflected in the counts above
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Defining Coordinated Enrollment
Four Key Areas
The Legislature defined coordinated enrollment with Act 717 (2014).
Families must be empowered to choose what is best for their child.
No single provider (school, Head Start, child care) can serve all families and prepare all children.
Louisiana should have locally-managed enrollment systems that:
1. Coordinate Information: Families know of all available seats
− Inform families about the availability of publicly-funded programs
2. Coordinate Eligibility: Families easily know what programs they qualify for
− Ensure families are referred to available publicly-funded programs
3. Coordinate Applications: Families apply to all programs through one application
− Collect family preferences regarding enrollment choices
4. Match Based on Preference: Families enroll their child in the highest ranked preference
available
− Enroll children based on family preference so no one occupies more than one seat
"Because my community coordinated enrollment, I had the knowledge to make a choice for my son's educational setting.”
- Katherine Tabalno, Vernon Parish Parent
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Coordinated Enrollment Self-Assessment
Reviewing Key Takeaways
All communities completed a self-assessment in July 2014.
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Cohort 1 Pilots are leading the way, but all communities need to improve.
Key Takeaways
1. Cohort 1 Pilots are better
prepared and coordinating more
than rest of state
2. When communities coordinate,
families benefit
3. Most communities are minimally
or not yet coordinating
enrollment
4. Communities that coordinate will
continue to have autonomy; if not
coordinating, BESE may step in to
make processes easier for families
Next Steps: What the Law Requires
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By June 2015, State Board sets policy for establishing enrollment coordinators when required due to
lack of local coordination
By October 2015, State Board publishes a list of communities where there is no coordinated effort
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Coordinated Enrollment
Full Model
Fully implemented, local Community Networks will maximize system capacity and then coordinate
enrollment across the four key areas, as defined by Act 717 (2014).
Maximize System Capacity
1.
2.
Analyze historical demand for services in the community (e.g., count seats currently occupied)
Project community need (e.g., how many seats are needed and where are they available)
Coordinated
Information Campaign
Coordinated Eligibility
Determination
Coordinated
Applications
Matching Based on
Preference
Work together to inform
families about early
childhood programs in the
community
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Conduct on-theground information
campaign
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Institute “No Wrong
Door” approach by
sharing information inperson, online, &
paper as appropriate
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Use common timelines
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Collaborate to ensure
access to information
before/after campaign
Create one way for families
to know what they qualify
for and refer families to
other available programs
when they do not qualify or
no seats are available
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Understand program &
funding eligibility
requirements
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Determine preliminary
eligibility with one
eligibility application
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Use common timelines
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Develop referral
system
Have one application to
collect family preferences
Enroll at-risk children based
upon where families prefer
to send their children, as
long as space is available
(Aug. – Dec.)
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(Oct. – Feb.)
(Oct. – Feb.)
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Guide families through
options based on
eligibility
Families designate
choices on one
application during
open enrollment
period
Coordinate application
and enrollment
timeline
Collaborate on waitlist
management
(Feb. – May.)
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Networks and
programs admit
families according to
preference & capacity
Provide ongoing
enrollment options
throughout the year
Collaborate on waitlist
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Coordinated Enrollment
Timeline
Pilots are not expected to achieve the full model in one year. The following timeline
indicates how Cohort 2 Pilots are expected to develop their coordinated enrollment
systems.
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
Meet Initial
Expectations
Develop Full Model
•
Enroll first group of
children through full
coordinated
enrollment system
•
Revise system as
needed
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•
Maximize System
Capacity
Coordinated
Information
Campaign
Coordinated
Eligibility
Determination
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Coordinated
Application
Matching Based on
Preference
Families benefit from
the Full Model as they
apply in 2015-16 to
enroll in 2016-17.
Families benefit from
Initial Expectations as
they apply in 2014-15
to enroll in 2015-16.
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Maximize System Capacity
In order to increase access to early childhood programs, we need to understand where
access is limited.
W
What does it mean?
• Analyze all available information to understand the at-risk population in your community and the
extent to which they are served
• Analyze your current available capacity to serve at-risk children
• Project how many more seats you will need to reduce the at-risk gap
What are the expectations for your Community Network Pilot:
2014-2015
Network:
• Analyze all sources of information
• Determine the at-risk gap (# of
children not being served)
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2015-2016
Network:
• Maximize available programs and seats
to reduce the at-risk gap as much as
possible
Coordinated Information Campaign
Easy-to-understand information will assist families in choosing the best-fit programs.
What does it mean?
• Information guides, distributed throughout the community that include each provider’s eligibility
information, hours of operation, quality, philosophy, space availability
• Families should encounter “no wrong door” for information and support
• All programs use the same timeline for applications
What are the expectations for your Community Network Pilot:
2014-2015
Network:
• Builds community partnerships to
distribute information
• Conducts information campaign with
joint enrollment events and/or
informational materials
• Partners with Resource & Referral to
inform families
• Uses a single timeline for enrollment
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2015-2016
Network:
• Communicates with families
• Supports families through the choice
process
Coordinated Eligibility Determination
A coordinated timeline and application form benefits families and providers.
What does it mean?
• Every provider needs to know the options available to all at-risk children
• Parents can turn to anyone in the Network to get the information they need
• Referral system is in place among program partners
What are the expectations for your Community Network Pilot:
2014-2015
2015-2016
Network:
• Publishes master information guide
• Builds community-wide knowledge of
early learning options
• Builds a referral process to reduce
waitlists
• Ensures provider application forms are:
• Concise
• Clear, with directions
• Translated
Network:
• Increases community partnerships
• Ensures staff are familiar with eligibility
criteria for other programs and refer
families accordingly
• Coordinates application and eligibility
processes and eliminates waitlists when
possible
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Coordinated Application
It is clear to families and providers from the start how space is allocated in a program.
What does it mean?
• Clear communication and publicity around: dates and deadlines, information required for
application/enrollment, eligibility restrictions, priority admission categories, other impacts on enrollment
• A unified application is used by all providers
• Central point of entry: all providers enroll children on the same timeline
• Allowing for ongoing enrollment options
What are the expectations for your Community Network Pilot:
2014-2015
Network:
• Works with providers to prepare to
coordinate processes
• Includes enrollment process in
information guides
• Increases communication to families
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2015-2016
Network:
• Communicates with families on all
aspects affecting enrollment
• Ensures all aspects of information
campaign, eligibility determination, and
application process are coordinated for
families
• Builds a unified application accepted by
all providers, for all age children
Matching Based on Preference
Every family who submits an application through the coordinated enrollment system will
be considered equitably.
What does it mean?
• A common enrollment system focused on equity:
• Levels the playing field by improving access to quality early learning
• CANNOT rely upon a “first-come, first-served” method
• Ongoing process with a primary structured enrollment timeframe
• Clear process for responding to questions, complaints and appeals regarding enrollment system
What are the expectations for your Community Network Pilot:
2014-2015
Network:
• Discuss with providers current
enrollment practices across programs
• Assists providers in moving from firstcome, first-served to open enrollment
periods
• Coordinates open enrollment periods
for providers
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2015-2016
Network:
• Manages open enrollment process for
the community that is coordinated and
well-communicated
• Matches children to seats based on
family preferences
• Serve more at-risk 4-year-olds through
coordinating existing funding for diverse
delivery or securing new funding
Next Steps
1.
Prior to Coordinated Enrollment Working Session
• Confirm that ALL types of providers are represented in working session
• Ask providers to be prepared to share number of publicly-funded seats, by age, they could
serve
• Start collecting information to build promotional materials
• Start identifying key community partners through which information can be shared
2.
Participate in Coordinated Enrollment Working Session
3.
Conduct follow-up sessions within the pilot to complete coordinated enrollment plan
4.
Reach out with questions to Nasha Patel at [email protected] or Derek Little at
[email protected] .
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2014-15 Timeline
1.
Pilots submit coordinated enrollment system materials to the state
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Assessment of community needs and system capacity
Program information guide(s)
Information campaign materials
Preliminary plan to address service gaps
– Can seats be added? Can wait-lists be shared? Can funding be leveraged?
• Registration process details, including timeline, sites, accessibility
2.
State provides feedback based on the expectations
Oct – Dec
2014
December
2014
Dec – Jan
2015
Jan – Mar
2015
Feb– May
2015
State provides
guidance on
coordinated
enrollment
system
development
Pilots submit
plan for
coordinated
enrollment
system
State provides
feedback and
works with
pilots to ready
plans for
implementation
Pilots conduct
awareness and
information
campaign
Pilots
implement
Initial
Expectations
for coordinated
enrollment
system
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