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Prevention Works! Minutes |
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Clallam County Prevention Works!
Community Coalition Minutes Those attending were Angie Graff (Olympic Medical Center), Ann Bell (Head Start), Carla Abrams (Mount Angeles Boys and Girls Club), Cynthia Martin (Parenting Matters Foundation), Ellen Fetchiet (PASD), Florence Bucierka (CCHHS), Jennifer Charles (CCHHS), Jody Jacobsen (Juvenile Services), Karen Meyer (Communities that Care), Margaret Maxwell (N Olympic Regional Housing Network), Pam Arnott (Olympic Medical Center), Nita Quan (First Step Family Support Center), Patty Hannah (United Way), Rachel Anderson (CCHHS- Tobacco), Steve Tharinger (Clallam County Commissioner), Susan Hillgren (Family Planning of Clallam County), Taralynn Dokken (Clallam County Community Network), Shaine Schramling (Parenting Matters Foundation), Bea Kelleigh (Project Lift-Off), Jessica Schreiber (PASD Board Member), Ida Carroll (West End Outreach)
Bea sent around a packet of information. www.projectlift-off.org for more information Will be discussing: · Early Childhood School Readiness and Action Agenda · For countywide aims · Project Lift-Off Opportunity Fund – Public Private Partnership Bea began September 2000. She serves as Lead Executive. Lift-off is partnership, not a formal organization. It is a coalition, an agenda, a campaign. Started by City of Seattle when then mayor Paul Schell and 2 City Council members each had projects they wanted to do focusing on children. Felt the programs should have needs assessment. 2 city of Seattle staff that embarked upon large adventure. Interviews with elementary principal in City of Seattle. Surveys to parents and child care providers. Several geographic forums as well as national best practice research. What people in our community needed – Blue Pint for Change – 6 Point Action Plan was developed. They then called together a group of community advisors to ask if this was right thing – was this the right set of actions. Those advisors were not service providers – business communities, school sup, philanthropists, Urban League, and a few service providers. Asked to come to a meeting to improve children’s early learning and out of school time as a way to improve child’s chance in life. Advisors said this was the right thing to do and was right agenda. What can we do to move it forward? They felt like “if you’re not going to do something bold – Don’t do it.” Needed to be more than just one agency – real issues would require collaboration across agencies and jurisdictions. If it were going to be effective, it should not be run by the city. Needed to be bigger than City of Seattle. Needed something to be bipartisan. Discussed partnerships. Located in Seattle and King County. Looked to try some things that may be useful in other places. They have gotten some significant results – it has been about kids the whole time and they have worked hard to set an agenda and bring people to the table. Project Lift-Off doesn’t really have a stake in the results and can be a neutral broker. One member who participated in an Inner-city tour of Barcelona was impressed by cooperation of government and labor and business – no one goes home until things are solved. Project Lift-Off set an agenda, had agreement about it, had set of constituents and agencies who committed to the agenda and a means to advance part of agenda and how can we all work together. 1st years it was really useful. At outset there were concerns about turf, concerns about culture. Helped to bring people together – understand issues of each other and find common ground and common path in how people can work. How Project Lift-Off works and their set-up · School readiness · Community Learning Centers and alignment of after-school programs · Finance and quality improvements Project Lift-Off is a partnership of more than 40 organizations, businesses, governments and leaders (see question 4). All work together toward Lift-Off’s mission. Lift-Off is not an independent organization or a direct service provider. Lift-Off’s structure includes a Partnership Group, Steering Committee, Action Teams, and Lead Executive and Project Lift-Off Center. · The Project Lift-Off Partnership Group sets Lift-Off’s overall policy direction and makes key decisions. The Partnership Group meets quarterly. · Project Lift-Off’s Steering Committee, a committee of the Partnership Group, oversees the implementation of the Partnership Group’s policies and decisions, and provides advice and direction to the Lift-Off Lead Executive. The Steering Committee meets monthly or as needed. · Lift-Off Action Teams plan and implement Lift-Off’s work. Each of these self-directed groups includes several collaborating agencies and organizations. The team members bring a range of knowledge, skills and connections to this work. The Action Teams have set overall outcomes they are working toward, along with three-year and one-year outcomes. See question 9 below for a list of the current Action Teams. · Lift-Off’s Lead Executive and the Project Lift-Off Center form the core of Lift-Off’s leadership and organizational support. Currently, Cedar River Group is under contract to provide the Lift-Off Center, with Bea Kelleigh as Lead Executive. · Clear sense of purpose; values and principles about how work is done. · Clear understanding about roles and responsibilities. There are report-backs – good and intense conversations – partners trust partners. Couldn’t make progress we needed with 50 person partnership group overseeing. People were there with no authority with a lot of money. It has to be fun and people need to feel like they are getting something done. · Operating principles – Bea would get to us if we’d like Community Learning Centers – with notion children do better in organized after-school programs, when parents are involved in their education. When schools are hubs of community life. Action Team – way of working School’s Out Washington – http://www.schoolsoutwashington.org/home.htm 27th and 28th Conference – help out of school time providers have activities that support what kids are learning in school. Provide technical assistance and advocacy. No definition or criteria for what alignment was. District and School’s out developed criteria and School’s Out helped train after school providers. Haven’t gotten traction in other districts – YET. Have the district offer rent-free leases to programs that could demonstrate alignment. Requirement and if you met it, there was more money that could go in your program. · Class with traditional native healer · Chess Club and Sports Question about after school activities – Primarily elementary after school programs from Jessica Schreiber. Revolutionizing Child Care – working on quality – project to help child care centers attain national accreditation – hallmark of quality. Over 2,000 licensed child care programs in Seattle. Provide incentives and support – Child Care Resources took the lead. Able to pull together modest resources to begin the project. Provides accreditation fee and to provide mentor. In course of NAEYC self-study project. Mentor has provided a lot of support. 47 programs working to improve quality – benchmarks for pathway to accreditation. Step by step process. 10% currently accredited hoping to move to 25%. TEACH – Teacher education and compensation helps. Out of North Carolina. 1/3 turnover per year at a time when consistent caregivers are important to child’s development. Provides scholarships for college level credit and paid release time. End of project there is a bonus – run by State Resource and Referral – expanding program statewide. Beyond STARS. Turnover reduced from 38% to 5.5%. Increasing credentialing. Community Alignment Initiative Finance Reform – taking a back burner right now. One things – Steps to Quality. Like Educare program that has been used in Colorado – have quality ratings and some places use 3 and 5. Top level National Accreditation, May take 2 years for program that is in process. If something out there is working. 1st Tier – Program agrees to start accreditation process. Steps in between. Number of agencies were interested – increased payment for kids in City of Seattle. Higher quality requires more money. Getting School Ready Getting ready booklet and kits – 7 languages. Parenting Matters Foundation has 3 kits – 2 in English and 1 in Spanish. Funding through Federal Early Learning Opportunity Act – What parent across king County – what they thought kids needed to be more ready for school along with what schools needed to do to be ready for kids. And have community supports. They held 41 community conversations in King County – included parents, child care providers and kindergarten teachers. Focused on 2 questions what do children need to be ready for school and what do schools need to be ready for children. Generalizations on focus from professionals · Child Care Providers - Cognitive Development · Kindergarten Teachers– Express, social-emotional · Parents – want children to be happy and thrive especially in immigrant populations Sometimes 1st communication with teacher is that child may need help. On the whole parents didn’t know what to do to support child’s education. Many schools weren’t prepared for children who would be coming through their door. Research and community wisdom were one and the same. The order of topics in the booklet comes from the number of times comments were made. This really is about children needing adults to work together to support their education. Put together conferences to raise awareness about school readiness and to help adults to understand more about array of activities to support children’s learning. Neighborhood school teams – kindergarten teachers and couple parents, child care providers, WIC, etc. – help improve transition into school – do map. Strategies to improve early literacy. Handed out information on structure and operation Partnership Group 40 or so people. Some people 35 or up to 70. Meets Quarterly Steering Committee – Meets Monthly – Opportunistic – different times bring different opportunities. Action Teams – vested with responsibility and authority for implementing Blue Print for Change. Lift-Off Core Staffing and Partners have stepped up in huge ways. Some agencies have reported that doing this together under mantle has given them cover for doing things they know they need to do. Service Providers need to talk about things in a way that Boeing and the Mayor will find down the center line of agenda. Patty Hannah – When we go for funding – What is important and what needs to be done (Child Focused – and WHY) Who needs to be involved and then they’ve gone to look for funding for the jobs that need to be done. Getting School Ready Action Team – Funding streams that are open to K-12, libraries Large Federal Grant in beginning – $900,000 over 17 months for big piece of work – 7 contracted agencies – worked with about 60 others. Didn’t receive 2nd round of federal funding – Have an agenda with library partners, K-12, education and other foundations. There are partners who are 501c3’s – Project Lift-Off would compete with others but would work to strengthen the network of existing non-profit. Foundation for Early Learning served as financial sponsor. Action Agenda – a lot of tension in regions and communities in King County – through first federal grant – established sub-regional coalitions – North, South, East, Seattle – where are gaps in school readiness and what are overall goals as a county. Goals will be chosen collectively with FACES – Family and Child Early Support. What tactics are appropriate for county and sub-regions. The only criteria is they need to advance goals. United Way has been being partner, Seattle Foundation, Opportunity Fund. Opportunity Fund – Public – Private Funders working together – case where being in King County has been a blessing. May be possible to look at doing something collaboratively between Clallam and King County – strategies for urban, suburban and rural areas. Patty – Medina Foundation looking for local funders. She also asked about merging with United Way. Bea – UW has been partner since beginning. Early thinking was that UW could carry out this work but it was during a time of transition – came back with proposal that was not responsive. Put out a RFP for consultants – has worked for some time for public interest consulting group. Cedar River Group was selected to get this off and running. Now are looking for permanent home – a lot of excitement about agenda. Over last 6 months partnership has been working with UW Children’s Initiative and Success by 6 – in process of final votes and then they will be integrated. For UW this will be expansion of Children’s Initiative. UW has done great job of engaging community volunteers. Lift-Off has no funds to allocate. Develop agenda and engage partners in making dream a reality and how can we better align programs and efficiencies and what new funds. How will we know if we succeed? People are there because it’s exciting and they are decision makers. Transition will take place starting in January. Bea has a dream of network of coalitions across state. A lot of the big issues span jurisdictions and agencies and if we want to do right, she hopes this may the beginning of communication. The meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted,
Shaine Schramling |
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