EARLY CHILDHOOD IOWA

Public Engagement Component Group 2011 – 2012 Overview and Work Plan

www.earlychildhoodiowa.org Revised 10-20-11

ECI Public Engagement - Overview and Work Plan 2011-2012 Purpose of the Public Engagement Component Group is to: Raise awareness on the importance of the first five years of a child’s life Increase advocacy in support of child and family-friendly policies Increase commitment for a comprehensive early childhood system Support parents as consumers of early childhood services Core Functions (align with those identified by the National Early Childhood Systems Working Group): 1. Use strategic communication to increase understanding of requirements and benefits of a comprehensive early childhood system. 2. Build a broad constituency to support investment in a comprehensive early childhood system. 3. Partner with families as leaders in building a comprehensive early childhood system. Membership: Membership is open to anyone interested in advancing the result areas of o Healthy Children o Children Ready to Succeed in School o Secure and Nurturing Families o Secure and Nurturing Early Learning Environments o Safe and Supportive Communities Meetings: Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., and are held in compliance with Iowa’s Open Meetings/Open Records laws. Locations may vary; a current meeting schedule is available on the ECI website: www.earlychildhoodiowa.org. A conference-call option is provided at each meeting to facilitate statewide participation. 2|Page

ECI Public Engagement - Overview and Work Plan 2011-2012 PE Membership as of 10/20/11 Name * Sheila Hansen (Co-Chair - Private Sector) * Rhonda Boltz (Co-Chair - Public Sector) Karen Doughan Jean Johnson Marcus Johnson-Miller Nicole Neubauer Christie McKeag Stacie Steveson Deb Scrowther Sherri Edwards Meghan Wolfe Malisa Rader Karen Bougher Julie Ingersoll Jerri Baumeister Jennifer Cira Deb VanderGaast Mary Lukas Lana Ross Lisa Sieren Sarah Ramsey Sarah Black Tess Cody Tammy Wetjen-Kesterson Jennifer Groos

Agency/Representation Child and Family Policy Center Iowa Department of Public Health Child Care Resource & Referral Department of Economic Development Iowa Department of Public Health Child Care Resource & Referral Parent/Consumer Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children Iowa Department of Management Dubuque County ECI Iowa Department of Public Health Iowa State University Extension & Outreach Polk County Health Department Iowa Department of Human Services Volunteer Area Education Agency Tipton Adaptive Child Care Speech pathologist (volunteer) Iowa Community Action United Way Des Moines United Way Des Moines Visiting Nurse Services – Des Moines Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence Benton and Iowa County ECI Iowa Health Systems

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ECI Public Engagement - Overview and Work Plan 2011-2012 CORE FUNCTION # 1: Use strategic communication to increase understanding of requirements and benefits of a comprehensive early childhood system ACTIVITIES Share and promote opportunities for professional development among providers of early childhood services1

TIMEFRAME Ongoing

Assist Quality Services and Programs Component Group with educating the public (parents, business leaders, service providers, policy makers) regarding importance of quality in provision of early childhood services2

Ongoing

Continue to encourage high quality preschool program standards in all early care and education programs through Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards, Head Start Performance Standards, or program accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children or the National Association for Family Child Care3

Ongoing

Actively support and promote the work of the ECI Stakeholders Alliance and all component groups in an effort to strengthen the early childhood system4

Ongoing

Provide regular activity updates for Steering Committee meetings, Stakeholders Alliance meetings, ECI Newsletter and ECI Annual Report

Ongoing

Publish a quarterly Early Childhood Iowa newsletter to communicate key messages, upcoming events, professional development opportunities, and system successes Incorporate use of social media to promote positive early childhood messages

January, 2012 and ongoing

Participate in the revision of the ECI Strategic Plan for the new, combined ECI system5

December, 2012

Share program and policy recommendations with ECI Steering Committee, Stakeholders Alliance, and others as appropriate6

Ongoing

PROGRESS NOTES

March, 2012 and ongoing

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ECI Public Engagement - Overview and Work Plan 2011-2012 CORE FUNCTION # 2: Build a broad constituency to support investment in a comprehensive early childhood system ACTIVITIES Develop a statewide communications strategy to increase private sector involvement, including involvement of parents, service providers, administrators, legislators and business leaders7

TIMEFRAME December, 2012

Collaborate with traditional and non-traditional community partners to promote advocacy for early childhood investments

Ongoing

Develop and promote products that demonstrate the economic impact of investments in early childhood

August, 2012

Recruit and engage diverse populations in the work of ECI8

Ongoing

Coordinate an annual Day on the Hill event to educate the public and promote early childhood investments

February of each year

Seek opportunities to develop public-private partnerships by focusing on the economic impact of investments in early childhood9

Ongoing

PROGRESS NOTES

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ECI Public Engagement - Overview and Work Plan 2011-2012 CORE FUNCTION # 3: Partner with families as leaders in building a comprehensive early childhood system ACTIVITIES Increase consumer education and awareness about the importance of early childhood experiences and their relationship to overall health and life outcomes

TIMEFRAME By March, 2012 and ongoing

Promote the importance of prevention, identification and early intervention in relationship to children’s physical, social/emotional and cognitive wellbeing

By March, 2012 and ongoing

Advocate for child and family-friendly policies on the state, local and organizational level

Ongoing

Recruit parents to participate in ECI and/or component groups10

May, 2012

Focus on increasing parent leadership by supporting and promoting the ECI Parent Summit11

December, 2012

PROGRESS NOTES

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ECI Public Engagement - Overview and Work Plan 2011-2012 Notes: 1. Aligns with ECCS Grant – Goal 2 (Strengthen leadership, collaboration and coordination of early childhood partners for the integration of a comprehensive Early Care, Health and Education system), Objective 1 (Provide leadership for the creation of a comprehensive professional development system for all Early Care, Health and Education providers as evident through the Professional Development Framework and Implementation Plan by May, 2012.) 2. Aligns with ECCS Grant – Goal 2 (Strengthen leadership, collaboration and coordination of early childhood partners for the integration of a comprehensive Early Care, Health and Education system), Objective 2 (Support the Early Childhood Iowa Stakeholder’s Alliance as a catalyst in the development of the Early Care, Health and Education system through an increase in stakeholders involved in Early Childhood Iowa by May, 2012), Activity 1 (Support the work of the ECI Stakeholder Alliance, six component workgroups and the co-chair committee.) 3. Aligns with ECCS Grant – Goal 1 (Further advance the five result areas of Iowa’s Strategic Plan), Objective 3 (Integrate ECI Strategic Plan activities focusing on early care and education services into the work of the QRS and Voluntary Four-Year Old Preschool Program by May, 2012), Activity 4 (Continue to encourage high quality preschool program standards in all early care and education programs through Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards, Head Start Performance Standards, or program accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children or the National Association for Family Child Care) 4. Aligns with ECCS Grant Goal 2 (Strengthen leadership, collaboration and coordination of early childhood partners for the integration of a comprehensive Early Care, Health and Education System), Objective 2 (Support the ECI Stakeholders Alliance as a catalyst in the development of the Early Care, Health and Education System through an increase in stakeholders involved in ECI by May, 2012), Activity 1 (Support the work of the ECI Stakeholder Alliance, six component groups and the co-chair committee) 5. Aligns with ECCS Grant Goal 2 (Strengthen leadership, collaboration and coordination of early childhood partners for the integration of a comprehensive Early Care, Health and Education System), Objective 2 (Support the ECI Stakeholders Alliance as a catalyst in the development of the Early Care, Health and Education System through an increase in stakeholders involved in ECI by May, 2012), Activity 3 (Partner with ECAC staff in the Department of Management to update the ECI Strategic Plan for the new combined ECI system) 6. Aligns with ECCS Grant – Goal 3 (Inform decision making for program development, public policy and fiscal management at the state and local levels through use of results accountability data) 7. Aligns with ECCS Grant – Goal 2 (Strengthen leadership, collaboration and coordination of early childhood partners for the integration of a comprehensive Early Care, Health and Education system), Objective 4 (Identify and foster private sector champions to focus on building public/private partnerships for early childhood by May, 2012) 8. Aligns with ECCS Grant – Goal 2 (Strengthen leadership, collaboration and coordination of early childhood partners for the integration of a comprehensive Early Care, Health and Education system), Objective 2 (Support the Early Childhood Iowa Stakeholder’s Alliance as a catalyst in the development of the Early Care, Health and Education system through an increase in stakeholders involved in Early Childhood Iowa by May, 2012), and Objective 3 (Provide leadership in the development and implementation of a work plan that focuses on early childhood cultural competency for diverse populations by May, 2012.) 9. Aligns with ECCS Grant – Goal 2 (Strengthen leadership, collaboration and coordination of early childhood partners for the integration of a comprehensive Early Care, Health and Education system), Objective 4 (Identify and foster private sector champions to focus on building public/private partnerships for early childhood by May, 2012)

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ECI Public Engagement - Overview and Work Plan 2011-2012 10. Aligns with ECCS Grant Goal 2 (Strengthen leadership, collaboration and coordination of early childhood partners for the integration of a comprehensive Early Care, Health and Education system), Objective 2 (Support the Early Childhood Iowa Stakeholder’s Alliance as a catalyst in the development of the Early Care, Health and Education system through an increase in stakeholders involved in Early Childhood Iowa by May, 2012), Activity 2 (Continue to focus on increasing parent leadership into the system building efforts through venues such as the Parent Summit) 11. Aligns with ECCS Grant – Goal 2 (Strengthen leadership, collaboration and coordination of early childhood partners for the integration of a comprehensive Early Care, Health and Education system), Objective 2 (Support the Early Childhood Iowa Stakeholder’s Alliance as a catalyst in the development of the Early Care, Health and Education system through an increase in stakeholders involved in Early Childhood Iowa by May, 2012), Activity 2 (Continue to focus on increasing parent leadership into the system building efforts through venues such as the Parent Summit)

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