9/15/11 minutes (PDF) - Early Learning Council

ACT 14: Early Learning Council
Hanahauoli School – Professional Development Center
Thursday, September 15, 2011
1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Meeting Minutes
Council members in attendance:
Pankaj Bhanot, Kaina Bonacorsi, Deliana Loretta Fuddy, Christine Jackson, Joanne Taira
(for Linda Johnsrud), Christina Cox (for Charles Larson), Dee Jay Mailer, Kanoe Naone,
Steve Shiraki (for Kathryn Matayoshi), Pamela Perkins (conference call), Robert Peters,
Frank Ranger (conference call)
Absent:
Melanie Okamoto, Lora Perry
I. Opening and Welcome
Meeting called to order by Chairperson Robert Peters at 1:52 p.m.
II.
Approval of Minutes
Minutes of 08/11/11 meeting were approved.
III.
Race To The Top-Early Learning Challenge Grant-ELCG (T. Lock)
The ELCG grant’s plan is Hawaii’s transformative approach to early learning and will
lead to a larger, stronger state plan.
The grant focuses on 5 key areas (Successful State Systems, High-Quality,
Accountable Programs, Promoting Early Learning and Development Outcomes, A
Great Early Childhood Education Workforce, and Measuring Outcomes and Progress)
with absolute, competitive, and invitational priorities.
Memorandum of Agreements (MOU) will be developed to assist with alignment of
the state systems and their agencies.
o The first MOU will be overarching and includes collaborative and cooperative
initiatives between state departments to carry out the proposed plans of the ELCG
grant.
o The second MOU will focus on the protocols and processes of child development
data sharing between stakeholders using a longitudinal data system to make datadriven
decisions for system improvements.
Letters of support for the ELCG are being sought after from various stakeholders. T.
Lock invited the ELC to submit a letter of support and the ELC agreed. The support
letter will be drafted and signed by the co-chairs.
Governance
o Governor N. Abercrombie’s goal is to establish a Department of Early Childhood.
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o In the meantime, the ELC will be the coordinating body of early learning
deliverables and activities.
o Department of Human Services will be the lead agency for the RTTT-ELCG.
o An Executive Management Team, similar to the DOE’s Strategic Project
Oversight Committee (SPOC) model, will be established to monitor progress of
the ELCG deliverables.
o ELC Sub-Committees will continue to be involved and may be realigned to the
early learning state plan purposes.
State Advisory Council (SAC)
o Work plan will undergo revisions as T. Lock works to connect the SAC work plan
with the proposed ELCG plan.
o The SAC funds may be allocated to “jumpstart” several initiatives mentioned in
the ELCG grant as a way to demonstrate collaborative use of funding sources.
o SAC composition may need to expand through legislative action. It was shared
that other states’ Advisory Councils memberships are larger than Hawaii’s ELC
membership.
o Suggestion: when adding new SAC members, consider early childhood’s
connections to a healthy birth, healthy infancy, healthy toddler years, and entering
healthy into an early learning setting.
o Representatives from pediatrician, business, parent, and legislative groups were
mentioned as possible additional ELC/SAC members.
o The ELC Governance Sub-Committee is tasked to work on research and
procedures for increasing ELC/SAC membership.
IV.
Quality Improvement and rating System-QIrS (G. Fong)
QIrS goal is to promote continual quality improvement in early learning through
recognition and support.
Application and selection process to be a QIrS pilot site is being planned. The
application process will be announced in October, 2011 with site selection in January,
2012.
Preliminary training will begin in January, 2012 with pilot commencing March, 2012.
DHS will establish a QIrS Sub-Committee within the Child Care Advisory
Committee as a venue for questions and recommendations. Meetings of this subcommittee
will be open for everyone to attend. The Child Care Advisory Committee
will schedule and announce the QIrS Sub-Committee meeting dates and times.
V. Be My Voice (J. Moody)
Momentum for the campaign and the Leadership Council membership is growing.
The Leadership Council chairperson is Dee Jay Mailer.
The Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA) and the Girl Scouts (with
Gail Hannemann as their leader) has joined to support the campaign.
October’s Children’s Youth Day event will have a campaign support sign up table.
The campaign has been presented to the Hawaii Association for the Education of
Young Children (HAEYC) Board and also to various groups on Kauai and Maui.
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The campaign’s funding target is $2 million over 2 years.
Most groups and foundations are very supportive of the campaign at the onset and
feel comfortable with the campaign goals.
A marketing strategy to customize legislator linkage to membership support is being
explored.
The ELC recognizes the Good Beginnings Alliance (GBA) with establishing the
foundation of the Be My Voice campaign.
VI.
The Fiscal Mapping Project (N. Toledo)
Final report completion target is November, 2011.
Interviewers are in the midst of data gathering (85% done) and need help from State
Department personnel to encourage those contacted to complete surveys/interviews.
Raw data will be available to use in the RTTT-ELCG application.
Presentations of key findings are scheduled for November 17 at 10:00 a.m. – 12:00
noon for the ELC-Finance Sub-Committee and at the regular ELC meeting.
VII.
Sub-Committee Reports
Public Will (K. Naone)
o Distribution suggestions for the ELC’s Framework brochure:
• Early learning providers
• Health care providers
• Higher education faculty/staff
• Elected officials
• Funders
• Early learning conference attendees at the HAEYC (in October, 2011) and the
Governor’s Early Learning Conference (to be planned).
Direct Services (C. Jackson)
o Collaborating with Public Will on the Framework distribution plan.
Quality (K. Bonacorsi)
o Work plan was distributed.
o Kathy Murphy was introduced as co-chair of the sub-committee.
Data (J. Taira)
o Sub-Committee’s and RTTT-ELCG’s activities around sharing data systems will
be aligned.
o RTTT-ELCG data goal is to integrate data systems to focus on data-driven
decision making for early learning program progress monitoring.
o Tammi Chun (Governor’s Office) and Karen Lee (P-20) are working on the data
sharing portion of the ELCG’s application.
o A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the current DOE-RTTT plan is
between DOE, University of Hawaii, and Department of Labor and Industrial
Relations. RTTT-ELCG will require adding DHS and Department of Health to
the MOU. Jean Osumi (P-20) suggested to link current memorandum to share
data vertically and horizontally.
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o Sensitive issues such as each department’s identifying data elements must be
considered in building an “inter-operability” data system.
Professional Development (M. Vega)
o Distributed a copy of the Workforce Knowledge and Competencies document for
the ELC to review.
o Credential process is designed as a progression of degrees and/or credentialing.
o Expansion of professional development to focus on unique cultural competencies,
family engagement, and building relationships strategies in each Community
Recruitment Resource Center.
o Enhancement of the Registry involves designing a plan to encourage and support
all practitioners in all settings to belong to the Registry for data collection
purposes and planning.
VIII. Public Comment
Mike Fahey: words of encouragement including the following statements – no one
cut from the team, score as a team, good decisions make life easier, attitude and effort
is everything, focus on the final score with honest and best effort, believe in
something bigger than yourself, and honor integrity in everyone.
Terry Lock: R. Peters and T. Lock will participate on a panel on PBS’s Insights
program tonight (September 15) at 7:15 PM.
Linda Brown (UH): introduced herself as a professor with UH’s early childhood
section and replacing Sheri Shonleber.
Jamie Moody (GBA): asked a question about the Framework brochure for parents.
In its current printing, the Framework would be offered to parents along with an open
discussion about the plans for an early learning and care system as described in the
brochure.
Anna Peters (GBA): suggested considering a representative from public safety
groups (police, fire).
IX.
Review of Meeting Decisions, Future Discussions and Communications
A letter of support for the RTTT-ELCG will be drafted (per a template) and signed by
Co-Chairs on behalf of the ELC.
Until the Department of Early Learning Department is formed in 2015, the ELC
would be the coordinating body working with an “Executive Management
Committee” (to be defined by Terry Lock) to oversee the RTTT-ELCG application
and its implementation, with DHS as the lead agency.
ELC-Governance Sub-Committee will review the current sub-committee structure
and better align its functions with the RTTT-ELCG.
DHS will establish an open QIrS Sub-Committee as part of its Child Care Advisory
Committee as a venue to interested parties to participate in discussion, raise issues
and questions regarding the QIrS pilot.
Momentum is growing on Leadership Council membership and feedback from
community regarding the Be My Voice campaign.
The Fiscal Mapping Project final report will be presented at the November meeting.
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The Professional Development Sub-Committee is seeking feedback from ELC
members on the draft version of the Common Core Competencies for Early Care and
Education Practitioners.
X. Next Meeting
Date: Thursday, October 20, 2011
Time: 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Place: Hanahauoli School – Professional Development Center
1622 Makiki Street, Honolulu, 96822
Agenda items:
RTTT-ELCG update
QIrS update
ELC-Governance Junior Kindergarten Sub-Committee recommendations
GBA presentation
Common Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Practitioners
feedback
Monthly agenda addition request must be emailed to R. Peters and D. J. Mailer 2 weeks
prior to the scheduled meeting to allow compliance with Hawaii’s Sunshine Law.
Future meeting dates for 2011 (3 rd Thursday of the month):
November 17 December 15
XI.
Meeting adjourned at 3:34 p.m.
In attendance:
Grace Fong Terry Lock Mike Fahey Kathy Murphy
Melodie Vega Jamie Moody Angela Thomas Anna Peters
Nonie Toledo Linda Brown Randall Nishiyama Diane Young
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