February 6, 2009 The Johnson County Empowerment Board ...

February 6, 2009 The Johnson County Empowerment Board announces the availability of funds for programs that provide support to families with children age 0 through five years and pregnant women. The purpose of the funds is to support programs that will have a positive impact on measures of:

• early education, • children’s health, and/or • parent education and family support services.

The purpose of the funding is to ensure that young children are properly nurtured and stimulated in safe and healthy environments so that they are ready to learn and succeed when they enter school and to increase the availability of quality child care to support parents in obtaining or retaining employment. A Bidder’s Conference will be held on Friday February 27 at 3:00 p.m. at 855 S. Dubuque Street, Suite 203, Iowa City, Iowa. Any Johnson County service provider is eligible to apply. Funds are available for programs to run July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Questions about the RFP may be submitted in advance of the Bidders Conference to Alicia Lepic at the address below. Additional information and applications for funding may be obtained from Alicia Lepic, Johnson County Empowerment, 855 S. Dubuque Street, Suite 202B, Iowa City IA 52240; 319-339-7206 or [email protected]. Applications are also available online at www.jcempowerment.com/Funding_Opportunities/funding_opportunities.html. Proposals must be received by 4:30 pm on Friday, March 27, 2009.

RFP/RFP08/General RFP Format 09 04/23/07

Johnson County Empowerment Area

Request for Proposals Packet FY2010 Funding

Issued: February 6, 2009 Contact: Sara Baird Chair, Johnson County Empowerment 855 S. Dubuque Street, Suite 202B Iowa City, IA 52240 (319) 339-6179 (319) 339-7206 [email protected] [email protected]

RFP/RFP2010/General RFP Format 2010 of 19 02/02/09

JOHNSON COUNTY EMPOWERMENT AREA FUNDS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD ACTIVITIES

INTRODUCTION/OVERVIEW This Request for Proposals (RFP) represents an effort by the Johnson County Empowerment Board to provide funding for specific programs, services, and projects which will address the health, education, and development of Johnson County children age 0 through 5 years and pregnant women. Through this RFP, Johnson County Empowerment expects to award approximately $833,000 to fund FY2010 Empowerment programs. This includes approximately $174,000 for Quality Preschool Tuition & Supports, $86,000 for Family Support Home Visitation, $193,000 for Parent Education & Family Support, $51,000 for Professional Development, and $130,000 for Other from School Ready Grant Funds and $199,000 for Early Childhood Grant Funds. ELIGIBLE PROPOSAL APPLICANTS Applicants must be service providers serving Johnson County families. Applicants must serve families with children age 0 through 5 years and/or pregnant women. Applicants must be willing to serve families at or below 185% of federal poverty level. GENERAL EXPECTATIONS • Programs will target Johnson County families. • Families served must have a child age 0 through 5 years or a pregnant woman. • Services must target families with incomes at or below 185% of federal poverty level. • Contractor must be willing to work in a collaborative relationship with the Early Childhood

Specialist, the Johnson County Empowerment Board, other Empowerment providers, and other Johnson County service providers to achieve the Service Objectives identified on page 4 and the Community Wide Goals and Local Indicators identified on page 5.

• Providers must be aware of and comply with federal and state laws regarding confidentiality and non-discrimination.


SERVICE OBJECTIVES School Ready Grant Objectives: Ensure that young children are properly nurtured and stimulated in safe, healthy, and stimulating environments so that they are ready to learn and succeed when they enter school. Most of the funding is targeted for categorical purposes with specific parameters (see Tool G(B)):

• Family Support Prenatal through Three – implement evidence-based family support and parent education practices. All programs must have a home visitation component. See Tool FF and Tool FF(A).

• Family Support Parental through Five – implement evidence-based family support and parent education practices. See Tool FF and Tool FF(A).

• Preschool Programming Support for Low Income Families – assist low-income parents with tuition for preschool and other supportive services for children ages three, four, and five who are not attending kindergarten and assist with preschool program expenses not covered under chapter 256C (Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children). See Tool CC(A), Tool CC(B), and Tool CC(Matrix).

• Quality Improvement Funds – improve the quality of early care, health and education projects and programs that support quality improvement efforts; are evidence-based, quality practices and services that have been proven to positively affect outcomes for children, align with the community plan and identified CEA priorities. See Tool II.

• Other Funds – do not have categorical requirements but must be used to support early care, health and education for children and families prenatal through age five and must demonstrate effectiveness through documented and reported performance measures.

• children's health and safety services, and • professional development for early care, health, and education practitioners.

Early Childhood Grant Objectives: Enhance the capacity and quality of child care services to help parents obtain or retain employment through (see Tool G(A)):

• Increasing access to infant, 2nd and 3rd shift, and inclusive child care through provider recruitment and support;

• Increasing children’s access to Head Start, Early Head Start, and other evidence-based child development and child care programs, through provider support;

• In partnership with Child Care Resource and Referral, providing information to help parents select quality child care environments (comprehensive consumer education);

• Recruitment of and assistance to home- and center-based child care providers in meeting registration, licensure, and quality rating system or accreditation standards;

• Providing training and professional development opportunities for home- and center-based child care and preschool providers with community partners such as Child Care Resource and Referral, community colleges, and ISU Extension;

• Partner with T.E.A.C.H. Iowa to provide tuition assistance to home- and center-based child care and preschool providers to enroll in early childhood education coursework at community colleges.

• Funds cannot be used to supplant state child care assistance (subsidy) to eligible recipients.

• When funding child care scholarships, the family’s income must be between 146-185% of the poverty guidelines, although funding child care scholarships with Early Childhood dollars is not encouraged due to potential federal reporting requirements.


COMMUNITY PLAN PRIORITIES and LOCAL INDICATORS Our goals and community wide measures of our progress toward achieving those goals. A. Children’s Health

Goals: Health promotion, including healthy nutrition Increase accessibility of health insurance for children Increase access to quality pediatric health and dental care Early identification and treatment of health, development, and behavior concerns

Local Indicators:

Number of children enrolled in state health insurance programs

B. Early Education Goals:

Increase the availability of quality early education Increase the accessibility and affordability of quality early education Improve quality in early education

Local Indicators:

Number and percent of early education environments meeting quality standards (i.e. NAEYC, NAFCC, QRS)

Number of regulated child care programs (DHS licensed centers, DHS registered homes, 4Cs listed homes)

Number of regulated child care slots (licensed, registered, and listed)

C. Parent Education & Family Support Goals: Supporting families to:

Strengthen supportive parenting skills Enhance parent/child relationships Provide safe, stable, nurturing home environments Increase healthy informal networks of support Utilize appropriate community resources Address parental issues of health, mental health, disability, and substance abuse needs

Local Indicators:

Number of confirmed child abuse reports

D. Community Wellness Goals:

Build culturally competent systems of care to address the impact of: Multiple languages Multiple cultures Rural issues

Address family issues such as: Poverty Community safety Transportation


PRIORITY SERVICE AREAS Priority will be given to programs that address one or more of the Community Plan Priorities and Local Indicators (see page 5) and: • Multi-agency collaboration or programs which work across disciplines. • Programs addressing recognized gaps in services, as identified by community needs assessment

or other data sources. • Programs that are built upon research based practices. • Proposals that utilize multiple sources of funding and/or leverage other sources of funding. • Proposals that address program access issues, such as transportation and child care. • Programs that are creative and customer focused in their approach. • Continuation of successful Empowerment funded programs. For additional information and definitions, see the Iowa Empowerment website at www.empowerment.state.ia.us/tool_kit_tools.asp for information regarding: Preschool Programming - see Tool CC(A) Preschool Programming Support for Low-Income

Families, Tool CC(B) Preschool Programming Support Performance Measure Data, and Tool CC(Matrix) Annual Report Matrix for Preschool Programming Support.

Family Support and Parent Education - see Tool FF Family Support & Parent Education

Iowa Administrative Code and Tool FF(A) Family Support Performance Measures. Quality Improvement – see Tool II Improve the Quality of Early Care, Health & Education

Programs. Tool J Common Results Language Framework


FUNDING • Funding for programs is from the School Ready and Early Childhood grants of the Johnson

County Empowerment Board. • Funding is available for programs July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. • All funding is contingent on Johnson County Empowerment receiving funding from state and

local government. • General funding is available for a one-year funding cycle. • This funding may not be used to supplant existing funding. • Wraparound funds for Shared Visions and/or Head Start will be awarded only if a program has

applied for and been denied a DHS Child Care Block (wraparound) Grant or if a program is ineligible for a DHS Child Care Block (wraparound) Grant.

• Programs applying for Preschool funding are expected to be actively working with their local school districts to apply for the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Olds. This funding is intended to supplement that funding, rather than replace it.

• If funding is to be used as a match for other grant funds, Empowerment must first be notified of this intent.

• Successful programs (not agencies) which have received funding from Johnson County Empowerment during the previous three (3) fiscal years may apply for a three-year renewable contract. Those applications must include budgets for each of the three years. Funding amounts will not be increased from the original 3-year budgets without Board approval. Continued program funding is dependent upon continued legislative appropriation for Community Empowerment grants. Eligible programs are 4Cs Child Development Home Provider Services, 4Cs QRS Assistance Program, 4Cs Home Ties Emergency Child Care, The Arc Manantial, Busy Bees Childcare and Preschool Scholarships, Grant Wood AEA CART-JC, Grant Wood AEA Every Child Reads, Grant Wood AEA IQPPS Support, HACAP Extended Day Head Start, HACAP Parent Education Programs, ICCSD Hills Family Book Club, ICCSD Mann Preschool Scholarships, ICCSD Shared Visions Support, ICCSD Shared Visions Wraparound, Lone Tree Preschool Scholarships, MECCA Partners In Parenting, NCJC Childcare Wraparound, NCJC PREP, NCJC Latino Parent Education & Family Support, UAY Teen Parent Program, UAY Rural Parent Education, UAY PNP Home Visitation, UIHC Dept. of Psychiatry Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, VNA Children’s Health Insurance Outreach Coordination.


REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSALS AND APPLICATIONS A Bidder’s Conference will be held on FEBRUARY 27, 2009 to answer any questions pertaining to this Request for Proposals. The meeting will be held at 3:00 p.m. at 855 S. Dubuque Street, Suite 203, Iowa City. Applicants may submit only one proposal for Empowerment funding. Proposals may contain more than one program or activity. Provide distinct program descriptions, evaluation plans, and one-year budgets for each program/activity. Agencies may choose to list programs in priority order. The Board will base funding decisions on how well each program meets identified service objectives, addresses the Community Plan priorities, and can impact Local Indicators. Agency prioritization will be used strictly as a guideline for making decisions in the case of equal considerations with limited financial resources. PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 4:30 pm on MARCH 27, 2009. Proposals received after the deadline will be considered solely at the discretion of the Empowerment Board. Incomplete applications or applications which do not meet these requirements will be disqualified. Faxed applications will not be accepted. One original, five (5) paper copies, and one electronic copy (PC Word compatible, disk or e-mail) of the application will be submitted to:

Laurie Nash, Early Childhood Specialist Johnson County Empowerment 855 S. Dubuque Street, Suite 202B Iowa City, IA 52240 [email protected]


Funding Proposal Format Proposals must follow the following format. Use font Times New Roman 12 (include page numbers). Attachments should be at the end of the proposal, after the budget pages.

Cover Page (one cover page per proposal) Date of application: Provider name: Provider Address: Names of Contact Persons (preferably two) Phone and Fax e-mail addresses Program name Amount of funding requested If listing in priority order (see p. 8), please number each program, Each program can have up to one half-page for the outcome statement and summary table. Outcome Statements, e.g. “The purpose of the ( program ) is to provide/produce (service/activityproduct) to/for (customer) so they can/in order to (outcome/planned benefit) . Summary Table

Program Name and Funding requested

Target Audience; expected # to be served

Goals of Program

Scope of Services (specific activities to be performed)

Performance Measures and Specific Measurements to be reported


Proposal Narrative: I. Need for the program (1 (one) page maximum per program)

♦ Describe the local need for this program ♦ Describe how this program is uniquely suited to meet that need

II. Program Description (2 (two) page maximum per program) ♦ Describe services/activities to be provided, including collaboration with other

providers. ♦ Provide a general description of your target audience and/or eligibility criteria;

include geographic, socio-economic, age and other demographic descriptions. Include numbers of families/children to be served.

♦ Specify how services/activities will address Community Plan priorities and/or Local Indicators (see p. 5). It is not necessary to address all Community Plan priorities or Local Indicators in each proposal. While programs are expected to directly address one of the Community Plan Priorities, programs are not expected to directly impact community wide Local Indicators. Programs are, however, expected to indirectly impact one of those Indicators and must describe the relationship between their program's purposes and outcomes and the Indicator.

♦ Identify food, incentives, transportation and other expenses that will be part of the program.

♦ Identify materials/equipment to be purchased and how the purchase relates to the proposed services/activities.

III. Evaluation (1 (one) page maximum per program) Bottom line questions: 1. What differences have services made in the lives of the people we serve? 2. What can the people we serve do now that they couldn't do before? 3. How have the behaviors, knowledge, skills or attitudes of the people we serve

changed? 4. Have the lives of the people we serve become better than before receiving our

services? Discuss how the program will be evaluated, including ♦ Outcomes to be achieved. Outcomes should relate to grant & program objectives. ♦ Indicators used to measure outcomes. ♦ Where appropriate, include as an attachment any evaluation tools, surveys, or forms. ♦ As part of their evaluation, and where appropriate, preschool programs will be

required to utilize a children’s developmental screening tool to assess children’s development. See Appendices 3, 4, 5, and 6 this RFP.

♦ As part of their evaluation, and where appropriate, parent education and support programs will be required to utilize either the Life Skills Progression or the Protective Factors Survey. See Appendices 7 and 8 this RFP.

♦ As part of their evaluation, and where appropriate, parent education and support programs will be required to utilize the Empowerment Education and Support Participant Evaluation. See Appendix 9 this RFP.

♦ As part of their evaluation, and where appropriate, programs addressing continuing education and quality improvement for early educators may be required to utilize the Empowerment Early Educator Continuing Education Participant Evaluation. See Appendices 10 and 11 in this RFP.

♦ If this is an existing Empowerment funded program, please identify current progress towards the identified goals.


Evaluation Resources: CEA Achieving Results Resource Guide http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/EmpowermentTools/achievingresults_resource_guide.pdf Iowa Accountable Government Act Guidebooks http://www.dom.state.ia.us/planning_performance/index.html Results Accountability (Mark Friedman) http://www.resultsaccountability.com

Common Results Language Framework http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/EmpowermentTools/kit_tools/ToolJ.pdf

IV. Provider Qualifications: Discuss the ability of the provider to perform the work and manage the budget for this program. Include brief job descriptions and qualifications for key staff. Full job descriptions may be included as attachments. (1 (one) page maximum per proposal.


BUDGET FORM Proposed Budget: The budget is to be on the attached forms. Budgets will be based on a program period of July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Include an explanation of the budget and describe how the Empowerment funding will fit within your other sources of funding (tuition, grants, etc). Identify any involvement you may have with the Empowerment Board or its programs. Reasonable administrative or indirect costs may be included. Reasonable administrative costs are generally defined as up to 8% of total direct expenditure request.

Provide details for each line item. For multiple programs, identify each program. For example, "Salaries & Personnel" might include "Program 1 salaries" and "Program 2 salaries". Specific salary details should be in Chart A. Other Revenue details should be in Chart B. For other line items, include details in the budget form. For example, “Program Costs” might include materials and promotion or “Participant Supports” might include child care, incentives, meals, and transportation. You may add additional detail lines where necessary. Total Program Cost should equal Empowerment Request plus Other Revenue.

This form is available in electronic form as an Excel document (recommended). Contact Alicia Lepic at [email protected]. Total Program

Cost Empowerment Request

Other Revenue (detail chart B)

Salaries & personnel detail chart A 1. Salaries subtotal Program Costs provide detail 2. Program Costs subtotal Participant Supports provide detail 3. Participant Supports subtotal Equipment provide detail 4. Equipment subtotal Other provide detail 5. Other subtotal 6. TOTAL DIRECT (total lines 1+2+3+4+5)

Administration Other Indirect 7. TOTAL INDIRECT 8. TOTAL EXPENDITURES (total lines 6+7)


Provide detail of salary costs in chart below (you may add additional lines): Detail Chart A: Salary Costs

Job Title % of FTE for project

Total Cost Empowerment Request

Other Revenue

1. 2. 3. Totals

The above Totals should be the same as budget line 1; if these two numbers aren't the same, check the arithmetic. Provide detail of source of other revenue in chart below (you may add additional lines): Detail Chart B: Other Revenue

Source of Other Revenue Total amount of other revenue from source 1. 2. 3. Totals

The above Total should be the same as budget line 8 far right column; if these two numbers aren't the same, check the arithmetic.


SELECTION CRITERIA: • Each proposal will be evaluated based on how well it meets the identified service objectives,

addresses Community Plan priorities, and can impact Local Indicators. All successful proposals will incorporate identified service parameters, requirements, and expectations.

• Proposals will be reviewed by a committee designated by the Johnson County Empowerment Board. Review Committees may include the Empowerment Early Childhood Specialist, Empowerment Board members, Empowerment Work Group members, and other community members.

• The Johnson County Empowerment Board reserves the right to select the provider(s) that will best meet the service objectives, not necessarily the highest scoring.

• The Johnson County Empowerment Board reserves the right to negotiate program details with applicants.

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION: • Preliminary funding decisions are expected to be made by the Empowerment Board by June 12,

2009. Applicants may be asked to make a short presentation to the Board. • All applicants will be notified in writing of the funding decisions. • Applicants who are denied funding may appeal to the Johnson County Empowerment Board.

Appeals must be made in writing and be received by the Early Childhood Specialist within five (5) working days of receipt of the selection decision letter. Appeals must be based on a contention that the process violated state or federal law, that policies or rules did not provide adequate public notice, or involved a conflict of interest by staff or review team members. The Empowerment Board, or a committee designated by the Board, will review the appeal and mail a notice of its decision to the appellant within five (5) working days of the review.

• All contractors will be required to submit quarterly progress reports and one final report at the end of the funding period.

• Funding recipients will be responsible for submitting quarterly progress and expenditure reports to the Early Childhood Specialist of the Johnson County Empowerment Area, in accordance with state requirements and on a format which will be provided.

• Reports will include: Number and ages of persons served,

Length of service provided for each client, Results of evaluation tools utilized, Quarterly and year-to-date expenditures, and Other information which will help the Empowerment Board identify and meet the needs of the

target population, such as: -barriers identified by families, -need for service, and -other recommendations. • Reports may include, as appropriate:

Participating children’s progress as measured on the ASQ, Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA), Creative Curriculum Developmental Checklist or other developmental screening tool (i.e. Appendix 6),

Participating early educators’ progress as measured on the Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS), Infant-Toddler Environmental Rating Scale (ITERS), Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS), Quality Preschool Program Standards (QPPS), Quality Rating Scale (QRS), or Early Educator Continuing Education Participant Evaluation (Appendix 11)

Participating families' growth as measured on the Education & Support Participant Evaluation (Appendix 9) and the Life Skills Progression or Protective Factors Survey.

Progress towards program outcomes. All state required outcome measures.


Questions about this Request for Proposals should be directed to Laurie Nash at 339-6179 or [email protected] or Alicia Lepic at 339-7206 or [email protected].

Timeline

February 6, 2009 RFP Issued to public

February 27, 2009 3:00 pm Bidders Conference, 855 S. Dubuque Street, Iowa City March 27, 2009 4:30 pm Proposals due in the Empowerment office June 12, 2009 Preliminary funding decisions by Empowerment Board July 1, 2009 Contract period begins


Attachments/Appendices

Appendix 1 – Tool G(A) Early Childhood Funding Parameters and Limitations Appendix 2 – Tool G(B) School Ready Funding Parameters and Limitations Appendix 3 – Tool CC(A) Preschool Programming Support for Low-Income Families Appendix 4 – Tool CC(B) Preschool Programming Support Performance Measure Data Appendix 5 – Tool CC(Matrix) Annual Report Matrix for Preschool Programming Support Appendix 6 – ASQ, ASQ:SE, and DECA Info Appendix 7 – Tool FF Family Support and Parent Education Iowa Administrative Code Appendix 8 – Tool FF(A) Family Support Performance Measures Appendix 9 – Education & Support Participant Evaluation Appendix 10 - Tool II Improve the Quality of Early Care, Health & Education Programs Appendix 11 – Early Educator Continuing Education Participant Evaluation


Frequently Asked Questions and Examples

Applying and the Application Q: Am I required to attend the Bidder’s Conference if I plan to submit a Request for Funds? A: No, the Bidder’s Conference is not required, though it is strongly encouraged. Q: Do I have to submit both a paper copy and an electronic copy of the application for funds? A: Yes. Q: I am applying for funding for more than one program. Do I submit separate applications for

funds for each program? A: No. Agencies should submit only one application for funds per agency and include all programs. Q: Is there a specific application format I must use? A: Yes. See pages 9-13 of this RFP. Q: Do I have to include the Summary Table on page 9? A: Yes. Budget Q: What is the difference between direct costs and indirect costs? A: Direct Costs are funds utilized to pay for the cost of the direct programming to children and

families. Indirect costs are funds utilized to pay for the administrative costs of being able to offer the program.

Examples of Direct Costs: program staff salaries and benefits curricular materials for program implementation room rental for the program itself, such as a meeting room materials provided to families supports for families to participate, including child care, food, and transportation for families to attend events Examples of Indirect Costs: staff to supervise program staff staff to write reports and generate bills facilities costs, such as telephone and rent for staff office space Q: What is the difference between Administration and Indirect Costs? A: Administration is a percentage of the total Direct Costs. Indirect Costs are the line item

expenses identified above. Q: Can I include both Administration and Indirect Costs in my application? A: No. Programs may request either Administration or Indirect Costs. Q: Do I have to use Detail Chart A of the budget? A: Yes, if you are requesting Empowerment funds for salaries. Q: Do I have to use Detail Chart B of the budget? A: Yes. Q: Can I ask for more funding next year if I receive a renewable contract?


A. No. When making the funding application, try to plan for and include possible increases in funding due to increased costs for subsequent years. You should include the increased funding in each of the budgets provided with this year’s application.

Eligibility Q: Does the program have to serve families at or below 185% of poverty? A: Programs that deliver services to individuals and/or are family-specific must be for families at or

below 185% of poverty. For group-based programs, the program must be available and accessible to families at or below 185% of poverty, but not exclusive to those families.

Q: Can parents of school age children participate? A: Programs that deliver services to individuals and/or are family-specific must be for families with

a child age 0 to school-age and/or pregnant women. For group-based programs, the program must target families with a child 0-5 (including pregnant women), but could include other families.

Q: Can parents who reside outside of Johnson County participate? A: Programs that deliver services to individuals and/or are family-specific must be for families who

reside in Johnson County. For group-based programs, the program must target families residing in Johnson County, but can include families who reside out of county.

Q. Can an individual apply for funds, or is it open only to agencies? A. An individual can apply. All income received will be included on a 1099 for tax purposes. Community Plan Q: Does the program have to address all of the Community Plan Priorities? A: No. It is recommended to choose one or two Community Plan Priorities for a program to

address. Q: Does the program have to address all of the Local Indicators? A: No. It is recommended to choose one or two Local Indicators for a program to address. Preschool Programming Q: Are preschool programs required to report specific results to Empowerment? A: Yes. All programs utilizing the Preschool Support Funds through Empowerment are required to

report all of the applicable items from Tool CC(B) and Tool CC(Matrix). Q: Are preschool programs required to assess individual children’s development? A. Yes. See page 10 Item III. Evaluation. Q: We plan to apply for wraparound funds from DHS, but will not know the status of that

application until after the Empowerment Request for Funds is due. Can we apply for Empowerment funds?

A: Yes, you can apply. You must apply for DHS wraparound funds for any eligible program. You must notify Empowerment of the status of that grant application. If DHS funds are awarded, then you may not receive Empowerment funds for those same services.


Home Visitation Services Q: Are home visitation programs required to report specific results to Empowerment? A: Yes. See Tool FF and Tool FF(A). Parent Education/Family Support Services Q: Are parent education and family support programs such as parenting groups required to report

specific results to Empowerment? A: Yes. All Parent Education and Family Support programs are required to report the “Performance

Measure To Be Reported” from page A-114 of Tool FF and identified in Tool FF(A). Quality Improvement Q: Are there examples of what activities could be funded with the Quality Improvement Funds? A: Yes. See Tool II (Appendix 10)

10/7/08

Early Childhood Funding Parameters and Limitations

Via Iowa Empowerment Board

Annually, the Department of Human Services transfers federal dollars from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Program to the

Child Care Development Fund (CCDF). The Department distributes these funds to community empowerment areas to enhance the capacity and

quality of child care services to help parents obtain or retain employment.

Examples of Allowable Activities

Capacity Building

• Increase access to infant, 2nd and 3rd shift, and inclusive child care through provider recruitment and support.

• Increase children’s access to Head Start, Early Head Start, and other evidence-based child development and child care programs,

through provider support.

• In partnership with Child Care Resource and Referral, provide information to help parents select quality child care environments

(comprehensive consumer education).

Quality Improvement

• Recruitment of and assistance to home- and center-based child care providers in meeting registration, licensure, and quality rating

system or accreditation standards. Examples include, but are not limited to:

o Home- and center-based child care consultants

o Child care nurse consultants

o The completion of self-assessments and program improvement plans

o Limited equipment purchases and minor facility remodeling to meet health and safety standards required by licensing or

registration, e.g., purchase of cribs for infants, installing a sink in an infant room, installing egress windows.

• Provide training and professional development opportunities for home- and center-based child care and preschool providers with

community partners such as Child Care Resource and Referral, community colleges, and ISU Extension. Examples include, but are not

limited to:

o Health and safety training

o Use of developmentally appropriate practices, discipline and curriculums

o Integrating inclusive and culturally competent practices

o Program for Infant and Toddler Caregivers (PITC)

• Partner with T.E.A.C.H. Iowa to provide tuition assistance to home- and center-based child care and preschool providers to enroll in

early childhood education coursework at community colleges.

Other Important Information

• The Department of Human Services distributes Early Childhood funds to a Community Empowerment Area (CEA) based on the Area’s

redesignation status.

• The following two actions must happen before a CEA receives the 1st quarterly payment:

o The CEA must submit an annual budget to the Office of Empowerment and the Department of Human Services must approve

the budget.

o A grant agreement or contract with all required signatures is on file at the Department of Human Services.

• The CEA cannot use these funds to supplant state child care assistance (subsidy) to eligible recipients.

• When funding child care scholarships, the family’s income must be between 146-185% of the Health and Human Services Poverty

Guidelines, although this is not encouraged due to potential federal reporting requirements.

• The CEA’s 2nd quarter funds and any future funds may not be paid until the CEA submits a complete annual report.

• Best practice is to not enter into contracts with contractors or providers until the Department of Human Services approves the CEA’s

Early Childhood budget.

Performance Measure Reporting Requirements

In the Annual Report Community Empowerment Areas must document program or service performance measures through input, output,

quality/efficiency and outcome data.

Administrative Expenses

Administrative expenses cannot exceed 5% of the yearly Early Childhood funds the CEA receives.

Funds are Administered

The Department of Human Services administers Early Childhood funds.

Funds are Distributed

The amount of Early Childhood funds a CEA receives is based on a percentage of the average number of monthly statewide Family Investment

Program (FIP) cases for families with children 0-5 in the preceding state fiscal year.

Time Limitations

The CEA must expend Early Childhood funds within two state fiscal years.

Sources:

Iowa Code Chapter 28

Iowa Administrative Code 441-169

Section 658E of the Child Care & Development Block Grant of 1990, as amended

45 CFR §98.10 - 98.18

Tool G (A)

12/11/2008 A-11

School Ready Funding Parameters and Limitations

Via Iowa Empowerment Board

The School Ready Funds, through a State appropriation, are utilized to support a comprehensive school ready children plan

designed by the local empowerment boards. Most of the funding is targeted for categorical purposes with specific parameters.

These funding categories include Administration, Preschool Programming Support for Low Income Families, Family Support

Prenatal through Three, Family Support Prenatal through Five. Quality Improvement Efforts and Other Services have less

restrictive parameters. Local empowerment area boards must adhere to requirements specific to each funding category.

Examples of Allowable Activities

Family Support Prenatal through Three – Community Empowerment Boards are strongly encouraged to support programs

implementing evidence-based family support and parent education practices. All programs funded through Family Support Prenatal

through Three must have a home visitation component.

See Tool FF http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/tool_ff.pdf and

Tool FF(A) http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/tool_ff_A.pdf

Required Performance Measures are necessary for each activity and must be itemized on the Annual Report.

Family Support Prenatal through Five – Community Empowerment Boards are strongly encouraged to support programs

implementing evidence-based family support and parent education practices.

See Tool FF http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/tool_ff.pdf and

Tool FF(A) http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/tool_ff_A.pdf


Preschool Programming Support for Low Income Families – This categorical funding was legislated to assist low-income

parents with tuition for preschool and other supportive services for children ages three, four, and five who are not attending

kindergarten in order to increase the basic family income eligibility requirement to not more than 200 percent of the federal poverty

level; and for preschool program expenses not covered under chapter 256C (Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-

Old Children). In addition, if sufficient funding is available after addressing the needs of those who meet the basic income eligibility

requirement, a community empowerment area board may provide for eligibility for those with a family income in excess of the basic

income eligibility requirement through use of a sliding scale or other copayment provision.

See Tool CC(A) http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/toolcc_A.pdf and

Tool CC(B) http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/toolcc_B.pdf and

Tool CC(Matrix) http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/toolcc_matrix.pdf


Quality Improvement Funds – These funds are used to improve the quality of early care, health and education projects and

programs that:

o Support quality improvement efforts.

o Are evidence-based, quality practices and services, that have been proven to positively affect outcomes for children

o Produce and document expected performance outcomes

o Align with the community plan and identified CEA priorities.

See Tool II http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/tool_ii.pdf

Other Funds – These funds do not have categorical requirements, however, they must:

o Be used to support early care, health and education for children and families prenatal through age five.

o Demonstrate effectiveness through documented and reported performance measures.

o Not be used for administrative costs (legal fees, fiscal agent fees, insurance, or the role of coordinator when doing

board administrative functions, etc.)

Tool G (B)

12/11/2008 A-12

Other Important Information

• A completed agreement with all required signatures must be on file at the Department of Education before grant funding will be

released.

• School Ready funds are awarded to Community Empowerment boards on an annual basis (pending funding availability and

Designation). Receipt of funding is subject to submission of the required Annual Report (due September 15th) documenting

progress toward the results identified in the community plan.

• Proposed annual budgets are to be submitted through the Office of Empowerment and must be approved by the Department of

Education prior to release of the funds to a CEA.

• As per the Iowa Empowerment Board, October 9, 1999, meeting “Local Empowerment Boards shall not use Empowerment

funds to purchase real property that would be subject to taxes.”

• Best practice is to not enter into contracts with contractors or providers until the Department of Education approves the CEA’s

School Ready budget.

• Areas must be mindful not to supplant other state and federal funds.

Performance Measure Reporting Requirements

In the Annual Report, Community Empowerment Areas must document program or service performance measures through input,

output, quality/efficiency and outcome data.

Administrative Expenses

Administrative expenses are limited to 3% of the annual School Ready funds received by the CEA.

Funds are Administered

The Department of Education administers School Ready funds.

Funds are Distributed

Through a formula approved by the Iowa Empowerment Board which allocates the annual School Ready appropriation as follows:

o 45% is allocated based on the percent of the population that is age 0-5 and at or below 185% of the poverty level or

less.

o 35% is allocated based on the percent of the population that is age 0-5.

o 20% is distributed equally among all 99 counties.

Time Limitations

For fiscal years beginning July 1, 2008, empowerment areas reporting a carryover balance of school ready funds in excess of 20% of

the current year’s allocation will receive a reduction equal to the excess amount above the 20% in their next year’s school ready

allocation, based on accrual reporting.

Sources: IA Code Chapter 28; IAC 349

1 Adopted by the Iowa Empowerment Board 7/11/2008

Community Empowerment

School Ready funds

Preschool Programming Support for Low-Income Families

Legislative

Language

HF 2679 states that the Preschool Programming Support for Low-Income

Families …shall be used to assist low-income parents with preschool tuition;

for other supportive services for children ages, three, four and five who are

not attending kindergarten, in order to increase the basic family income

eligibility requirement to not more than 200% of the federal poverty level;

and for preschool program expenses not covered under chapter 256C

(Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children). In

addition, if sufficient funding is available after addressing the needs of those

who meet the basic income eligibility requirement, a community

empowerment area board may provide for eligibility for those with a family

income in excess of the basic income eligibility requirement through use of a

sliding fee scale or other copayment provision.

For the most current HHS Poverty Guidelines visit,

http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/fed_poverty_guidelines.pdf

Use of Funds The funds allocated for preschool programming support for low-income

families may include (but not limited to):

o Tuition, not covered by other state or federal funding, for preschool

services for children ages three, four and five who are not yet in

kindergarten and whose families meet the eligibility guidelines;

o Support for transporting children to and from preschool services;

o Health services (dental screenings, mental health);

o Parent involvement activities;

o Family support and parent education; (For further information, See

Tool FF(A);

o Initiatives to demonstrate quality preschool levels/standards (QRS,

QPPS, PBS, etc.);

o Program enhancements to increase quality levels/standards

(curriculum, materials, etc.);

o Professional development targeted toward quality initiatives and

standards (curriculum, assessment, program standards, etc.);

o Personnel to foster the development of quality initiatives and

preschool programming; and

o Tuition, not covered by other state or federal funding, for preschool

services for children ages three, four and five whose families do NOT

meet the eligibility guidelines may be allocated

o After the needs of children whose families meet the income

eligibility guidelines and on a sliding fee scale or other

copayment provision. (For further information, see Tool CC (B) Examples of Specific Use of Funds and

Program Measures.)

Tool CC(A)


Priorities for

Funding

Community Empowerment Area Boards (CEA) designate funding based on

priorities of the legislature and local community planning needs for young

children and their families.

Recommendations

for Preschool

Programs Eligible

to Receive Funds

Supporting Low-

Income Parents

School Ready funds shall be used to support preschool services; however,

Community Empowerment Boards must not supplant state and federal funds.

Examples of state or federal funds that need to be considered include:

o State-administered child care assistance for eligible families;

o State-funded preschool programs (Shared Visions and Statewide

Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children); and

o Head Start for eligible children.

Initiatives

Supporting

Quality Preschool

Programming

The Iowa Empowerment Board strongly recommends Community

Empowerment Areas support the implementation of evidence-based, quality

practices and services with proven positive outcomes for children.

Community Empowerment Boards are also strongly encouraged to use these

funds to help families to access quality preschool services and to support

preschool programs achieve high quality program standards. These include

programs that:

o Are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young

Children (NAEYC).

o Meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

o Are accredited by the National Association for Family Child Care

(NAFCC).

o Are verified or have submitted paperwork for Self-Verification status

to the Iowa Department of Education for Iowa’s Quality Preschool

Program Standards (QPPS).

Additional measures of program quality are evidenced by having:

o Achieved an average score of 5 (with no subscale scores under 2) on

the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale – Revised (ECERS-

R) or Family Child Care Rating Scale (FCCRS) completed by an

outside evaluator with an established 85% inter-rater reliability within

six months of the observation.

o Achieved a Level 3, 4 or 5 on Iowa’s Quality Rating System (QRS).

Curriculum and

Assessment are

Indicative of a

Quality Preschool

One essential component of preschool program standards includes a

comprehensive research-based curriculum and systematic child assessment

addressing all areas of child development. Appropriate preschool curriculum

is extremely important to the success of the children participating in the

program. Curriculum used in preschools that receive funds through

Community Empowerment should be research-based or evidence-based and

developmentally appropriate; including age appropriate, individually

appropriate and culturally appropriate. Using quality curriculum, the teacher

provides learning environments and experiences that allow children to be

actively engaged in their own learning through play. In order to meet the

needs of the diverse population of children, families and communities; the

curriculum should be culturally sensitive.


In a developmentally appropriate curriculum learning is integrated across

domains and should include the following areas:

• social-emotional development;

• physical development;

• language development;

• early literacy;

• early mathematics;

• science;

• technology;

• creative expression;

• health and safety; and

• social studies.

Examples of possible curriculum choices are:

• The Creative Curriculum for Preschool is a blueprint for planning and

implementing a developmentally appropriate program. More

information can be found at: http://www.teachingstrategies.com/.

• High Scope Curriculum where the adult’s role is to support and guide

young children through their active learning adventures and

experiences. More information can be found at:

http://www.highscope.org/index.asp.

In order to determine if children are at age-appropriate levels, a required

performance measure, they should be assessed using a research and evidenced-

based measurement. Assessment should be ongoing and systemic, including

formal and informal approaches to gain information on child learning and

development. The assessments must occur within the context of ongoing

communication with families and demonstrate cultural sensitivity. Many quality

curricula include an on-going assessment component to determine child progress

in order to communicate with parents and guide curriculum decisions.

Examples of possible ongoing assessment choices are:

• The Creative Curriculum for Preschool - More information can be

found at: http://www.teachingstrategies.com/.

• High Scope Curriculum - More information can be found at:

http://www.highscope.org/index.asp.

Note: Performance Measures reported in the Preschool Programming Support for

Low-Income Families section of the CEA Annual Report require programs to

report the number/percent of children at age-appropriate levels. This

determination must be accomplished through the use of a reliable, published tool.

CEAs may require programs to report on a specific tool to provide the CEA

Board with clear and consistent reporting.

Examples of possible tools include (but are not limited to):

Brigance Screens Ages & Stages

Creative Curriculum High Scope


Collaboration Community Empowerment is built upon a foundation of collaboration in

order to make a difference in the lives of young children and their families.

With this foundation in mind, local CEAs may collaborate with local child

care centers, preschool programs, child development homes, Head Start

agencies, Shared Vision grantees, School Districts (tuition, Statewide

Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children and/or Early

Childhood Special Education programs), Child Care Resource and Referral

Agencies, Iowa State University Extension, Area Education Agencies, local

public health agencies, local maternal and child health agencies, community

mental health centers, primary care providers, dentists, local transit authority

and family support providers.

Accountability

System

School Ready Budget Form:

CEA must document projected expenditures for the current fiscal year and

estimated carry-forward amounts (if applicable) for Preschool Programming

Support for Low Income Families.

CEA Annual Report – Performance Measures:

CEA must document on the Annual Report (Due September 15th

) the

performance measures through input, output quality/efficiency and outcome

data for all expenditures in the fiscal year for Preschool Programming Support

for Low Income Families. Funds used in this category may have state

required performance measures. Please refer to Tool CC (B) and the Annual

Report shell for specifics.

Contractual

Agreements with

Programs

CEA Board will determine the contractual agreements with providers at a

local level.

Technical

Assistance

Contact: Shanell Wagler, Facilitator

Office of Empowerment

Iowa Department of Management

515-281-4321

[email protected]



School Ready Funds

Preschool Programming Support for Low-Income Families Performance Measure Data

To help local Community Empowerment Boards and the Iowa Empowerment Board

determine the impact of Community Empowerment funding on young children and their

families, the State requires performance measures for all expenditures.

Community Empowerment Areas (CEAs) may use funding from Preschool Programming

Support for Low-Income Families for a variety of projects. Below are examples of

possible activities and the type of performance measures to be collected.

Preschool Programming Support for Low-Income Families Use of Funds: Examples include, but are not limited to:

Part A – Transportation and Tuition

Report the cost and performance measures for these items in Preschool Programming

Support for Low-Income Families, Part A (Tuition and Transportation) on the annual

report. Empowerment Areas must collect and report state-required data.

Funded Activity Performance Measures

o Preschool tuition for low income children whose families

are at or below 200% poverty level

o Preschool tuition for children whose families are above

200% poverty level. May be on a sliding fee scale or other

copayment option.

o Transportation to and from preschool

o Extend the preschool day

o Field Trips

o Summer kindergarten preparation program

o Required performance measures.

o Locally-generated data.

Tool CC(B)


Part B – Preschool Other

Report the cost and performance measures for these items in Preschool Programming

Support for Low Income Families, Part B (Preschool Other) on the annual report.

Empowerment Areas must collect and report state-required data.

Funded Activity Performance Measures Family support and parent education

May include:

o Evidence-based parent education

Note: When a family support and parent education activity or service

includes at least one family visit or parent activity, you must refer to

Tool FF for performance measures and guidelines,

http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/tool_ff.pdf.

o Required performance

measures when a family

support and parent education

activity or service includes

at least one family visit or

parent activity. Refer to

Tool FF


Child Care Nurse Consultant.

Support implementation of Healthy Child Care Iowa Quality

Assessment Tools (Business Partnership Agreement, Owner/Director

Survey, Injury Prevention Checklist, Child Record Review, Health and

Safety Assessment)


measures.


Preschool Coordinator

Responsibilities may include:

o Scholarship processing

o Quality support including but not limited to: QPPS, PBS,

curriculum, etc.


measures.


Health Services

Dental services. May include:

o Dental screenings

o Fluoride treatment

o Treatment

Mental health services. May include:

o Consultation with PBS facilitator

o Counseling

o Classroom social skills/behavior intervention

Lead Services

o Screening

o Service coordination for 3-5 year old children

Nutrition Education and Physical Activity


measures.



measures.



Center Costs

May include:

o Non-educational supplies

o Technology

o Emergency costs (repairs, etc.)

o Business planning for centers

Note: Empowerment Areas cannot use funding for Bricks and Mortar.

Refer to Tool H for information.

Locally-generated data.

Empowerment Areas may tie

expenditure to quality program

standards, ECERS-R or QRS.


Professional Development

May include, but not limited to, collaboration with partners

(AEA, CCR&R, others) to provide training in various quality

initiatives, curriculum, PBS, assessment, etc.

Note: The Department of Human Services must approve all

training/professional development for child care providers

when training is toward requirements for license renewal.

Required performance measures.

Locally-generated data. Empowerment

Areas may tie expenditures to quality

program standards, ECERS-R or QRS.

Quality Programming

May include:

o Support for quality preschool programs to achieve

high standards of quality.

o NAEYC and NAFCC Accredited Programs

o Head Start Performance Standards

o Quality Preschool Program Standards

o ECERS-R, FCCRS

o QRS

o Materials for preschool such as curriculum, classroom

manipulatives, etc.

o NAEYC or NAFCC Accreditation cost

o Technology for classroom

o Curriculum/Assessment

o Other costs associated with program quality

o Playground and outdoor equipment and surfacing

Note: All outdoor equipment and surfacing must follow CPSC

safety guidelines and DHS licensure requirements.



program standards, ECERS-R or QRS.

Options for playground/outdoor

equipment:

o % improvement in health/safety

criteria points/rating on QRS.

o % of programs/centers

collaborating with CCNC to

purchase playground equipment

and resurfacing materials.

o Number of programs/centers with

an approved ground cover.

o Number programs/centers that

meet CPSC National Playground

Safety guidelines.

Personnel

May include:

o Staff for inclusive settings (disability, English

Language Learners)

o Personnel to perform screenings (developmental,

vision, lead, etc.)

o QRS implementer/mentor

o Costs associated with education (not paid by

T.E.A.C.H.)

o Salaries

o QPPS facilitator

o PBS facilitator



program standards, ECERS-R, FCCR-S

or QRS.


State Required Performance Measures Described below are the state-required performance measures for Preschool

Programming Support for Low-Income Families. Part A is used to report Tuition and

Transportation expenditures; Part B is used for all other activities funded. CEAs must

collect data from providers and report the data in the CEA’s annual report and through an

on-line data collection tool. Besides the state-required performance measures, CEAs may

identify locally-generated performance measures to gather more data to determine the

effectiveness of an activity or service.

� State required data: Collect and report data for the following areas funded

through Preschool Program Support for Low-Income Families.

Part A: Tuition and Transportation Reporting

For tuition and transportation, report data for all state-required and optional locally-

generated performance measures. When completing this section, add the data together

for all programs funded.

Preschool Information for Programs Funded Through Part A:

o Total number of programs that receive preschool tuition and/or transportation

support.

o Total number of programs receiving tuition and/or transportation funds that meet

one or more of the following quality standards:

� Accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young

Children (NAEYC);

� Head Start Performance Standards;

� Accreditation by the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC);

or

� Verified or will be ready for verification by the Iowa Department of Education

on Iowa’s Quality Preschool Program Standards (QPPS) within the next year.

o Total number of programs evidencing quality through:

� An average score of 5 (with no subscale scores under 2) on the Early

Childhood Environmental Rating Scale – Revised (ECERS-R) or Family

Child Care Rating Scale (FCCRS) completed by an outside evaluator with an

established 85% inter-rater reliability within six months of the observation,

and

� A Level 3, 4 or 5 on Iowa’s Quality Rating System (QRS).

o Total number of funded programs by category:

� School district-operated programs

� Private, for-profit programs

� Not-for-profit programs

� Shared Visions programs

� Head Start programs

� Faith-based programs


o Total number of Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old

Children school districts that receive funding in this category. School district

partners (private preschools, Head Start, etc.) are included in the school district

count.

o Total number of lead teacher(s) categorized by highest level of education.

� GED

� High School Diploma

� Child Development Associate (CDA)

� Associates Degree in early childhood or child development

� Associates Degree in a related field

� Bachelors Degree in early childhood or child development

� Bachelors Degree in a related field

� Post Graduate Degree

o Total number of lead teacher(s) who hold a valid teaching license issued by the

Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE) and hold an endorsement from the

BOEE that includes preschool or kindergarten.

o Identify the curriculum(s) used in each program.

o Identify the assessment tool(s) used in each program to determine the number and

percent of children at age-appropriate levels.

Child Information (for children supported with these funds; unduplicated numbers for

the items below):

o Total number of children who received scholarships.

o Number of children assisted by age:

� Number of 3 year olds



o Number of children by race/ethnicity

� Native American or Alaskan Native

� African American

� Hispanic or Latino

� White

� Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander

� Multi-racial

� Asian

� Other

o Number and percent of children demonstrating age-appropriate skills.

o Number and percent of children whose families are at or below 200% poverty

level.

o Number and percent of children referred to an Area Education Agency (AEA).

o Total number of children who received transportation.


Part B: Preschool Other Reporting

On Part B of the Preschool Support for Low-Income Families, data is collected for all

state-required and locally-generated performance measures for activities and services that

support preschools, other than tuition and transportation. Based on activities funded, the

same program may be reported in the first column in both Part A and Part B. For

example, a preschool may receive tuition reimbursement and participate in a dental

services program. Program information would be included in Part A and Part B.

Preschool Information for Programs/Activities Funded Through Part B:

o Total number of programs receiving these funds (not including tuition and/or

transportation) that meet each of the following quality standards:

� Accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young

Children (NAEYC);

� Accreditation by the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC);

� Head Start Performance Standards; and

� Verified or will be ready for verification by the Iowa Department of Education

on Iowa’s Quality Preschool Program Standards (QPPS) within the next year.

o Total number of programs evidencing quality through:

� An average score of 5 (with no subscale scores under 2) on the Early

Childhood Environmental Rating Scale – Revised (ECERS-R) or Family

Child Care Rating Scale (FCCRS) completed by an outside evaluator with an

established 85% inter-rater reliability within six months of the observation,

and

� A Level 3, 4 or 5 on Iowa’s Quality Rating System (QRS).

o Total number of funded programs by category:

� School district-operated programs

� Private, for-profit programs

� Not-for-profit programs

� Shared Visions programs

� Head Start programs

� Faith-based programs

o Total number of Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old

Children school districts that receive funding in this category. School district

partners (private preschools, Head Start, etc.) are included in the school district

count.

Activity or Service:

Note: Do not report data for any activity or service in this section that you did not fund

with Preschool Programming Support for Low-Income Families.

Family support and parent education

o When a family support and parent education activity or service includes at least

one family visit or parent activity refer to Tool FF for performance measures and

guidelines,

http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/tool_ff.pdf.


Child Care Nurse Consultant

o Total number of funded programs utilizing a Child Care Nurse Consultant

Dental Services

o Number of children screened

o Number of children screened who were referred for treatment.

o Number of parents reporting this as the child’s first dental screening.

o Number of programs/centers participating in dental screenings (optional).

Mental Health Services

o Number of centers participating in mental health services.

o Number of children observed.

o Number of children identified for mental health services.

o Number of children who received services and will enter kindergarten on a

behavior plan (optional).

o Number of children who received treatment that were expelled.

Preschool Coordination

o Number of family applications processed.

o Number of preschools that the coordinator assisted in increasing quality

standards. (Collect this data when coordination includes working with providers

on quality.)

Professional Development

o List of professional development offered through these funds.

o Total number of participants in professional development.

o Number and percent of participants by category:

� Administrators/Directors

� Teachers/early childhood providers

� Assistant teachers

o Percent of those reporting that they will incorporate learning into practices and

policy.

o Percent of those reporting that information was valuable to their profession.

Other Projects/Activities

For other projects and activities funded, local CEAs must identify, collect, and report

locally-generated performance measures. The performance measures help the CEA

determine the effect of the project or activity on young children, families, and those that

work with them.

Annual Report Matrix for Preschool Programming Support for Low-Income Families – August 7, 2008 1

PRESCHOOL PROGRAMMING SUPPORT FOR LOW INCOME FAMILIES

There are two separate parts for reporting money spent for Preschool Programming Support for Low Income Families. In Part A, report

performance measures for tuition and transportation. In Part B, report performance measures for other projects/activities that support preschool.

Part A: Tuition and Transportation (also include field trips, extended day, summer kindergarten preparation – Refer to Tool CC(B)

In Part A, Tuition and Transportation, report data for all state-required and locally-determined performance measures for tuition and

transportation. When completing this section, add the data together for all programs funded.

Programs

Funded

Link to Which

Comm. Plan

Priority or

Priorities

(as noted in

Section III)

How Much Was

Invested?

(Input Measures)

Note: Fiscal investments must

coincide with financial statement Preschool

Support line item

How Much Was

Done or Produced?

(Output Measures)

How Well Did We

Do It?

(Quality/

Efficiency Measures)

What Was the Change In

Conditions for Those We

Served?

(Outcome Measures)

1. Total number of preschool programs/ centers receiving preschool tuition or transportation support: 2. Number of funded Programs meeting the following standards: o NAEYC

Accreditation: o NAFCC

Accreditation: o Head Start

Preschool Program Standards:

o QPPS Verification Process:

3. Number of funded programs evidencing quality through: o ECERS or FCCRS

average score of 5 (with no subscale score under 2):

o QRS rating of 3, 4, or 5:

4. Number of funded

1. Amount of funds expended on tuition.: 2. Amount of funds expended on transportation: 3. Amount of funds expended on other (Refer to Tool CC(B): 4. Highest Educational Level of Lead Teacher(s) (Total number of each): o GED: o High School

Diploma: o CDA: o AA Degree in EC or

child development: o AA Degree in

related field: o BA/BS in EC or

child development: o BA/BS in related

field: o Post Graduate

Degree:

For Children Supported with Part A funds: 1. Total Number of children who received scholarships (Unduplicated): 2. Number of children by age (Unduplicated): o 3 Year Olds: o 4 Year Olds: o 5 Year Olds: 3. Number of children by Race/ Ethnicity (Unduplicated) o Native American or

Alaskan Native: o African American: o Hispanic or Latino: o White: o Native Hawaiian/

Pacific Islander: o Multi-racial: o Asian: o Other: 4. Number of children who received

For Children Supported with Part A funds: 1. Number and percent of children whose families are at or below 200% poverty level: 2. Number and percent of children referred to AEA for possible special education determination:: 3. Other locally-generated data, as applicable:

For Children Supported with transportation and tuition funds: 1. Number and percent of children demonstrating age appropriate skills: 2. The assessment tool(s) used to determine the children’s development: 3. Report any other applicable outcomes:

Tool CC(Matrix)

Annual Report Matrix for Preschool Programming Support for Low-Income Families – August 7, 2008 2 programs by category (mark all that apply): o School district-

operated programs: o Private, for-profit

programs: o Not-for-profit

programs: o Shared Visions

programs: o Head Start

programs: o Faith-based

programs: 5. Total number of Statewide Voluntary Preschool Programs for Four-Year-Old Children school districts that receive funding from this category. School district partners (private preschools, Head Start, etc.) are included in the school district count:

5. Total number of lead teacher(s) who hold a valid practitioner’s license issued by the Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE) and hold an endorsement from the BOEE that includes preschool or kindergarten: 6. Curriculum (curricula) used by funded programs

transportation:


Part B: Preschool Other

In Part B, Preschool Other, report data for all state-required and locally-determined performance measures for activities and services that support

preschool. Some activities and services with state-required performance measures include: child care nurse consultant; dental services; mental

health services; preschool coordination; and professional development.

In the first column, Programs Funded, add the data together for all activities and services funded to support preschool environments (do not

include any data from Tuition and Transportation). For the remaining columns, report performance measures based on the activity or service

funded.

Do not report data for any activity or service in this section that you do not fund.

Note: You may report the same program twice in the first column in both Part A and Part B. For example, a preschool may receive tuition

reimbursement and participate in a dental services program.

Annual Report Matrix for Preschool Programming Support for Low-Income Families – August 7, 2008 4 Programs Funded

Link to Which Comm. Plan Priority or Priorities

(as noted in Section III)

How Much Was Invested?

(Input Measures) Note: Fiscal

investments must coincide with financial statement Preschool

Support line item

How Much Was Done or Produced? (Output Measures)

How Well Did We Do It?

(Quality/ Efficiency Measures)

What Was the Change In Conditions for Those We

Served? (Outcome Measures)

Family Support and Parent Education – Follows Tool FF Expended amount: Description:

Number of children (ages 0 – 5) participating in family support/parent education program (unduplicated) Number of families participating in family support/parent education program (unduplicated) Number of face-to-face visits completed Number of group parent education meetings offered Ethnicity of head of household Household size Annual family income Marital status Educational level of head of household

Number and percent of children, prenatal –5 years old, screened for developmental delays Number of those children screened that were referred to AEA or Early ACCESS. Number and percent of direct service staff with Bachelor’s level education or higher (health, human services, or education related field) Number and percent of programs that have a national or state credential or have been accepted into the process

Percent of participating families that improve or maintain healthy family functioning, problem solving and communication Percent of participating families that increase or maintain social supports

Percent of participating families that are connected to additional concrete supports

Percent of participating families that Increase knowledge about child development and parenting Percent of participating families that improve nurturing and attachment between parent(s) and child(ren)

For each preschool program reported to receive funding in this area (Part B only, not including transportation and tuition), provide the following: 1. Number of funded Programs meeting the following standards: o NAEYC

Accreditation: o NAFCC

Accreditation: o Head Start

Preschool Program Standards:

o QPPS Verification Process:

2. Number of funded programs evidencing quality through: o ECERS or FCCRS

average score of 5 (with no subscale score under 2):

o QRS rating of 3, 4, or 5:

3. Number of funded programs by category: o School district-

operated programs: o Private, for-profit

programs: o Not-for-profit

programs:

Child Care Nurse Consultant (CCNC) expended amount: Description:

Number of funded programs utilizing a Child Care Nurse Consultant:


Dental Services expended amount: Description:

Number of children screened: Number of children screened who were given treatment referrals: Number of parents reporting this was child’s first screening: Number of centers participating in dental screening (optional): Other locally-generated data, as applicable

o Shared Visions programs:

o Head Start programs:

o Faith-based programs:

4. Report the total number of classrooms that are Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children (include all locations i.e. child care center, private preschool, school district etc.) that received Community Empowerment funding in this category:

Mental Health Services expended amount: Description:

Number of children who received treatment that were expelled: Number of children observed: Number of children identified for mental health services: Number of children who received services and enter kindergarten on a behavior plan (optional): Number of centers participating in mental health services (optional): Other locally-generated data, as applicable:

Annual Report Matrix for Preschool Programming Support for Low-Income Families – August 7, 2008 6 Preschool Coordinator

expended amount (may include making progress on any of the quality standards/levels): Description: If quality support is not included (i.e. QPPS facilitation, curriculum support, etc.), mark N/A:

Number of family applications processed: Number of preschools that the coordinator assisted in increasing quality standards: Other locally-generated data, as applicable:

Professional Development expended amount: List professional development provided (names of trainings):

Total number of participants:

Of the total number of participants: Number and percent of Administrators/Directors: Number and percent of Teachers/Early Childhood Providers: Number and percent of Assistant Teachers:

Percent of those reporting they will incorporate learning into policy or practice: Percent of those reporting that information was valuable to their profession: Other locally-generated data, as applicable:

Other Projects/Activities expended amount: Description:

Other Projects/Activities expended amount: Description:

Other Projects/Activities expended amount:

Description:

Johnson County is a safe and healthy community in which to learn, work, and live.

Johnson County Empowerment • 1150 5th Street, Suite 261 • Coralville, IA 52241 • Telephone 319.339.6179 • Facsimile 319.339.7337

www.jcempowerment.org • [email protected]

Ages & Stages Questionnaires In A Nutshell

WHO Children ranging in age from 4 to 60 months. WHAT Parent completed screening tool that identifies infants and young children whose development requires further evaluation to determine if referral for intervention services is necessary. Addresses areas of communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social development. WHY Early detection of developmental problems is essential to timely and effective intervention. Provides developmental information to parents and assists them in observing their child's development WHEN Questionnaires can be given as young as 4 months of age. Questionnaires are available every two months from 4 through 24 months of age. They are then available every three months from 27 through 36 months of age and every six months from 42 through 60 months of age. Early Education programs may choose to utilize the Questionnaires periodically or on a one-time basis. HOW 1. Introduce the Questionnaires and explain their purpose to parents. Obtain parental consent. 2. You may choose to also ask parents to complete Questionnaires. Children often behave differently

at home than in other environments. Any differences between care provider and parents' answers should be explored and discussed with parents.

3. Utilize a play and explore environment to encourage children to complete each of the items. For some items, it may be inappropriate to try the item, but as a general rule you should attempt to elicit the behavior in each item. Questions inappropriate for the family may be omitted.

4. Families must complete the Overall section of the Questionnaire. 5. Score the questionnaire and share results with parents. It is very important to note that score does

not diagnose a delay, simply indicates whether further testing is recommended in a particular area. 6. Consider score, parent concerns, setting/time, development, health, and family/culture when

deciding whether to recommend a referral for further testing. 7. If a referral is indicated and parents agree, parents should call Grant Wood AEA (351-2510) to

request an evaluation. With a release of information signed by the parents, send a copy of the fully completed score sheet at the end of the Questionnaire to Grant Wood AEA.

8. Share with families Intervention Activities Sheets.

Johnson County is a safe and healthy community in which to learn, work, and live.

Johnson County Empowerment • 1150 5th Street, Suite 261 • Coralville, IA 52241 • Telephone 319.339.6179 • Facsimile 319.339.7337

www.jcempowerment.org • [email protected]

Ages & Stages: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE) In A Nutshell

WHO Children ranging in age from 3 to 66 months. WHAT Parent completed screening tool that identifies infants and young children whose social or emotional development requires further evaluation to determine if referral for intervention services is necessary. Can also be completed by child care provider. WHY Recent research and study has shown that “…habituated and ingrained social and emotional problems are highly resistant to change and indeed are likely to intensify over time". Most children don't "grow out of" social or emotional behavior problems. Social and emotional problems can interfere with child development and learning. WHEN In conjunction with the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) or another screening measure that provides information on a child's communicative, motor, problem-solving, and adaptive behaviors. Questionnaires start at 6 months and are available every 6 months through 60 months. HOW 1. Explain purpose and scoring system to parents. 2. Separately, parents and child care provider answer each question with most of the time, sometimes,

or rarely or never. Questions inappropriate for family may be omitted. 3. Parents and provider indicate in far right column if the behavior is of concern to them. 4. Utilize a guided interview format to complete open-ended questions at the end. 5. Complete Information Summary to score questionnaires and review cutoffs. 6. Consider score, parent concerns, setting/time, development, health, and family/culture when

deciding whether to recommend a referral for further testing. 7. If further testing is indicated and agreed to by parents, parents call Grant Wood AEA (351-2510) to

request further evaluation. Send a copy of signed release of information and completed Questionnaire to GWAEA.

8. Share with families Social-Emotional Development & Activities Guides.

Adopted by the Iowa Empowerment Board 5-16-08


School Ready Funds

Family Support & Parent Education

Iowa Administrative Code (IAC), 349, Chapter 1

School Ready

Allocation

The 2006 General Assembly included statutory requirements for the use of School

Ready (SR) funds in order to enhance current efforts to provide family support

services and parent education programs for families with children (HF 2769).

Legislation specifically states:

HF 2769: Family support services shall include but are not limited to home

visitation. After a community empowerment area board has committed the portion

of school ready grant funding that is designated or authorized by law to be used or

set aside for a particular purpose, the community board shall commit approximately

sixty percent of the remainder to family support services and parent education

programs targeted to families with children who are newborn through age five.

The amount appropriated in this section shall be …used by a community

empowerment area only for family support services and parent education programs

targeted to families expecting a child or with newborn and infant children through

age three. The programs funded under this section shall have a home visitation

component.

Community Empowerment Areas must commit a specific amount of the School

Ready funds for the following purpose:

• Family support services and parent education programs targeting families with

young children (prenatal through age 3 years). Programs must have a home

visitation component.

• Family support and parent education programs targeting families with children

ages prenatal through age 5 years.

Definition of

Family

Support (IAC)

Family support services are community-based services that promote the well being

of children and families.

Family support programs have the following characteristics:

• Family driven, meaning there is a true partnership with families;

• Comprehensive, flexible, and individualized to each family based on their

culture, needs, values and preferences;

• Build on strengths to increase the stability of family members and the family

unit;

• Utilize informal and formal family support.

Definition of

Parent

Parent education programs implement organized and planned meetings designed to

support parents’ efforts to enhance their children’s health and development.

Tool FF


Education

(IAC)

Parent education programs have the following characteristics:

• Provides parents’ with information, skills, support systems and confidence in

their parental role in order to support, nurture and promote children’s health

and development;

• Strengthens positive relationships between parent and children;

• Builds on parents’ strengths and utilizes their experiences, ideas and

knowledge;

• Provides information that meets the needs of parents for specific content and

shared in a manner that is responsive to parents’ learning style, education and

culture.

NOTE: Parent education may provided in a group setting or one on one in a

family’s home or alternate location. Parent education is typically limited in scope

and duration, typically lasting for 8 – 12 weeks.

Definition of

Home

Visitation

Home visitation is a strategy to deliver family support or parent education services.

A home visit is a face-to-face visit with a family in their home, or other alternate

location, to facilitate meeting the family’s goals. Home Visits are calculated based

on the number of times you meet with the family. They are NOT multiplied by the

number of children present.

Goals of

Family

Support and

Parent

Education:

Family Support and Parent Education services promote the following goals:

1. Improve family functioning, problem solving and communication

2. Increase social support for families

3. Connect families to additional concrete supports

4. Increase knowledge about child development and parenting

5. Improve nurturing and attachment between parent and child

Effective

Family

Support and

Parent

Education

Programs

Community Empowerment Boards are strongly encouraged to support programs

implementing evidence-based family support and parent education practices in order

to make the best investment possible with public funds.

Community Empowerment Boards are strongly encouraged to support programs that

meet, or are diligently working toward meeting:

• A national credentialing process that aligns with the Iowa Family Support

Standards

• A state credentialing process that aligns with the Iowa Family Support

Standards

• The Iowa Family Support Credentialing process that utilizes the Iowa Family

Support Standards.

Additional information about the Iowa Family Support Standards, the credentialing

process and the completed crosswalks demonstrating alignment with other


credentialing endeavors are located on the Iowa Empowerment webpage:

http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/family_support.asp

For information about evidence based criteria for family support and parent

education programs, please refer to the Early Childhood Iowa web site:

http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/docs/EvidenceBasedAssessmentWorkbook.pdf

Use of Funds

for Family

Support and

Parent

Education

The school ready funds designated for family support services and parent education

programs must be used to directly support individuals who function in the role of

parents.

Family support services and parent education programs targeting families with

young children, prenatal through age 3 years (programs must have a home visitation

component) and family support and parent education programs targeting families

with children, prenatal though age 5 years (60%):

• Family support or parent education program utilizing a home visiting service

delivery model

Examples: Healthy Families Iowa affiliated or credentialed programs

Head Start or Early Head Start combination program (Services

delivered primarily to the parent(s) in the home with a monthly group

socialization activity for the children)

Parents As Teachers national or state credentialed programs

Nurse Family Partnership

Healthy Start

• Parent support or parent education groups

Examples: Children in the Middle

Nurturing Parenting

Incredible Years

DARE to Be You

• Costs associated with program operations (training, supervision, curriculum,

etc) must be included in total program costs.

Accountability

System

School Ready Budget Form:

• Document projected expenditures on the SR budget forms to support family

support services and parent education programs for families with children

prenatal – 3 years and prenatal – 5 years. The two funding streams must be

reported separately on the budget.

CEA Annual Report – Performance Measures School Ready Funds:

• Document through input, output, quality/efficiency and outcome data at a

minimum the required performance measures of family support services and

parent education programs.


All funds used in these two categories of funding for family support and parent

education have state required performance measures. Please see sample annual

report for a complete listing of Performance Measures – Tool FF (A). The two

funding streams do not need to be reported separately in the performance measures

section of the annual report.

Again, it is not necessary to separate out the two family support and parent education

funding streams on the performance measure section of your annual report. You

must continue to separate them on budgets and on the financial statement portion of

the annual report.

All programs must use one of the following approved tools to report on the required

performance measures:

• Long-term, in-home, family support services must use the modified Life

Skills Progression Instrument.

• Short term, in-home or group based parent education programs must use

the Protective Factors Survey.

Instruction and training for both tools are available to program staff. A simplified

data collection system is also available to CEAs.

Contractual

Agreements

with

Programs

CEA Board will determine the contractual agreements at a local level with program

providers. They may also require additional performance measures to be reported.

Technical

Assistance

Contact:

Janet Gartin, Family Support Coordinator

Office of Empowerment

Iowa Department of Management

515-242-5895

[email protected]

Family Support Performance Measures (use one row for each funded program) – Refer to Tool FF Prenatal Through Age 3 funding – must include a home visitation component and Prenatal through 5. Name of Family

Support Program

Link to Which Comm. Plan Priority or

Priorities (as noted in

Section III)

How Much Was Invested? (Input Measures)

Note: Fiscal Investments must

coincide with fiscal report

How Much Was Done or

Produced? (Output

Measures)

How Well Did We Do It? (Quality/Efficiency

Measures)

What Was the Change In Conditions for Those We

Served? (Outcome Measures)

(Include with the name the model, i.e. Healthy Families America, Parents As Teachers, etc. if applicable)

Amount expended: Number of children (ages 0 – 5) participating in family support/parent education program (unduplicated) Number of families participating in family support/parent education program (unduplicated) Number of face-to-face visits completed Number of group parent education meetings offered Ethnicity of head of household Household size Annual family income Marital status Educational level of head of household

# and % of children, prenatal –5 years old, screened for developmental delays # of those children screened that were referred to Early Intervention services # and % of direct service staff with Bachelor’s level education or higher (health, human services, or education related field) # and % of programs that have a national or state credential or have been accepted into the process

% of participating families that improve or maintain healthy family functioning, problem solving and communication % of participating families that increase or maintain social supports

% of participating families that are connected to additional concrete supports

% of participating families that Increase knowledge about child development and parenting % of participating families that improve nurturing and attachment between parent(s) and child(ren)

Tool FF(A)

SECTION A - Fill in your program name Education & Support Participant Evaluation

September 2007

Age: _____ Number of Children age 5 & under: ____

Race: White African American Native American Asian Hispanic (Latina) Multiracial Other

Are you a single-parent household? Yes No

Please answer the following questions by putting an “X” through the number that best describes how you may have changed because of this program. As a result of participating in this program... 1. I know more ways to help my child learn.……..…………………………...… 2. I have more ideas about how to discipline my child……………………… 3. I spend more time playing with my child……………….………………….. 4. I feel more confident about my parenting skills….………………………….…. 5. I read more often to my child……………..………………………………… 6. I am more likely to have a primary health care provider for my child... 7. I have discovered new resources in the community to use……………… 8. I had a chance to meet and talk with other parents……..……………….

Below are some statements about this program. Please put an “X” through the number that best describes how you feel about them. 9. The presenter talked at a level I could understand…………………….... 10. The presenter was very knowledgeable………………………………….. 11. I felt comfortable asking the presenter any questions I had..………..……….

Thank you for taking the time to complete this evaluation. Your feedback is used to continuously evaluate and improve our programs

Not At All

A Little More

A Lot More

0 1 2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Disagree Unsure Agree

0

0

0

1

1

1

2

2

2

Question Menu for the Johnson County Empowerment Education & Support Participant Evaluation

Below are the "menu items" available for the Education & Support Participant Evaluation survey for Empowerment funded parent education programs. They are grouped according to State identified outcomes. Items include a mix of behavioral, attitudinal, and knowledge questions. All questions will be answered with either Not At All, A Little More, or A Lot More. Depending on the program goals identified in the original program proposal, choose 6-8 questions from below. You may also choose to add a couple of questions specific to your program. You must choose at least one question from each category, unless otherwise stated. BEFORE use, please send the choices from below along with the proposed additional questions to Laurie for formatting, etc. Laurie will provide you with a master copy of the Education & Support Participant Evaluation form for your program that includes the items you have chosen. Parent confidence and competence

1. I know more about how children grow and develop. 2. I know more ways to help my child learn. 3. I know what I can expect of my child at his/her age. 4. I am more realistic about what to expect of my child at this age. 5. I understand more why my child does the things he/she does at this age. 6. I have more ideas about how to discipline my child. 7. I feel more confident in setting limits for my child's behavior. 8. I know more ways to teach my child how to solve problems. 9. I know more ways to help my child control his/her anger. 10. I know more ways to help my child calm him/herself when upset. 11. I know more ways to prevent behavior problems before they happen. 12. I feel more confident about my parenting skills. 13. I know more ways to play with my child. 14. I have more activity ideas to use at home with my child. 15. I know more about how children learn to read. 16. I feel that reading to my child is very important. 17. I know more ways to improve my child's early and pre-reading skills. 18. I know more about health care services for my family. 19. I know more about health insurance options for my family. 20. I received information about preventive (well-child) health visits. 21. I feel less stressed in caring for my child. 22. I learned how to take better care of myself and my needs. 23. I know more about labor and delivery. 24. I know more about how the baby is growing and changing inside of me. 25. I know more about how to care for my newborn baby’s needs.

Increase of healthy informal support systems 26. I feel I have more emotional support from family and friends. 27. I had a chance to meet and talk with other parents. 28. I have family and friends I can turn to for help when I need it. 29. I had a chance to form new friendships with other parents.

Families able to enhance children’s health, growth, and development 30. I encourage my child to try new activities to increase his/her skills. 31. I am more likely to use positive discipline with my child. 32. I use discipline based on my child's development. 33. I spend more time playing with my child. 34. I will use class activities at home. 35. I am more likely to follow a schedule with my children. 36. I read more often to my child. 37. I am more likely to sit down and read to my children. 38. My child spends more time looking at books or reading at home. 39. I am more likely to have my child immunized on time. 40. I am more likely to have a primary health care provider for my child. 41. I am more likely to breastfeed my baby. 42. I am more likely to eat healthy foods during my pregnancy. 43. I am more likely to receive pre-natal health care services. 44. I am more likely to have an alcohol-free pregnancy. 45. I am more likely to have a smoke-free pregnancy.

Presenter Effectiveness (Must have 3 out of the 4) 46. The presenter talked at a level I could understand. 47. The presenter was very knowledgeable. 48. I felt comfortable asking the presenter any questions I had. 49. The group facilitators were supportive of me.

Other (optional) 50. I have discovered new resources in the community to use. 51. I know where to turn for help when I need it. 52. I feel more connected to my child's school.

3/2/07

Community EmpowermentSchool Ready Funds

Efforts to Improve the Quality of Early Care, Health & Education Programs

School ReadyAllocation

The 2006 General Assembly included statutory requirements for the use of School Ready fundsfor efforts to improve the quality of early care, health and education programs.

HF 2769 specifically states: $3,500,000 is allocated for efforts to improve the quality of earlycare, health and education programs. The Iowa Empowerment Board may reserve a portion ofthe allocation, not to exceed $100,000 for the technical assistance expenses of the IowaEmpowerment Office and shall distribute the remainder to community empowerment areas forlocal quality improvement efforts through a methodology identified by the board to make the mostproductive use of the funding, which may include use of the distribution formula, grants, or othermeans.

Recommendations forQuality ImprovementEfforts to ReceiveFunds

SR funds shall be used to support quality improvement efforts, being mindful to not supplantother state and federal funds.

The Iowa Empowerment Board strongly promotes the implementation of evidence-based, qualitypractices and services that have been proven to positively affect outcomes for children. CEABoards are strongly encouraged to use these funds to improve the quality of early care, health andeducation projects or programs with consideration given at a minimum to the following:

· There is evidence that supports the potential effectiveness of the project to be funded;· It aligns with your community plan and your identified CEA priorities;· There is the ability to document expected performance outcomes ; and· Consideration has been given as to how the proposed quality improvement effort

enhances existing initiatives and collaborates with early care, health and educationpartners in your CEA.

Use of Funds Suggestions of quality improvement early care, health and education efforts are listed at the endof this tool. The list provided is not inclusive. These are suggestions for CEA Boards to considerin conjunction with their CEA Community Plan. CEA Boards are not required to choose qualityimprovement efforts from this list. The CEA may continue a project that they began in 2007 orthey may start a new project(s).

Collaboration CEA should collaborate with local partners to ensure that the funded efforts improve the qualityof early care, health and education programs

Accountability System School Ready Budget Form:Document projected expenditures for current fiscal year to support quality improvementefforts

CEA Annual Report Performance Measures:Document in the Annual Report the efforts performance measures through input, output,quality/efficiency and outcome data. (Due September 15th of each year)

ContractualAgreements withPrograms

CEA Board will determine the contractual agreements at a local level with program providers.

Technical Assistance Contact: Shanell Wagler, FacilitatorOffice of EmpowermentIowa Department of [email protected]

Tool II

3/2/07

Quality Improvement Use of Funds: Examples

Suggestions of quality improvement early care, health and education efforts are listed below. This list is notinclusive. These are suggestions for CEA Boards to consider in conjunction with their CEA Community Plan, andCEA Boards are not required to choose quality improvement efforts from this list.

Local efforts that are linked to broader state or national efforts to promote high quality early care,health and education services, such as:

Support local provider participation and advancement in Iowa s Voluntary Quality Rating System (QRS)Refer to QRS Empowerment Support on the state empowerment website http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/qrs_support.pdf

Support QPPS Facilitators trained to provide coaching to programs implementing QPPS;Address quality issues in preschool/child care settings that have identified needed areas of improvement aftercompleting the Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards (QPPS) self-assessment and quality improvement plan.Refer to: http://www.state.ia.us/educate/ecese/cfcs/qpps/index.html

Help programs respond to facility concerns/ violations identified during Child Care Licensing visitsRespond to findings of the ISU Early Childhood Incentive StudySuch as:§ Hiring bonuses for child care staff with a specified levels of education (AA or BA in early childhood education)§ Year-end bonus for child care staff who complete a specified level of additional training.§ Retirement planning services for people working in the early childhood field§ Offer sessions to child care directors on cost-effective employee benefit options and benefit administration.Refer to: http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/benefits_rewards.asp

Support for NAEYC Center Accreditation or Family Day Care Home AccreditationRefer to: http://www.naeyc.org/accreditation/

Refer to: http://www.nafcc.org/accreditation/accreditation.asp

Support for quality preschool programs so they can maintain best practices and continue to comply with qualitystandards such as:· NAEYC and NAFCC Accredited Programs· Shared Visions programs· Early Head Start and Head Start programs· Even Start programsRefer to Early Childhood Programs and Services at: http://www.state.ia.us/educate/ecese/ec/

Refer to: http://www.naeyc.org/accreditation/

Refer to: http://www.nafcc.org/accreditation/accreditation.asp

Support Early ACCESS early intervention services, including service coordination, for infants and toddlers and theirfamiliesRefer to: http://www.state.ia.us/earlyaccess/

Support funding for Child Care Nurse Consultant affiliated with an MCH AgencyRefer to: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/hcci/default.asp

Refer to: http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/docs/ChildcareIssueBriefUpdate.pdf

Support implementation of Healthy Child Care Iowa Quality Assessment Tools (Business Partnership Agreement,Owner/Director Survey, Injury Prevention Checklist, Child Record Review, Health and Safety Assessment) by anIowa Department of Public Health Child Care Nurse Consultant and support needed improvementsRefer to: http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/docs/ChildcareIssueBriefUpdate.pdf

Refer to: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/hcci/default.asp

3/2/07

Support implementation of oral health efforts for children, Birth Five years of ageSuch as:· Support to local Maternal and Child Health (MCH) agencies for the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry

program (ABCD)· Funding to support dental care services for children with no payment source· Funding to support dental care services for pregnant women with no payment source· Funding for oral health education for prenatal classes and family support programs· Funding for screening and varnish for children by physicians and other non-dental professionalsRefer to: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/hpcdp/oral_health_programs.asp

Support hawk-i outreach effortsRefer to: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/coveringkids/default.asp

Provide training and support for training of professionals to implement maternal depression screeningsRefer to: http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/Maternal_Depression_Training/index.html

Implement a medical home model with primary health care providers

Support establishment and spread of the medical home model among primary care providers - pediatric and familypractice in the CEA. This can be done by supporting participation of primary care practices in a year-longlearning collaborative experience where practices learn how to provide a medical home model of care.

A medical home provides cost-effective care that is planned in partnership with families. For the 0-5 population, amedical home will offer high quality early childhood screening, problem identification, and treatment. Also, amedical home will assure that young children receive needed and coordinated early intervention and othercommunity-based services.Refer to: http://www.medicalhomeinfo.org/states/state/iowa.html

Implement strategies to support healthy mental development of young children:

Funding to support a healthy mental development coordinator to work with primary care practices on the integrationof healthy mental development for children 0-5 years.Support for training to build the capacity of local primary health care providers to provide healthy mentaldevelopment screening, referral, and follow-up.Refer to: www.iowaepsdt.orghttp://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/docs/MentalHealthIssueBriefFinal.pdf

Support Ready to Learn family book clubs that provide families with books, information on child development,media literacy, and how to support their children s learning. Clubs can be offered as parent group meetings and/orhome visits.Contact: Dena Goplerud, Ready to Learn Coordinator at [email protected] or 515-242-6268

Support Ready to Learn provider book clubs that implement quality professional development training for childcare/preschool providers to equip them with books, information on child development and media literacy, and waysto support children s learning (i.e. uses Every Child Reads strategies).Contact: Dena Goplerud, Ready to Learn Coordinator at [email protected] or 515-242-6268

Facility improvements related to health and safety issues as identified by any of the quality program standardslisted in Tool CC(A).Refer to: http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/toolcc_A.pdf

Purchase of equipment and materials needed to improve program quality as identified by any of the qualityprogram standards listed in Tool CC(A).Refer to: http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/toolcc_A.pdf

Professional Development/Training for local early care, health and education staff to improve the quality ofservices in order to meet the quality program standards.For characteristics and examples of quality professional development/training, refer to:http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/tooldd_A.pdf

3/2/07

Quality issues in connection with Community Empowerment School Ready Funds for PreschoolSupport Scholarships and Family Support/Parent Education programs, such as:

Center improvements (facilities, equipment, materials, training, accreditation support) needed to comply with IowaEmpowerment Board quality preschool recommendations at sites involved in the Scholarship project.Refer to: http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/toolcc_A.pdf

Start-up training and educational materials needed for new or expanded family support/parent education programswith a home visitation component.Refer to: http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/docs/EvidencedBasedPrgmAssessment1.pdf andhttp://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/docs/EvidenceBasedHomeVisitingTool.pdf

Enhance the implementation of quality practices in Family Support and Parent Education programsSuch as:· Financial support to expand a quality program to serve additional children and families.· Financial support to reduce caseloads and provide more intensive services to higher risk children and families.· Independent evaluation of the effectiveness of a family support or parent education program.· Financial support to add a health (physical, dental, nutrition, mental) component to an existing family support

program that does not have a health component.· Create opportunities for collaboration between family support / parent education programs and high quality

early learning center-based opportunities.· Financial support for high quality pre-service and in-service training for family support and parent education

staff.· Financial support for high quality training for leadership staff of family support and parent education programs.· Financial support for adequate wages and benefits to support and retain high quality staff.Refer to: http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/docs/EvidencedBasedPrgmAssessment1.pdf

and http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/docs/EvidenceBasedHomeVisitingTool.pdf

Support for Community Empowerment Areas to support CEA CoordinationFacilitate community collaboration and partnerships to enhance a comprehensive and integrated early care, healthand education system at the local levelRefer to: http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/toolI_b.pdf

Financial support for a paid staff person in order to provide opportunities for CEA Boards to meet Boardresponsibilities, address local needs or implement quality early care, health and education effortsRefer to: http://www.empowerment.state.ia.us/common/pdf/kit_tools/tool_gg.pdf

SECTION A Example – PITC Module III Early Educator Continuing Education Participant Evaluation

March 2005

SECTION B – will not change, must use this Number of Children age 5 and under in your care: ____ Your educational level: _____

licensed child care center preschool child development home . Are you registered with DHS? Yes No Are you listed with 4Cs? Yes No

Please answer the following questions by putting an “X” through the number that best describes how you and/or your child care program may changd because of this program. As a result of participating in this program... SECTION C – You will choose 6-8 questions from the menu

1. I will respond to individual children differently, based on my knowledge of

temperament…........................................................................................ 2. My response to a child's behavior is based on that child's development... …… 3. My program is more individualized to meet the needs of every child…………. 4. I will ask more open-ended questions that invite more language…………….…. 5. I believe mealtime should be a social time as well as an eating time…….…… 6. I consider myself to be a child care professional………....……………………. 7. I make better use of my program space and equipment to meet

developmental needs………………………………………………………… 8. I understand that all families have their own unique family culture…………….

SECTION D – will not change, must use this Below are some statements about this program. Please put an “X” through the number that best describes how you feel about them. 9. The presenter talked at a level I could understand…………………….... 10. The presenter was very knowledgeable………………………………….. 11. I felt comfortable asking the presenter any questions I had..………..……….

Not At All

A Little More

A Lot More

0 1 2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Disagree Unsure Agree

0

0

0

1

1

1

2

2

2

Question Menu for Early Educator Continuing Education

Below are the "menu items" suggested for the various Early Educator Continuing Education Evaluation surveys. They are grouped according to Program Objectives. Items include a mix of behavioral, attitudinal, and knowledge questions. All questions will follow a format of, "As a result of participating in this program…" and be answered with either Not At All, A Little More, or A Lot More. Responsive Caregiving (Child development, incl. social-emotional) 1. I know more about how children grow and develop. 2. I know more ways to help child learn. 3. I am more realistic about what to expect of children at each age. 4. I will watch infants carefully to interpret their cues. 5. I will respond to individual children differently, based on my knowledge of

temperament. 6. I know more about attachment in children and how if affects their self esteem. Guidance and Discipline 7. I am more likely to use positive behavior strategies, such as redirection, with

children in my care. 8. My response to a child's behavior is based on that child's development. 9. I feel more confident in setting limits for children's behavior. 10. I know more ways to teach children how to solve their own problems. 11. I know more ways to help children control their anger and calm themselves. 12. I know more ways to prevent behavior problems before they happen. 13. I have more ideas about possible causes of children's behavior. 14. I believe it is important to support children emotionally. Curriculum and Developmentally Appropriate Practice 15. My program is more individualized to meet the needs of every child. 16. I will have a specific daily routine, including plans for transition times. 17. My program has a broader range of activities including active, quiet, and

outdoor times. 18. I will spend more time playing and interacting with the children in my care. 19. Daily routines such as eating and diapering will be utilized as social and

learning opportunities. 20. I have increased my knowledge about caring for children with disabilities or

special needs. 21. I will encourage children in my care to try new activities to increase their skills. 22. I believe that all young children are curious and motivated learners. 23. I will observe what children are doing and take my cue from their expressed

interest. 24. I will allow young children to explore at their pace, not mine. 25. I know more ways to stimulate brain development. 26. I believe that learning is a process and is more important than the product.

Early Literacy 27. I know more ways to improve children's language and pre-reading skills. 28. I will spend more time reading to the children in my care. 29. Children in my care spend more time looking at books or reading. 30. I will listen more carefully to children so that my responses will extend their

interest. 31. I will ask more open-ended questions that invite more language. Health & Safety 32. I have strengthened the health and emergency policies of my program. 33. I plan to serve more nutritious meals and snacks. 34. I believe mealtime should be a social time as well as an eating time. 35. I have improved health and safety through safer hand washing and diapering

methods. 36. I have learned how to child proof my home/classroom to prevent serious

injuries. 37. I have learned more about how to handle child abuse and neglect. 38. I recognize the importance of reviewing and strengthening health and

emergency policies and practices. 39. I will keep more complete files regarding children's emergency and medical

information. Professionalism 40. I believe it is important to provide a parent handbook and contract. 41. I am more likely to participate in classes and continuing education. 42. I have learned how to lower my stress and take better care of myself. 43. I consider myself to be a child care (early childhood) professional. 44. I can identify agencies and organizations that can be resources for my

program. Environment 45. I make better use of my program space and equipment to meet developmental

needs. 46. I have learned how room arrangement affects children. Culture 47. I have a greater understanding of my own culture. 48. I have more skills to assist me in being sensitive to families of other cultures. 49. I understand that all families have their own unique family culture. 50. I understand that I may react to parents based on my emotional attachment to

a child. 51. I will provide a variety of books and equipment displaying diverse cultures. Presenter Effectiveness

52. The presenter talked at a level I could understand 53. The presenter was very knowledgeable 54. I felt comfortable asking the presenter any questions I had (Note: all Presenter Effectiveness questions will be answered with either Disagree, Unsure, or Agree. It may be necessary to change "presenter" to "consultant" for some programs.)

February 6, 2009 The Johnson County Empowerment Board ...

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