STRONG MINDS NETWORKINFORMATION SESSION

DM 163080

AGENDA

Welcome Introductions Presentation:

Children’s Services Council Strong Minds Network

Questions

Children’s Services Council: Who We Are

Children’s Services Council, a special district created by Palm Beach County voters in 1986, provides leadership,

funding, evaluation, program and system development on behalf of the county’s children

so they grow up healthy, safe, and strong.

CSC Guiding Principles

• Primary prevention and early intervention

• Targeting the earliest developmental stages

• Theoretical integrity• Minimal sufficiency• Data driven and evidence-

based• Continuous learning and

improvement• High return on investment

Building an Early Childhood System of Care

Quality Child Care:

• Early Education• Afterschool

BRIDGES

Healthy Beginnings

Professional Development

Program & System Performance

Data Systems

Education and Outreach

Palm Beach County’s QRIS Journey

• 1998, Quality Rating Improvement Systems (QRIS) considered best practice

• 2002, Palm Beach County pilot, 6 sites• 2003, the system was named Quality Rating System, 40 sites• 2006, Palm Beach County and 11 other counties in Florida, formed

the Multi-County Collaborative to align the standards in Florida◦ System renamed Quality Counts (tri-county; Palm Beach County,

Miami-Dade County, and Broward County.)• 2014, Quality Counts had 210 sites serving approximately 11,000

children

Why a New System?

• New evidence & research• Focus on child outcomes• Return on investment (ROI)• Feedback from national experts• Feedback from stakeholders• Most intentional high quality providers

Strong Minds Network

Strong Minds Vision and Mission

Vision:Children will have quality early educational experiences that will increase their chances of achieving school success and becoming productive members of society

Mission:To use research and data to increase the quality of early care and education programs through integrated supports and resources offered to the early learning community, children and their families.

Goals:Children are ready for school• To improve children’s learning and development• To improve teacher-child interactions• To improve parent engagement

Who’s Included

• Children: Birth-Five in Palm Beach County• Practitioners: working with children Birth-Five in Palm Beach

County• Programs: publicly-funded

◦ Includes: School Readiness, Early Head Start, Head Start◦ System Partners: Early Learning Coalition, Early Head

Start/Head Start, Palm Beach State College, School District of Palm Beach County, Literacy Coalition, Family Central, The Children’s Forum, Healthy Beginnings, & Bridges

System Elements

Pre-Entry/Eligibility/Annual Requirements

Navigation Support

Registry

Valid and Reliable Child & Program Assessments

Targeted Technical Assistance & Career Advising

Professional Development Opportunities (Formal, Informal, ACHIEVE, Scholarships)

Tiered Reimbursement Supplement

Pre-Entry Criteria School Readiness Agreement or Head Start/Early Head Start

Contract In good standing* with: SR Agreement VPK Agreement HS/EHS Contract Licensing

*In good standing is defined as no quality assurance/compliance plan within the last 12 months

No Class 1 and no more than two of the same Class 2 licensing violations in the past 12 months

Pre-Entry Criteria

Agree to use GOLD Child Assessment System

Gold Seal Accreditation within three years of achieving In-Network status

All professional staff are active members of the Palm Beach County Early Childhood Registry

Application

Online application will be available beginning March 2, 2015 at: http://earlylearningpbc.org

Notification by email within 15 days regarding status: Ineligible Assessment Pending

The Early Childhood Registry

The Registry is a professional development approval system that has been created to support and promote

quality assurance, formal and informal courses, and assure trainer content knowledge.

The Registry helps track formal and informal education and provides a basis for planning future professional

development.

Active Registry Membership Before applying to Strong Minds

User Manual available at

https://www.pbcregistry.org/index.php/forms

Documents (Direct Care Program Registration User Manual) Register your site in the Registry system

http://www.pbcregistry.org/

Make sure all current staff join the Registry

Make sure the viewable list of staff along with career level, position title, and registry status is accurate and up to date

Contact: Kimesha House or LaCandice James 561-374-7650

Program Assessments

Program Assessment Program Assessments for Strong Minds

Preschool CLASS – classrooms with children 3-5 Infant Toddler Environment Rating Scale(ITERS-R)–

classrooms with children 0-2 ½ Toddler CLASS – optional for classrooms with

children 2 ½-3 Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale (FCCERS-R) – for

Family Child Care Centers www.forumpac.com for more information

Program Assessment

Program Assessment Protocol

50 % of preschool classrooms assessed

50% of infant / toddler classrooms assessed

Classrooms randomly drawn by assessment staff prior to arrival at the site

Network Status

In-Network

Promising

Emerging

In-Network Status

Minimum Assessment

Scores

(Tier 1)

Minimum Assessment Scores

(Tier 2)

Available Supports

4.0 on identified items of ITERS-R/FCCERS-R

*CLASS Domains:

5.0 Emotional Support

4.0 Classroom Organization

1.5 Instructional Support

*not applicable to FCCH

5.5 on identified items on ITERS-R or FCCERS-R

*CLASS Domains:

6.5 Emotional Support

5.5 Classroom Organization

3.0 Instructional Support

*not applicable to FCCH

Targeted Technical Assistance

Professional Development

Career Advising

ACHIEVE Salary Supplement

Full access to SEEK Scholarship

Tiered Reimbursement Supplements

Promising Status

Minimum Assessment Scores Available Supports3.5-3.99 on identified items of ITERS-R/FCCERS-R

*CLASS Domains:

4.5-4.99 Emotional Support

3.5-3.99 Classroom Organization

1.0-1.49 Instructional Support

*not applicable to FCCH

Limited targeted technical assistance

Professional Development

Career Advising

ACHIEVE Salary Supplement

SEEK Scholarship

Emerging Status

Assessment Scores Available Supports

Less than a 3.5 on identified items of ITERS-R/FCCERS-R

*CLASS Domains:

Less than 4.5 on Emotional Support

Less than 3.5 on Classroom Organization

*not applicable to FCCH

Limited targeted technical assistance

Professional Development

Career Advising

SEEK Scholarship

Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance TA Specialists provide technical assistance to programs with In-

Network and Promising status in the following targeted areas:

◦ Accreditation◦ Assessment and Documentation◦ Behavior Management / Special Needs◦ Curriculum, Planning and Instruction◦ Interactions

TA supports can be offered on site, via phone, virtually, and in groups

Career Advising To provide individual professional development guidance

and support to the Early Childhood Workforce of Palm Beach County

Strong Minds Network programs are assigned a Career Advisor

Appointment, extended hours, walk-in during business hours, on-site

One on one, face to face, through technology and group settings

Tutoring services

Professional Development

Registry approved community based training Informal/non-credit courses College Credit Certificates AS Degree in Early Childhood Education Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education Master Degree in Early Childhood Education Early Childhood degrees at other institutions of Higher Education

SEEK ScholarshipsAvailable to staff* in licensed Early Childcare Sites GED Test Fee Translation/Evaluation of Foreign Higher Education degrees PBSC Test Fees (PERT, TABE, COMPASS) ECPC/FCCPC coursework ▪ Director Credential coursework Non-Credit Coursework (HEO) ▪Community Based Training Associate Degree in ECE

(including Prep, General Education and Language course)

Required books/materials for coursework

*Specific Eligibility requirements must be met

SEEK ScholarshipsIn addition the following are also available to Strong Minds programs (any status)

Bachelor Degree in ECE Master’s Degree – up to 12 ECE Credits

Handbook, Deadlines and Application Forms available at www.palmbeachstate.edu/IEECE

*Specific Eligibility requirements must be met

ACHIEVE Salary SupplementsAvailable to staff*in Strong Minds sites-In-Network and Promising Status only

*Specific Eligibility requirements must be met

What is Tiered Reimbursement?

Strong Minds Tiered Reimbursement Supplement Program issues differential payments to programs that participate in the county’s voluntary quality child care

network and meet In-Network Status.

The purpose of the Tiered Reimbursement Supplement is to assist in offsetting the cost of quality for high performing

programs.

Tiered Reimbursement Supplement

Tier 1(Daily reimbursement Rate)

Tier 2(Daily reimbursement Rate)

High Needs Area 6%($1.74)

8%($2.32)

Not in High Needs Area (Publicly Funded)

6%($1.74)

8%($2.32)

Not in High Needs Area (Private Pay)

4%($1.16)

6%($1.74)

High Needs= High Poverty Zip Code & High Poverty Census Tract Area

GOLD Child Assessment System

WHAT IS IT?

-Teaching Strategies GOLD is an authentic and formative early childhood assessment tool.

-TS GOLD requires early education practitioners to observe, document, and assess the demonstrated abilities of children from birth to Kindergarten across several areas of development.

- It is designed to support a cycle of ongoing observation, documentation, assessment, planning, and reporting.

GOLD Child Assessment SystemWhat supports are available for the GOLD Program participants?

• GOLD Program – application available to programs with In-Network status at: www.elcpalmbeach.org/child-assessment-pilot

• GOLD Introductory Training and ongoing TA provided upon request by the Assessment Team at the ELCPBC. Additional supports offered by ELCPBC: Webinars, Newsletters, GOLD Provider Meetings, Video Tutorials, and Online Resources.

• Technology Support - Provided by NonProfits First

• Informal trainings at Palm Beach State College

• Ongoing TA provided upon request by Strong Minds Technical Assistance Specialists.

For More Information

Please visit the website of the Children’s Services Council at: www.cscpbc.org Information Session PowerPoint Presentation Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Strong Minds Network Provider Manual

Please Contact Strong Minds Navigators at: strongminds@cscpbc.org 561-374-7521 561-374-7532