EEC Board Policy and Research Committee
October 2, 2013
State Advisory Council (SAC)
Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building
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Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC)
Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building
SAC Summary Status Update
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
EEC Planning and Evaluation Committee (June 3, 2013)
• Discussed -SAC funding ended on June 30, 2013, SAC worked, and next
Steps to support sustainability
• Committee asked EEC to explore what other states were doing,
resources needed to support ongoing work, and presented potential
recommendations to sustain the SAC work

State and Territorial Administrators Conference (STAM) (July 29, 2013)
• ACF provided guidance:
• SAC States Responsibilities & Sustainability
• Early Childhood Investments in the future
• RTTT-ELC-Grant –III
• Revised CCDF Regulations link to work of the SAC
• President Obama’s Birth to Five Plan (Home visiting, EHS
Partnerships, Pre-K for all)

State Advisory Council Final Report Submitted to ACF (August 30, 2013)
• Included: sustainability plan- EEC recommendation to support SAC
sustainability. (i.e. what to sustain, resources , barriers, and viable
strategies to achieve the SAC goals)
Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC)
Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building
The Department Recommendation: (Discussion)
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
In sustaining the State Advisory Council (SAC) work, the Council will be merged
with the Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSSCO) Council to continue
developing a high-quality, comprehensive system of early childhood
development and care in the Commonwealth;

In Massachusetts, the work and the goals of the merged councils are aligned to
ensure statewide coordination and collaboration among the federal, state,
and local agencies to support high-quality early education and care systems;
(see next slide HSSCO Strategic Plan, SAC Goals, and EEC strategic Plan)

Regarding the membership of the SAC and the HSSCO Advisory Council, EEC
recommends that a member of the EEC Board serve as the liaison to the
HSSCO council in order to ensure communication and potential collaboration
opportunities to support the work of the merged councils;

The Commonwealth’s Director of Head Start Collaboration be designated as
the individual responsible for coordinating the activities of the SAC/HSSCO
Advisory Council
EEC Strategic Direction, SAC, & HSSCO Goals
EEC Strategic
Direction(s)
HSSCO National Framework
1.Quality
Child Care and Early Childhood Systems :
-Coordinate activities with the State Child Care agency.
-Support HS programs participation in QRIS and
partnering with child care and early childhood systems
at the local level.
-Data System sharing and implementation.
SAC Goal 1
2.Family Support,
Access & Affordability
SAC Goal 3
3.Workforce
SAC Goal 4
-support full-working-day and full--calendar –year
services
-Support family and community partnerships; health;
disabilities; support to military families, and Dual
Language Learners.
-Support school transitions.
-Develop state level partnerships with Institutions of
Higher Education (IHEs) to assist educators to obtain
AA & BA degrees
-Work with MA T/TA State Based Office to expand
opportunities for collaboration to support educators.
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*=Include areas identified in the MA-HSSCO Needs Assessment 12
Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC)
Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building
Priority areas to be completed in the coming up months:
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
In merging the SAC with the HSSCO Advisory Council work, the council will have
the opportunity to conduct and expand the HSSCO Needs Assessment Annual
Survey to a larger field of early education and care providers. HSSCO funds will
be used to conduct the annual update of the needs assessment. This
assessment survey will integrate key areas from the SAC Family and Educator
Survey. ( Dec. 2013-Jan. 2014 estimated) Goal 2

In aligning the work of the SAC and the HSSCO Advisory Council to support
collaboration and coordination among federal, state, and local initiatives, the
following are some of the key activities that will be conducted in the coming
year:
 Conduct regional meetings with Head Start, Public Schools, Early
Intervention, Coordinated Family and Community Engagement grantees,
and early education providers to support to support joint professional
development opportunities, transitions, and implementation of E-ELD
Standards. (Four Round of Statewide Meetings) ( June 2014 estimated)
Goal 3
Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC)
Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building
The following action steps will ensure the effectiveness of this process:
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
Recommendation to merge SAC and HSSCO work and functions will be
presented at Policy and Research Committee meeting (October 2, 2013)

Recommendation to merge SAC and HSSCO work and functions will be
presented at the HSSCO Advisory meeting (October 31, 2013)

Quarterly HSSCO/SAC Council meetings are scheduled throughout the year to
review progress and project accomplishments (October, January 2013, &
March, and June 2014)

An EEC Board member will serve as the EEC liaison to the HSSCO Advisory
Council to ensure communication, collaboration, and coordination on matters
related to federal, state, and local initiatives that strengthen early education
and care programs, families, and educators in the Commonwealth

The HSSCO Director will coordinate and provide quarterly updates, progress,
and outcomes of projects and activities accomplished by the HSSCO/SAC
Advisory Council to the Policy and Research Committee of EEC’s Board.
Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC)
Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems
Building
Questions?
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SAC REFERENCE INFORMATION
STATE ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAC)
MASSACHUSETTS
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Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC)
Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building
SAC Goals:
•
•
Develop high-quality, comprehensive systems of early childhood development
Ensure statewide coordination among the wide range of early childhood
programs offered in the states, including child care, Head Start, IDEA, Pre-K, and
home visiting programs, among others
SAC Functions :
 Conduct a periodic statewide needs assessment of quality and availability of
early childhood programs & services (Goal 2 –MA Needs Assessment)
 Identify opportunities for, and barriers to, collaboration & coordination among
federally and state-funded, childcare and early education programs, including
outreach to special populations (Goal 3-MA B-8 Community Planning, PK-3
Partnerships)
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 Develop recommendations for:
• increasing the overall participation of children,
• establishment of a unified data collection system (Goal 1-MA Data System)
• improve professional development systems, (Goal 4-MA Workforce)
 Recommend improvements in State early learning standards
Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC)
Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building
Background –In Massachusetts
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
“In 2010, Governor Patrick designated the Board of EEC to serve as the Head
Start State Advisory Council (SAC) after determining that the federal goals and
membership recommendations of the SAC demonstrate a close parallel to the
goals, functions, and membership qualifications of the existing Board of EEC, as
Formulated under M.G.L.C.15D, § 3 Membership of the Board.”

SAC membership included a representative of:
State Agencies responsible for:
• Child Care, Education, 619 or Part C, Health or Mental Health,
• Local educational agencies, & local providers of early education, Institutions
of higher education in the state,
• Head Start agencies, including immigrant and seasonal HS,
• The State Director of Head Start Collaboration, and
• Other entities determined to be relevant by the Governor.

To ensure systems building alignment, quarterly meetings of the Board were
designated to focus on issues directly related to the SAC.
Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC)
Sustainability for Early Childhood Systems Building
SAC Funded Activities Completed: (highlights)

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Early Childhood Data Consultation Support :(2010-2013) (Goal 1)

Massachusetts SAC Needs Assessment: (2011) (Goal 2)

Family Survey- conducted to gain a better understanding of the existing
needs of children and families.

Educator Survey- conducted to gain a better understanding of the
workforce.

Birth to 8 Initiatives: (2011-2013) Grants (Goal 3)

Support an infrastructure child growth and development, literacy
assessment, and dual language learners.(Target: Rural Communities,
Communities in Gateway, Home Visiting, & Level 4 Schools)

Mapping of Higher Education Institutions of 2-and 4-year public and private
institutions that support early childhood educators (2011-2012) (Goal 4)

UMASS Post Master’s Degree Program in early education research, policy, and
leadership (2012) (Goal 4)
Resources
State Advisory Council: Early Childhood
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/states/collaboration/advisory.html
Head Start State Collaboration Offices:
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/states/collaboration/about.html
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