State Advisory Council
Project Director Report
April 25, 2013
Workgroup Updates
Data Systems
The workgroup met on April 19, 2013. Rob Aseltine, from the UCONN Center for Public Health and
Health Policy, attended to inform the group of the current status of the demonstration project. Rob
reviewed the limited deliverables of the project to date and the varied progress that has been made
with attempts to finalize the Memorandums of Understanding for data sharing. The workgroup was
informed that UCONN will need to repurpose the resources that had been committed to this project and
suspend the project at this time.
Through dialogue with the Early Childhood Planning Office and the State Department of Education,
opportunities for developing processes for cross-agency early childhood data sharing are anticipated
through the P-20 WIN project, currently underway to enable data sharing between SDE, the Department
of Labor and the Board of Regents (Higher Education). A process of developing a master MOU for crossagency data sharing between those participating agencies could potentially enable adjustments in
agreements and addition of data requests to include the participation of other agencies in data sharing.
The workgroup anticipates that developing strategies for cross-agency data sharing will be a continued
focus in the Office of Early Childhood.
Action Items

Rob Aseltine to complete and present a report at an upcoming Cabinet meeting on the work to
date on the demonstration project and key lessons learned to inform future data sharing efforts.

The workgroup will meet and conduct a review of each agency’s role and process in the work of
the demonstration project, including challenges and key areas of interest throughout the
process.
Professional Development/Workforce
The workgroup met on April 9, 2013 and was updated on the change in coordinating agency for the Core
Knowledge and Competencies (CKCs) project from Chart-a-Course to EASTCONN, the Cabinet fiduciary.
Peg Oliveira continues to be the facilitating consultant. The group was also assured that the work
continues to be on track, with two stakeholder meetings scheduled for April 17 and May 7, 2013. The
April meeting consisted of 30 individuals representing sectors such as: teachers in center-based
programs, directors, family-home providers, Family Friend and Neighbor, Head Start, infant/todder
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mental health, health, B-3 Special Education, institutions of higher education (2-year and 4-year), heads
of community networks, and public schools engaged in:

A review of CKCs development through the National Professional Development Systems and
Workforce (PDW) Center,

Explored 3 state's CKCs,

Began to outline the Domains and Sub-Domains of a Connecticut CKCs Framework, and

Preliminary discussions on how to use the Connecticut CKCs to build a competency-based
teacher evaluation tool.
Regina Miller updated the workgroup on the status of the Articulation Project underway with
institutions of higher education. The update can be viewed under the workgroup resources on the
Cabinet website.
The workgroup also received an online presentation of the Interactive Career Map from Elena
Trueworthy, Director of the Hartford Area Child Care Collaborative.
Action Items

Participants of the CKCs forum to review the first draft in preparation for the upcoming meeting.

The next CKCs meeting will focus on the build out of indicators of core knowledge for the role of
the teacher/care-provider across multiple sectors.

Elena to share narrative of Interactive Map with key workgroup members for thorough review
and recommendations.
Early Learning Standards
The work continues with NAEYC to conduct content validation of the new Early Learning Standards.
NAEYC is currently empaneling experts and offering guidance on the content validation review process.
Action Items

NAEYC is working with SDE to develop a roll out plan for the standards.
Family Involvement/Home Visitation
The workgroup met on April 10, 2013. A significant portion of the meeting was spent in dialogue about
the role of home visiting in the implementation of mental health services and opportunities to codify
recommendations though proposed legislation.
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Action Items

Workgroup members indicated the importance of meeting with relevant legislators to engage in
dialogue about a strategic delivery system of home visiting within the early childhood system
that is focused on prevention and early intervention.

Workgroup to initiate implementation plans for family engagement training of medical
professionals.

Workgroup to partner with the Head Start Collaboration Director to develop two regional
project pilots on the delivery of the Strengthening Families Framework to enhance the early care
family engagement and parent leadership practices in Connecticut.
Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS)
The workgroup met on April 16, 2013. The workgroup continues to work on a document of
recommendations for the Connecticut QRIS. The workgroup also participated on a conference call with
members of the national Child Care Technical Assistance Team to develop an agenda for the upcoming
regional Child Care meeting. This meeting will provide representatives from Connecticut with the
opportunity to participate in peer-to-peer dialogue with states in the region on QRIS. The workgroup
also worked on finalizing the request for proposals (RFP) for a consultant to assist in the development of
criteria and indicators for QRIS program standards.
Action Items

The workgroup to continue working with the Child Care Training and Technical Assistance Team
for guidance on the development of QRIS.

Distribute RFP for consultant to assist with the development of criteria and indicators for the
Connecticut QRIS.
Health Promotions
The workgroup met on March 22, 2013, with the next meeting scheduled for April 26, 2013. This
workgroup will continue to meet throughout the summer to identify specific priorities and deliverables
to inform the related work beyond the grant funded period. Through a discussion about aligning screens
and assessments, the recommendation was made that the newly developed Early Learning Standards
should connect with health and behavioral health markers.
Action Items

The workgroup to review the draft Early Learning Standards at the meeting on April 26, 2013.

The workgroup to develop next steps toward developing an inventory of developmental screens
being utilized statewide, with recommendations on strategies to increase coordination and
alignment, with identification of opportunities for standardization of screening tools.
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Public/Private Partnerships
The workgroup met on March 12, 2013 with a very diverse set of participating stakeholders that
included, but was not limited to, philanthropic, private business, state policy and health sectors. The
meeting focused on the current early childhood education landscape in Connecticut, including extensive
dialogue about the proposed legislation for the Office of Early Childhood. The Planning Director
presented on the plans for an Office of Early Childhood.
Action Items

Participants requested a written summary of the early childhood landscape that outlines key
components that this workgroup should be most attentive to.

In partnership with the Early Childhood Planning Team, the co-chairs and staff of the Cabinet
will develop possible workgroup objectives for discussion at the next meeting.
For more detailed updates and full summaries of workgroup meetings, membership and a future
schedule of meetings, visit http://www.ctearlychildhood.org/
Submitted by Sherry Linton-Massiah
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