Early Childhood Council Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, January 7th, 2014
9-11:30 a.m.
Harmony Library Community Room
Welcome/Introductions
 On January 14th, Young People’s Learning Center is hosting a Kindergarten info session from 46:30pm. (heathercgriffith@gmail.com)
 As of February 1st, Larimer County’s Child Care Assistance Program will have a waitlist for new
applicants.
 The Child Care supply data for 2013 is now available on the ECCLC website. (www.ecclc.org)
 Lutheran Family Services is partnering with The Family Center/La Familia to hold parenting
classes starting on January 16th.
 The Musical Zoo is coming to Fort Collins on February 16th from 2:30-5:30pm! Visit
www.fcsymphonyguild.org more details.
 New Best Start for Babies classes will begin February 8th in Fort Collins. Contact Melanie if you
need more flyers. (mkelsea@ecclc.org)
Reports/Business:
Approval of Minutes – Heather Griffith motions to approve December Council minutes, Cathie
McCallum seconds motion, all approve.
Board of Directors Report - Heather Griffith (heathercgriffth@gmail.com)
Upcoming things to be aware of:
 We will be starting to revise the mission and vision statements.
 We will be launching another Community Funded campaign for the Best Start for Babies
program.
Welcome to our new board members- Corinne Van Dyke, Mims Harris, Anne Marie Jacobson, Theresa
Clements, and Jane Stuart.
Connecting and Learning
Council Members are encouraged to fill out the Participant Directory Form found on the tables. A
directory will be created and posted online for others to access. Contact Kimberly Gentert if you need
a form or have any questions - kgentert@ecclc.org.
Council Members spent time in small groups sharing how each person/ organization fits into the early
childhood community and which council goal(s) they support, as well as a brief description of how
they support that goal (s). Council members placed their name/organization on the sticky wall under
the goal/s they fit under.
Goal 1: Early Care and Education (ECE) Providers consistently implement high quality practices for
children birth through eight years of age.
Averil Strand (Health Dept), Judy Seybold (ECCLC), Ellen Coker (ECCLC), Barbara Benn (CSU ECC),
Cathie McCallum (ECCLC Coach), Anne Lance (Teaching Tree), Toby Swaford (Fort Collins Read Aloud),
Bev Bishop (BASE Camp), Bettina Stutsman (Licensing), Carolyn Martin (PSD), Brandy Simmers
(Touchstone Health Partners), Lisa Sadar (ECCLC), Lauren Powers (ECCLC), Heather Griffith (YPLC),
Working Together so Children Thrive
Corinne VanDyke (PSD ECE), Marlene McKenzie (Licensing), Susan Layne (YPLC), Jane Everett (TSD EC)
Goal 2: Families access high quality early care and education options
Kathy Mason (Children’s Speech and Reading Center), Toby Swaford (FC Read Aloud), Carolyn
Martin (PSD), Bev Bishop (Base Camp), Kimberly Gentert (ECCLC), Anne Lance (Teaching Tree), Averil
Strand (Health Dept), Jane Haack-DeBroux (PSD), Bettina Stutzman (Licensing), Barbara Benn (CSU
ECC), Shawna Riemann (CCAP/DHS), Stephanie Tillman (TCF/LF), Jane Everett (TSD EC), Codi Delgadillo
(ECCLC), Corinne VanDyke (PSD ECE), Melanie Kelsea (ECCLC/BSB-T), Heather Griffith (Young People’s
Learning Center), Lisa Sadar (ECCLC), Kristen Earl (United Way of LC), Erin Zimmerman (United Way of
LC), Mims Harris (School Readiness Team & Be Ready Campaign), Gail Yant (Thompson Valley
Preschool), Becky Keigan (Coaching Consortium Instructor/UCD Coaching Certificate),
Goal 3: Young Children, birth through 8 years of age, have access to health care, physical activity, and
good nutrition.
Barbara Benn (CSU ECE), Ellen Coker (ECCLC), Bev Bishop (Base Camp), Carolyn Martin (PSD), Averil
Strand (Health Dept), Shea Webb (The Matthews House), Kimberly Gentert (ECCLC), Anne Lance
(Teaching Tree), Stephanie Tillman (TFC/LF), Corinne Van Dyke (PSD ECE), Meagan Walker (Larimer
County Dept of Health), Shawna Riemann (CCAP/DHS), Becky Keigan (Food Friends CSU), Melanie
Kelsea (ECCLC/ BSB-T), Linda Fellion (Health Integration-ECCLC), Jane Everett (TSD EC), Heather Griffith
(Young People’s Learning Center), Sondra Lee (Foothills Gateway)
Goal 4: A culture of supportive, responsive relationships and environments nurtures the social and
emotional development of children birth through 8 years of age.
Cathie McCallum (ECCLC Coach), Carolyn Martin (PSD), Judy Seybold (ECCLC Quality Support), Shea
Webb (The Matthews House), Anne Lance (Teaching Tree), Ellen Coker (ECCLC), Bev Bishop (BASE
Camp), Averil Strand (Health Dept), Barbara Benn (CSU ECC), Brandy Simmers (Touchstone Health
Partners), Jane Haack-Debroux (PSD), Lauren Powers (ECCLC), Mims Harris (School Readiness Team
and Be Ready Campaign), Corinne VanDyke (PSD ECE), Jane Everett (TSD EC), Heather Griffith (Young
Peoples Learning Center), Melanie Kelsea (ECCLC/ BSB-T), Albertha Moorlag (ECCLC), Kore Joseph
(Lutheran Family Services), Lisa Sadar (ECCLC), Gail Yant (Thompson Valley Preschool), Stephanie
Tillman (TFC/LF), Sondra Lee (Foothills Gateway)
Touchpoints – Lisa Sadar, ECCLC – lsadar@eccl.org
Guiding Principle: Be willing to discuss matters that go beyond your traditional roles.
Time was spent reflecting on a recent interaction when someone asked you to go beyond your
traditional role, and your reaction to that interaction. Lisa also encouraged people to think about their
involvement at ECCLC advisory meetings, and what opportunities arise for you to be able to go beyond
your traditional role at the meeting or in your professional role outside of these meetings.
“Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay”
HB1291 – Increasing Access to Quality Infant/Toddler Care – Lisa Sadar, ECCLC – lsadar@ecclc.org
It is now being called ITQA. We have 12 months worth of work to do in about 8 months. This work is a
collaborative grant between ECCLC and Larimer County CCAP. Over $200,000 dollars will be going to
increasing the reimbursement rates for providers offering quality care for infants and toddlers receivig
CCAP.
 21 programs are participating in this grant-14 centers & 7 family child care homes (FCCH).
Working Together so Children Thrive
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300 infants and toddlers (130 on CCAP) will be impacted within 49 classrooms/FCCHs.
If programs have a 3 or 4 star rating through Qualistar or have a national accreditation, they
can receive the highest reimbursement. The highest reimbursement rate will bring the
reimbursement rate to about 75% of market rate.
Funds are available to help programs receive a rating or accreditation. Scholarships are
available for staff of these programs and an EQIT refresher course is being offered this spring.
This grant ends in June, but we expect an RFA to be released in March and we should know in May if
we will be funded for another year. This grant has the potential to have a great impact on accessibility
to quality care for infants and toddlers in our community. One program already increased their CCAP
slots for infants and toddlers once their MOU was in hand.
 Will the CCAP waitlist impact this grant? Those funds are completely separate from the grant,
but it will surely impact the clientele.
 What about sustainability? What happens to programs that receive this income and then no
longer receive it once we don’t have the funding? This income will be given on a quarterly
basis. Our hope is that providers don’t rely on this income as a regular income because this
income is vulnerable. Our hope is that the funding remains available.
Planning for the New Year – Bev Thurber, ECCLC (bthurber@ecclc.org)
What would the council like to address in the next year? Council members brainstormed ideas.
 Trends going on in our community, especially around the population and education of our
young children. DATA!!!
 In child care programs, how many children have asthma: trends, assessments, policies, etc.
 Other allergies?
 Report from the Health Department about their process around Raising Healthy Children
(March or April?)
 PEN (Parent Education Network) - This was formed because there was no other way for
families to get information about parenting classes. Parents get information in very
different ways now. PEN no longer exit. The Sharing and Caring group addresses parenting
resources on a regular basis. Other agencies are very familiar with the classes going on.
211, Be Ready, and Lutheran Family Services are great organizations to contact for
information. Be Ready has a Facebook page that can post this information as well. Send
info to civista@uwaylc.org if you would like information to be shared on the Be Ready page.
 Update on identifying early childhood navigators. (example -Columbine Health Systems)
 *Gold Data System / School readiness– Teaching Strategies Gold Kindergarten assessment.
Presentation from CDE.
o Discuss what it would look like to have partnerships between kindergarten
classrooms and preschool programs.
o Results Matter
o Be Ready
o PSD has a transition notebook. Could every students/family receive something like
this to help prepare the family? Could this information be shared through the Be
Ready Campaign to help create a common message?
o We need to be cautious about language. These should be a desired skill set, not
Working Together so Children Thrive
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expectations that have to be met.
o It needs to be about the ongoing process for each child. Our job is to meet EACH
child where they are in their process.
o The Be Ready Campaign has spent the last 3 years talking about the language we
should use, and the message we share. The intent of Be Ready is to serve as a
platform for these next steps. Bev invites anyone who is interested in joining the Be
Ready team to contact Mims Harris. (mimsbharris@gmail.com)
Legislative updates
Quality components within programs- what it takes to implement quality within a program
o TQRIS (Total Quality Rating Improving System)
o Quality Support Team Services
*Parent engagement (example-Strengthening Families)
o Jane Everett volunteered to present on this.
CCAP- updates about the program and how to support families.
New Early Learning Standards
Race to Top Grant
*Identified as Hot Topics.
Meeting Adjourned at 11:28am
Attendees: Kimberly Gentert (ECCLC), Codi Delgadillo (ECCLC), Linda Fellion (ECCLC), Bev Thurber (ECCLC),
Carolyn Martin (PSD Early Childhood), Cathie McCallum (ECCLC), Bev Bishop (Base Camp), Meagan Walker
(LCDHE), Gail Yant (Thompson Valley Preschool), Heather Griffith (Young People’s Learning Center),
Albertha Moorlag (ECCLC), Marlene McKenzie (Licensing), Jane Everett (TSD Early Childhood), Lisa Sadar
(ECCLC), Corinne Van Dyke (PSD Early Childhood), Mims Harris (Community Member), Ellen Coker (ECCLC),
Averil Strand (LCDHE), Judy Seybold (ECCLC), Koreen Joseph (Lutheran Family Services), Susan Greer (FCSG
Musical Zoo), Melanie Kelsea (ECCLC), Stephane Tillman (The Family Center/La Familia), Becky Keigan (CSU
Food Friends), Bettina Stutzman (Licensing), Anne Lance (Teaching Tree), Barbara Benn (CSU ECC), Lauren
Powers (ECCLC), Susan Layne (Young People’s Learning Center), Shawna Riemann (CCAP), Kristen Earl
(United Way), Toby Swaford (AmeriCorps FCC Read Aloud), Shea Webb (Matthews House), Sondra Lee
(Foothills Gateway), Jane Haack-Debroux (PSD), Brandy Simmers (Touchstone Health Partners)
Next Meeting
Tuesday, February 4th, 9-11:30 am
Harmony Library Community Room
Southeast Corner of Shields and Harmony, Ft. Collins
SAVE THE DATE:
ECCLC’s annual Appreciation Breakfast will be at the March 4th Council meeting
Working Together so Children Thrive