ADVANCING
RACIAL EQUITY IN
EARLY LEARNING
GRANTS
COMMITTEE
APRIL 19, 2013
WELCOME
Find someone and share . . .
A time in your life when you
experienced doing something on
your own for the first time.
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TODAY’S TOPICS
 ARE grantmaking strategy
 Community feedback
process
 Purpose and funding
priorities
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THE ART OF CONVERSATION
Behaviors that help take conversation to a deeper realm
 We acknowledge one another as equals
 We try to stay curious about each other
 We recognize that we need each other’s help to become
better listeners
 We slow down so we have time to think and reflect
 We remember that conversation is the natural way humans
think together
 We expect it to be messy at times
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COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS
An invitation
 Show up (or choose to be
present)
 Pay attention (to heart and
meaning)
 Tell the truth (without blame or
judgment)
 Be open to outcome (not
attached to outcome)
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USING A LENS OF RACIAL EQUITY
It allows us to uncover the policies practices and behaviors that
sustains unequal outcomes for children.
Forms of Racism
Individual
Institutional
Structural
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TARGETED UNIVERSALISM
This approach supports the needs of the particular
while reminding us that we are all part of the same
social fabric.
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WHERE HAVE WE BEEN?
PHASE I:
DEVELOPMENT
 Racial Equity
Theory of Change
(RETOC)
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THE VISION
In Washington, we work together so that all children
start life with a solid foundation for success, based
on strong families and a world-class early learning
system for all children prenatal through third grade.
Accessible, accountable, and developmentally and
culturally appropriate, our system partners with
families to ensure that every child is healthy,
capable and confident in school and in life.
― Washington Early Learning Plan
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“While early childhood
education has the proven
potential to prevent
educational inequity, if not
dramatically improved, it
will do the reverse and
perpetuate it.”
― Sharon Lynn Kagan, “American Early
Childhood Education: Preventing or
Perpetuating Inequity?” Equity Matters:
Research Review No. 3, April 2009
ESSENTIAL
QUESTION
How can we use a racial
equity lens to help inform
our approach in
supporting the
development of an early
learning system at the
local and state level?
WHAT IS A RACIAL EQUITY THEORY OF CHANGE?
A vision of…
… what we want to accomplish
… with logical sequence of steps for getting there
… and informed logic
… that are also informed and disciplined by a structural
racism analytical framework
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RACIAL EQUITY THEORY OF CHANGE
(RETOC)
Step #1: What We Want – Defining our Racial Equity Outcome
Step #2: What We Need – Identifying the Building Blocks for Change
Step #3: What Helps or Stands in the Way – Identifying Policies,
Practices, Cultural Representations
Step #4: What We Must Know – Understanding the Politics of
Change
Step #5: What We Must Do – Gearing Up for Action
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RETOC DECISION-MAKING
Stakeholder
Group
Working
Group
Brainstorm
Refine
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Stakeholder
Group
Reflect
PHASE II:
IMPLEMENTATION
 Community of
Practice
 ARE Grants
Strategy
What are the
skills, practice,
language,
materials and
support that
will help me be
a leader for
equity?
ARE GRANTS STRATEGY
Why we are making grants for advancing racial equity in
early learning?
 RETOC identified clear areas of need where lack of
resources are a significant barrier
 ARE grants can create a feedback loop informing the
broader community of practice
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ARE GRANTS STRATEGY
Upcoming Committee Meetings:
 Purpose and Funding Priorities
 RFP Review (5/20)
 Outreach Strategy (6/11)
 Review Panel (7/16)
 Conflict of Interest Policy
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ARE GRANTS STRATEGY
Application Dates
 Applications due 8/5/13
 Panel review (TBD)
 Announce awards (9/12/13)
 Grant agreements distributed
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GRANTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Processes
• Fair and Transparent Decision-Making and Approval
• Grant Monitoring and Compliance
Tools
• Online Application and Reporting System
• Data System to Support Technical Assistance and CQI
Policies
• Policies to Manage Risk at All Stages of the Grant Life Cycle
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BREAK
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
1. Summary of what we were trying to accomplish
2. Setup the Community Café Process
a. Nominate a “table host”
b. Use thought provoking questions as a guide
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Round 1
1. Guiding Questions for the Table
a. Does the background provide enough content for the
applicant to get a basic functional understanding of the
RETOC?
b. Are the descriptions of the RETOC, Purpose and Approach
and the funding areas clear and accessible?
c. Are there any missing pieces in the flow of the document
that would help an applicant?
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Round 2
1. Guiding Questions for the Table
a. Is the RFP content reflective of our use of the RETOC?
b. Does the RFP make room for the translation of RETOC
concepts into actionable strategies that address
community need?
c. Will applicants be able to select a primary funding area?
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Round 3
1. Guiding Questions for the Table
a. Does the RFP provide enough direction for someone to
develop a proposal? Does it provide so much direction that
is constrains the potential content of proposals? Would you
want more or less guidance?
b. Do the funding priorities represent the full scope of what
we want to prioritize? Are there any Funding Priorities that
are not currently included that should be? Are there ones
that should be deleted?
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THANK YOU
AND
NEXT STEPS