Meeting Purpose: To bring together national grantees and state-level leaders to advance advocacy, leadership, and research strategies to improve state policies and increase investments in high-quality early childhood development services for at-risk infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families.

 

Dr. Lisa Klein, Executive Director, Birth to Five Policy Alliance

 

Dr. Lisa Klein, Helene Stebbins, Steffanie Clothier

 

 

Drawing on specific state examples, we will use small group discussions to map out current grantee efforts and explore strategies to best support state advances.

 

 

The Early Childhood Data Collaborative will share progress and seek advice to inform their work to support comprehensive, longitudinal data systems in states.

 

Multiple initiatives at the federal level present new policy opportunities for states. Conversely, states have experience and leadership that can inform federal efforts. This discussion will focus on two questions:

 

 

Conversation among grantees of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance.

 

Conversation among investors in the Birth to Five Policy Alliance.

 

 

Westin San Diego
 

Early Childhood Development and Implications for Learning, Behavior & Health

Plenary Speaker: Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University

 

 

Dr. Lisa Klein, Executive Director, Birth to Five Policy Alliance

Ann Kirwan, Vice President, Ounce of Prevention Fund

 

 

 

Introduction: Harriet Meyer, President, Ounce of Prevention Fund

Plenary Speaker: Dr. Ron Lally, Co-Director, Center for Child & Family Studies, WestEd

Dr. Lally will provide an overview of some of the basic tenants of infant-toddler development and discuss the connections these foundations have to milestones of success through the toddler and elementary years. Dr. Lally will also address the implications of poor quality infant-toddler care, the importance of age-appropriate services, and potential policy recommendations for addressing the developmental needs of very young children.

 

With Dr. Lally’s discussion of infant-toddler child care in mind, a panel of state and national leaders will provide an overview of policy options and address how advocates are successfully addressing expanding access to high-quality infant-toddler care at the state level.

 

 

Jacqueline Jones and Joan Lombardi will join the group via live videoconference from Washington, D.C. to discuss the early childhood priorities of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Importantly, Drs. Jones and Lombardi will also discuss a new model of collaboration between the two departments and share their insights on how this new “interagency” strategy may affect the role states can play in informing the departments’ work and how state leaders can maximize new federal early learning initiatives.
 

 

Each State Policy Break-Out will address state advocates’ needs for effective messages, rationales and strategies in order to successfully address the birth to five policy issues described in brief below. These facilitated sessions are intended to be both informative and working sessions that provide a forum for peer problem-solving, and will include a national expert and a state representative to provide an overview of the policy topic and jumpstart the discussion. Once the attendance for each session is finalized, facilitators will tailor the presentations based on the specific state contexts and needs represented in each group.

 

 

Sheila Smith of the National Center for Children in Poverty and Carey McCann of the Ounce of Prevention Fund will co-facilitate this session. The small group discussion will focus on the early childhood health and mental health landscape and the range of policy levers advocates could promote in their states to support the development and school readiness of young children, as well as, explore the key messages that may be used and share current and anticipated federal opportunities that will support state efforts.

 

 

Facilitated by state and national partners, this small group discussion will allow participants to engage in peer-to-peer problem-solving around shared challenges in advancing a comprehensive infant-toddler policy agenda. Topic areas may include strategies for promoting effective policy reforms and mechanisms to meet the needs of at-risk infants and toddlers across the range of settings they are in (i.e. center-based child care, home-based child care, and home visiting programs) and packaging infant and toddler messages to key constituencies and policymakers.

 

 

Facilitated by Marcy Whitebook of the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, this small group discussion will focus on advocacy strategies to secure investments in the education and training of the early childhood workforce, how to use data to answer key questions, workforce development policy content, and advocacy strategies for building a highly qualified early childhood workforce in states.

 

 

This session will build on previous PAR discussions of Early Childhood Advisory Councils. Margie Wallen of the Ounce of Prevention Fund will facilitate this discussion of the specific issues and challenges related to the advocate role in ensuring the success of and informing the policy priorities of Early Childhood Advisory Councils.

 

 

Facilitated by Helene Stebbins from HMS Policy Research, this small group discussion will focus on state efforts to build comprehensive, longitudinal, early childhood data systems. Participants will hear about a collaborative effort to promote data systems that can answer the questions policymakers are asking, and provide feedback on what is needed to improve the quality of data collection at the state level.

4:30 – 5:30 Alliance Updates: Highlights from State and National Organizations – Part II

 

 

8:15 – 8:30 Welcome, Overview of the Day and Looking to the Future

Numerous early childhood policy opportunities are currently in play at the federal level. During this session, representatives of the First Five Years Fund and national organizations will provide participants with the latest-breaking updates on the shifting federal policy landscape. Ample time will be available for state advocates to discuss and strategize around their specific policy priorities and challenges with the federal experts.

 

 

With many states facing gubernatorial and legislative transitions in 2010, this session will focus on effective candidate education strategies. The discussion will include the range of possible activities, including tips for effective messaging, ideas for connecting early childhood to current “hot topics,” and understanding the minds of gubernatorial and legislative candidates. The panel will include representatives from several PAR states, a political expert who has previously worked for a Governor, and a state legislator. Ample time will be available for a large group discussion.

 

 

Meeting Purpose: To bring together national grantees and state-level leaders to advance advocacy, leadership, and research strategies to improve state policies and increase investments in high-quality early childhood development services for at-risk infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families.

 

Dr. Lisa Klein, Executive Director, Birth to Five Policy Alliance

 

Dr. Lisa Klein, Helene Stebbins, Steffanie Clothier

 

 

Drawing on specific state examples, we will use small group discussions to map out current grantee efforts and explore strategies to best support state advances.

 

 

The Early Childhood Data Collaborative will share progress and seek advice to inform their work to support comprehensive, longitudinal data systems in states.

 

Multiple initiatives at the federal level present new policy opportunities for states. Conversely, states have experience and leadership that can inform federal efforts. This discussion will focus on two questions:

 

 

Conversation among grantees of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance.

 

Conversation among investors in the Birth to Five Policy Alliance.

 

 

Westin San Diego
 

Early Childhood Development and Implications for Learning, Behavior & Health

Plenary Speaker: Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University

 

 

Dr. Lisa Klein, Executive Director, Birth to Five Policy Alliance

Ann Kirwan, Vice President, Ounce of Prevention Fund

 

 

 

Introduction: Harriet Meyer, President, Ounce of Prevention Fund

Plenary Speaker: Dr. Ron Lally, Co-Director, Center for Child & Family Studies, WestEd

Dr. Lally will provide an overview of some of the basic tenants of infant-toddler development and discuss the connections these foundations have to milestones of success through the toddler and elementary years. Dr. Lally will also address the implications of poor quality infant-toddler care, the importance of age-appropriate services, and potential policy recommendations for addressing the developmental needs of very young children.

 

With Dr. Lally’s discussion of infant-toddler child care in mind, a panel of state and national leaders will provide an overview of policy options and address how advocates are successfully addressing expanding access to high-quality infant-toddler care at the state level.

 

 

Jacqueline Jones and Joan Lombardi will join the group via live videoconference from Washington, D.C. to discuss the early childhood priorities of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Importantly, Drs. Jones and Lombardi will also discuss a new model of collaboration between the two departments and share their insights on how this new “interagency” strategy may affect the role states can play in informing the departments’ work and how state leaders can maximize new federal early learning initiatives.
 

 

Each State Policy Break-Out will address state advocates’ needs for effective messages, rationales and strategies in order to successfully address the birth to five policy issues described in brief below. These facilitated sessions are intended to be both informative and working sessions that provide a forum for peer problem-solving, and will include a national expert and a state representative to provide an overview of the policy topic and jumpstart the discussion. Once the attendance for each session is finalized, facilitators will tailor the presentations based on the specific state contexts and needs represented in each group.

 

 

Sheila Smith of the National Center for Children in Poverty and Carey McCann of the Ounce of Prevention Fund will co-facilitate this session. The small group discussion will focus on the early childhood health and mental health landscape and the range of policy levers advocates could promote in their states to support the development and school readiness of young children, as well as, explore the key messages that may be used and share current and anticipated federal opportunities that will support state efforts.

 

 

Facilitated by state and national partners, this small group discussion will allow participants to engage in peer-to-peer problem-solving around shared challenges in advancing a comprehensive infant-toddler policy agenda. Topic areas may include strategies for promoting effective policy reforms and mechanisms to meet the needs of at-risk infants and toddlers across the range of settings they are in (i.e. center-based child care, home-based child care, and home visiting programs) and packaging infant and toddler messages to key constituencies and policymakers.

 

 

Facilitated by Marcy Whitebook of the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, this small group discussion will focus on advocacy strategies to secure investments in the education and training of the early childhood workforce, how to use data to answer key questions, workforce development policy content, and advocacy strategies for building a highly qualified early childhood workforce in states.

 

 

This session will build on previous PAR discussions of Early Childhood Advisory Councils. Margie Wallen of the Ounce of Prevention Fund will facilitate this discussion of the specific issues and challenges related to the advocate role in ensuring the success of and informing the policy priorities of Early Childhood Advisory Councils.

 

 

Facilitated by Helene Stebbins from HMS Policy Research, this small group discussion will focus on state efforts to build comprehensive, longitudinal, early childhood data systems. Participants will hear about a collaborative effort to promote data systems that can answer the questions policymakers are asking, and provide feedback on what is needed to improve the quality of data collection at the state level.

4:30 – 5:30 Alliance Updates: Highlights from State and National Organizations – Part II

 

 

8:15 – 8:30 Welcome, Overview of the Day and Looking to the Future

Numerous early childhood policy opportunities are currently in play at the federal level. During this session, representatives of the First Five Years Fund and national organizations will provide participants with the latest-breaking updates on the shifting federal policy landscape. Ample time will be available for state advocates to discuss and strategize around their specific policy priorities and challenges with the federal experts.

 

 

With many states facing gubernatorial and legislative transitions in 2010, this session will focus on effective candidate education strategies. The discussion will include the range of possible activities, including tips for effective messaging, ideas for connecting early childhood to current “hot topics,” and understanding the minds of gubernatorial and legislative candidates. The panel will include representatives from several PAR states, a political expert who has previously worked for a Governor, and a state legislator. Ample time will be available for a large group discussion.