Kindergarten readiness to learn programs (Early Childhood Development Alliance).

Heartland Visioning Report

Education Foundation

10/8/10

Strategic Plan Priority:

• B1 – Provide access to early childhood education for all children.

1. Action strategy – The Shawnee Co. Interagency Coordinating Council will create a plan to strengthen the community’s early childhood system by linking early care, health and education programs.
2. In March 2010, Shawnee Co. was selected to participate in the Pathways to Early School Success: Building State and Local Capacity project with The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) at Columbia University.

• In April 2010, NCCP brought together community leaders from the fields of health, education, early child care and nonprofit during four focus group sessions. With information garnered from these meetings and under the guidance of Dr. Taniesha Woods the following tasks have occurred:
• The Shawnee Co. Interagency Coordinating Council Executive Team has completed the following work with the Pathways project:

1. Strategic Planning questionnaire and overall planning tool
2. Implementation tool for engaging stakeholders
3. Coalition assessment and progress monitoring tool

• Team members have each completed a mapping tool, which shows community capacity or gaps in service in programs serving families with children from prenatal to five years old in the following areas:

Goal #1

Healthy and Well-Timed Births

• High-quality, accessible prenatal care
• High-quality, accessible family planning
• Opportunities for teens that compete successfully with early childbearing

Goal #2

Health and Development on Track

• High-quality, accessible child health care
• Early detection of developmental delays

Goal #3

Supported and Supportive Families

• Support to strengthen parenting capacity in literacy and mathematics
• High-quality treatment and follow-up for substance use, mental health and domestic violence problems
• Fewer children in poverty
• Safe, stable and supportive neighborhoods

Goal #4

High Quality Child Care and Early Education

• High-quality child care and early education are widely available and support social and cognitive development
• Child care linked to health, substance use and developmental services

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