As part of the January 27th meeting, Elaine Zimmerman, executive director, Commission on Children and a partner in “Towns Help Kids Succeed” – Municipal Early Childhood Success Initiative, facilitated discussion regarding major concerns, issues, and potential focus areas for the new Task Force. This memo will summarize key points of that discussion.

MAJOR THEMES

Four major themes emerged from the discussion, with a variety of specific opportunities and issues demonstrated as the focus for municipalities. Those theme areas were:

• School Readiness
• Collaboration and Partnerships
• Parent Involvement & Preventive Approaches
• State Funding

• What will be the sustained source of funding for school readiness? Who will help pay it? (State program has grew to 6,000 slots in 11 priority school districts, but is, in fact, shrinking due to state budget cuts.)
  • Sustained source of local, state funds is critical concern
• Availability of additional childcare slots critical, particularly in large cities like Bridgeport.
  • Number of Bridgeport slots for 3-5 years olds is inadequate (only serving 60% of kids)
  • Staff training another issue: Need focus on building skills in literacy training, addressing young child behavioral issues. (Growing numbers of children suspended from pre-school.)
• Infant childcare. Significant gap exists in this kind of childcare and early education. Working families need infant care, much of it full-time in order to support family.

• Municipal efforts should bring together partners – government, nonprofits, business -- to support early childhood education, childcare, and school readiness efforts in each community.
  • Model in Milford, “Kids Count”, has linked various sectors for support, funding
• Avoid parallel initiatives…competition in early care and education just eats up energy, resources. Avoid a competitive model.
• Move to more unified approach to municipal budget deliberations surround education and early care and education.
  • Reduce “them versus us” mentality that often characterizes school board/town council budget deliberations. “It’s all the same money, the same community,” said one Council person
• Examples of collaborative ideas
  • Mansfield: Uses joint presentation of school budget-town budget as part/parcel of seeing total educational needs in town budget. “Make the budget process have a stake for everyone. Here’s the pie let’s divide it together,” said one official.
  • Manchester: School Readiness Council is suggesting to its town Board of Directors and School Board they consider allocating small portion of ECS formula grant to early childhood education investments.

• Shift needed in our culture with respect to young children.
  • Compare U.S., to Europe: Kids come first; put the money into kids, make the investment
  • Citizens in CT are telling us they want quality teachers; care for toddlers/infants; more pre-school services.
  • More demands should be made upon our government to meet these needs.
• Change the focus, the attention to prevention.
  • Old Saybrook: shifting focus to parent education; promoting “asset model” as community’s response to early childhood education
• School readiness, early care is preventive investment that reduces later remedial education costs, prevents or reduces problems before they begin. Can save money, long-term for communities.
  • Milford: Nine years ago targeted “at risk” kids for quality pre-school program. Some of these kids now entering middle, high school, and beginning to see results -- better scores, reduced grade retentions.
• Parent involvement serious community challenge
  • Barriers to engagement: parents spread thin, reduced engagement with PTOs, other community activities

• State-Supported “Care For Kids” program aimed at poor working families at great risk
  • Eligibility changed, many families no longer able to get childcare subsidies.
  • Manchester highlighted the impact:
    • 53% cut in number of slots in two years -- down from 800 to 390.
    • One family lost childcare eligibility due parent illness and briefly out of work. When returned, childcare eliminated by state.
    • Manchester childcare providers losing income; may affect financial viability of some childcare providers.
• Bringing issue to local Legislators. Milford held meeting on Cares for Kid with state legislative delegation. Let providers, parents make legislators aware of the impact the cuts and eligibility changes had on childcare slots, survival of programs.