Preschool for All (PFA), also known as Universal Preschool is a vision that one day, preschool will be available on a voluntary basis to all children regardless of income. PFA is an aggressive national movement that aims to prepare children for kindergarten. Since February 2005, individuals representing the early care and education field, business and educational institutions in Kern County have been meeting to discuss potentially significant changes to the early care and education delivery system in the coming years. These individuals have identified exciting opportunities, critical elements to be included in a plan as well as the challenges of providing such a program in Kern County.

Information will be added to this page as efforts progress towards the design of a Preschool for All plan for Kern County. Additional information regarding statewide efforts and links to informative web sites has been included.

"Kern Preschool For All Plan"
Crafting a System to Deliver Preschool for All in Kern County

This plan was designed in response to the Preschool for All initiative to be placed on the June California ballot. A more comprehensive "framework" which will include a variety of school readiness programs in Kern County is currently being developed and will also be placed on this web site when completed.

Vision:
Our vision is that all three and four-year-olds in Kern County, regardless of their family’s economic status or location, will have access to quality early education opportunities.

Mission:
The mission of the Planning Group is to create a plan that will realize our vision for Voluntary Preschool for All beginning with children the year prior to entering kindergarten.

Core Values:
Toward the achievement of our vision and mission, we embrace the following core values as critical elements for programs serving children:

1. Decisions will be guided by what is best for each child;
2. The curriculum offered to children will be age, developmentally, linguistically and culturally appropriate;
3. Parents will have a choice in the provider of services including, but not limited to, family child care homes and faith-based, public, private and non-profit centers;
4. Staff will have appropriate education and be credentialed;
5. Opportunities will be offered for parent involvement and education and family support services;
6. Funds will be provided in an equitable fashion based on established criteria;
7. Quantitative and qualitative goals and measurable outcomes will be embedded in the programs.

Resource:
Preschool California
Web site: www.preschoolcalifornia.org
For news bulletins, action alerts and updates subscribe to the listserv by 
e-mailing: www.get_involved-subscribe@preschoolcalifornia.org

                             Kern Preschool for All
                          Glossary of Child Care Terms

Accreditation
Accreditation is a process in which a program’s administrators, staff and parents join with representatives of the accrediting entity to determine whether that program meets nationally recognized criteria for high quality. A high quality program is defined as one that meets the needs of and promotes the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of the children and adults, parents, staff, and administrators who are involved in the program.

• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
  NAEYC established the National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development to improve early childhood program quality through the improvement of professional preparation and training for individuals who care for and educate children, birth through age 8 in center based programs.
• National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
  The NAFCC accredits family child care homes offering high quality care. The purpose of the NAFCC Accreditation is to provide professional recognition and distinction to those family child care providers whose services are representative of the national standards of professional quality and have demonstrated a commitment to reach beyond these minimum licensing requirements to achieve professional standards of excellence.

Alternative Payment Program (AP)
The Alternative Payment Programs are part of California’s Child Care and Development Programs administered by the State Department of Education. This subsidized program offers parents a choice of child care options including in-home or license-exempt care, family child care, or center care. This child care subsidy is designed to aid low-income parents and most often takes the form of a vendor payment issued monthly directly to the provider selected by the family. AP programs are intended to increase parental choice and accommodate unusual work schedules. Many Alternative Payment Programs are co-located with a local Resource & Referral Agency. The AP Program in Kern County is administered through Community Connection for Child Care. Parents must be income eligible.

California School Age Families Education Program (Cal-SAFE) The California School Age Families Education Program became operational in July 2000. It is designed to increase the availability of support services necessary for enrolled pregnant/parenting students to improve academic achievement and parenting skills and to provide a quality child care/development program for their children. This comprehensive, continuous and community-linked school-based program replaces the Pregnant Minors Program (PMP), School Age Parenting and Infant Development (SAPID) Program, and Pregnant and Lactating Students (PALS) Program.

CalWORKs Child Care
CalWORKs is California’s response to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Overseen by the California Department of Social Services, CalWORKs is a "work first" program that provides support services to help recipients move from welfare to work and toward self-sufficiency. CalWORKs devolves much of the responsibility and authority for operation of the program to California’s 58 counties, increasing counties flexibility and financial accountability. CalWORKs child care services are administered via the following stages:

• Stage 1 Provides recipients with initial child care while establishing their ongoing child care needs. This stage is administered by the county social services departments who may contract with public and private providers to supply services. When the need is determined to be "stable" and there are available spaces, children are transferred to Stage 2 or 3.

• Stage 2 Assists families while on CalWORKs and engaged in work activities. It provides stable child care for families on aid, enabling them to find other long-term support. Families remain eligible for this stage for up to two years after leaving aid.

• Stage 3 Supports parents after they have transitioned off of aid and provides subsidized child care until the family’s income exceeds the eligibility threshold. Stage 3 enrollment is currently restricted for former CalWORKs recipients who have reached the end of their two-year eligibility for Stage 2. The funding for Stage 3 is for new subsidized child care spaces set aside for CalWORKs recipients.

Campus Child Development
Administered through the California Department of Education, campus child development programs are designed primarily for the children of students enrolled in college. The centers are operated by either student associations or the college administration and provide the same comprehensive services as other state child care and development programs. Funding of the centers are generated by the state, student body fees, and parent fees. In Kern, all of the campus programs are available to the public but have a first priority for the students enrolled in their college. Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso, Taft College, Delano Campus and California State University, Bakersfield all have child development centers. Parents must be income eligible in order to pay no fee.

Child Development Center - Subsidized
A Child Development Center is an arrangement in a facility which is usually not a family residence and is specifically designed to provide child care. A child development center may serve any number of children, but usually serves 13 or more for less than 24 consecutive hours. Licensed through the California Department of Social Services/Community Care Licensing. Can be private for-profit, private non-profit, or publicly funded (for income eligible families)

Community Care Licensing
Child care and development programs, including family child care must meet standards designed to assure the basic health and safety of the children in the absence of their parents. Community Care Licensing is a division of the California Department of Social Services.

• Title 22 – Child Care Centers and Family Child Care Homes – California Department of Social Services, Licensing Requirements. All centers and family child care homes must meet these standards which include staffing standards and adult:child ratios.

• Title 5 – Child Development Programs - California Department of Education (CDE), Program Standards. Programs funded by CDE are required to adhere to Title 22 regulations in addition to the Program Standards of Title 5 which are designed to meet the developmental needs of children who are eligible to receive state and federally subsidized child care services. These programs have lower adult:child ratios, higher staffing standards, and curriculum requirements.

Curriculum:
Guidelines used to direct instructional practices based on knowledge of individual children, the community, learning goals and desired content. Best practice dictates a need for meaningful, integrated learning concepts that use appropriate tools to further content knowledge and skills for young children. Curriculum for young children must be based on children’s needs and interests and be developmentally appropriate and use all domains of development in the various areas of learning. Often, but not always, a curriculum is commercially developed and adopted as a complete program that guides the teaching focus in a program.

Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scales (ECERS)
The ECERS scales are designed to assess process quality in an early childhood setting. Process quality consists of the various interactions that take place in a classroom between staff and children, staff, parents, and other adults, among the children themselves, and the interactions children have with the many materials and activities in the environment, as well as those features such as space, schedule and materials that support these interactions. A rating scale designed specifically for family child care providers has also been created – Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS) and for Infants and Toddlers called ITRS (Infant/Toddler Rating Scale).

Early Head Start (EHS)
Early Head Start is a program administered through Head Start for income eligible families. The program offers expanded services that seek to address the health needs of newborns and encourage better interaction between parents and infants and toddlers. EHS also targets families with certain needs such as parental substance abuse and parenting teens. Parents must be income eligible.

Early Childhood Education (ECE)
Employer-Supported Child Care
These programs range from company child care policies to the direct provision of child care. Child care policies may include flextime, job sharing, parental leave, paid family sick leave, and various child care benefits. The employer may also subsidize care directly through the provision of on-site or off-site child care, vendor payments to local child care providers, voucher payments to parents, or the establishment of a dependent care assistance plan.

Exceptional Needs
Exceptional Needs refers to physical limitations such as orthopedic handicaps or sensory impairments, chronic illness, mental retardation, learning disabilities, emotional problems, or substance exposure. Children with exceptional needs are served through a variety of care options, including centers and family child care homes. Because of their unique needs, these children may receive care from birth through age 18. Parents, too, may receive funding to help meet their child’s needs.

Family Child Care
Family child care providers care for children in their own home and are licensed through the California Department of Social Services/community Care Licensing. Providers will have either a small (6 to 8 children) or large (12 to 14 children) license. To become licensed, providers must attend a licensing orientation and complete fifteen hours of health and safety training. Each person living in the providers’ home must be free of tuberculosis and a criminal background. Large family child care homes utilize two providers.

General Child Care and Development
The program, operated by the California Department of Education/Child Development Division, utilizes centers in the provision of subsidized child care and development services. Services range from infant through school-age care. Programs provide basic supervision, age- and developmentally-appropriate activities, nutrition, parent education, staff development, and social services. Families must be income eligible.

Head Start
Head Start, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is a comprehensive preschool program that prepares children to enter school ready to learn. Head Start combines basic skills development with health, nutrition, social services, and parental involvement in a family-centered approach. Families must be income eligible. Many are part-day/part-year programs, but more are being converted to full-day/full-year programs.

In-Home Care
In-Home Care refers to a child care arrangement which takes place in the home of the child being served as opposed to care received in the home of the caregiver. The parent is considered the employer and is required by law to pay minimum wage and social security taxes. There are no licensing requirements for in-home child care providers. Parents may access, for a fee, the Trustline Registry which checks the background of the provider.

Kern County PFA Quality and Training Matrix:
This matrix was developed by the Quality and Training sub-committee to guide the development of PFA programs’ approaches to creating environments that support children’s preparation for school.

License-Exempt Care
License-Exempt child care is care delivered by a provider that is exempt from the Title 22 and Title 5 State licensing requirements. Exempt providers are: a child’s relative, guardians or conservators, or an adult that cares for the children of only one other family besides their own. Any exempt provider other than Aunts, Uncles, Grandmothers or Grandfathers must go through the Trustline Process. Exempt providers are not required to obtain any training, however, in Kern County, exempt providers being paid with CalWORKs Stage 1, 2 or 3 funds are required to attend an orientation meeting in addition to the Trustline process.

Local Child Care and Development Planning Councils (LPC)
There are currently 58 Local Child Care Planning Councils representing each county in California. The primary mission of the LPCs is to plan for child care and development services based on the needs of families in the local community and determine local priorities for new state and federal funds. LPC’s are intended to serve as a forum to address the child care needs of all families in the community and, all child care programs, including both subsidized and non-subsidized child care. Each council is to collaborate with child care providers, county agencies and other interested providers to meet identified needs. The county board of supervisors and county superintendent of schools each appoint half of the members of the planning council. Child care consumers, child care providers, public agency representatives, and community representatives, each must comprise 20% of the membership of the planning council. The remaining 20% are appointed at the discretion of the appointing agencies.

Matrix
The California Child Development Permit is issued through the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. At present, this permit is required of employees of Early Childhood programs licensed under Title V. The permit enables a student to move along a career ladder which supports a hierarchy of professional goals and competencies relative to employment and leadership.

Migrant Alternative Payment Program
The Migrant Alternative Payment Program issues "vouchers" to qualified migrant agricultural worker families to purchase child care services from different possible child care settings including in-home care, licensed family child care homes or center based settings. The program is intended to maximize parental choice and accommodate the individual needs of each family. Community Action Partnership of Kern administers this alternative payment program and provides services for a five county region including Kern, Tulare, Kings, Fresno, Madera and Merced.

Migrant Child Care
Migrant Child Care programs, administered by CDE, serve children of migrant workers while their parents are at work. Migrant centers are open for varying lengths of time during the year depending on the growth/harvesting season. These programs provide the same comprehensive services as General Child Care and Development Programs. Families must also be income eligible.

Preschool California
Preschool California is a broad-based, multi-year advocacy campaign to achieve publicly funded, quality, voluntary preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, whose families choose to enroll them, in California.

Preschool for All
The goal of Preschool for All is to achieve voluntary preschool that prepares children for kindergarten and success in life. Principles include: Meets quality standards, voluntary for 3 & 4 year olds, variety of schedules and settings, free for all children part-day, linked to full day care, inclusive of children with special needs, culturally and linguistically appropriate settings, compensation comparable to K -12 and publicly funded.

Private Child Care Centers (non-subsidized)
These programs may call themselves a child care center, day care center, preschool nursery school, or day nursery. Various groups administer private child care centers, including non-profit organizations, for-profit businesses, faith based organizations, military, and public or private sector employers. Most fee-for-service child care centers (those relying upon parent fees) are licensed by the California Department of Social Services/Community Care Licensing Title 22. Title 22 regulations have specific facility requirements that meet health and safety standards. These requirements also include adult/child ratios and staff education qualifications. Parents, whose child care is being paid for by the Alternative Payment program, may place their child in a non-subsidized center.

Professional Growth:
Professional growth activities are those enrichment activities that further one’s professionalism, knowledge or skill in interacting with and teaching children and their families. Professionals in the field of early childhood education are expected to be life-long learners and continually improve their ability to perform their professional responsibilities.

Professional Organizations
Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC)
The Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the nation's largest professional organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade. Membership is fee based and includes benefits at the national, state and local levels including conferences and workshops, educational and professional resources and links to advocacy efforts.

Family Child Care Associations
Family child care associations are created specifically to support home-based providers of child care. Associations seek to enable providers to do their work, while maintaining a healthy environment for both the children and the providers. Associations provide monthly meetings and workshops specifically designed for family child care providers.

Resource and Referral Programs (R&R)
Resource and Referral programs, funded through CDE, provide information to parents about the availability of child care, assist potential providers in the licensing process, provide direct services, and coordinate community resources for the benefit of parents and local child care providers. These programs are available in all 58 counties. Some agencies with R&R contracts administer Alternative Payment Programs (Kern’s does). Many counties have multiple R&Rs, but Kern County has only Community Connection for Child Care.

School Readiness
The School Readiness Initiative engages families, community members, and educators in the important work of preparing children, birth to age five, for elementary school.  This Initiative adopted the definition of school readiness developed by the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP)* which covers many aspects of a child’s life:  children’s readiness for school, schools’ readiness for children, family and community supports, and services that contribute to children’s readiness for school success.

State Preschool Program
Funded by CDE/Child Development Division and the federal government, this developmental preschool program offers comprehensive child care services, as well as social, health, nutritional and psychiatric services. In the State Preschool programs, parental involvement is encouraged. State preschool programs can be administered through school districts, colleges, community action agencies, and private non-profit agencies. Normally part-day/part-year programs, a few are now full-day/full-year. Families must be income eligible.

Trustline
Trustline is a process by which the background of exempt child care providers is checked for disqualifying criminal convictions and child abuse records using the resources of the California Department of Justice. Trustline Registry is required for all license-exempt child re providers (except aunts, uncles, and grandparents) paid by Alternative Payment Program contractors with state general funds or Federal Block Grant funds.

Unit of Professional Growth:
This is a professional growth activity that because of its substance, content, and previous arrangement with an institution of higher education for academic credit counts for the advancement of a student’s college experience. Academic credit is measured in units of credit. A student must receive official enrollment and credit from the institution of higher learning and the credit will appear on the student’s official transcript.

February 5, 2004
Representation:
Subsidized child development centers, private sector child development centers, family child care, First 5 Kern, Taft College, Kern County Network for Children, Kern County Child Care Council, Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office, Community Connection for Child Care, Cal State University Bakersfield, Bakersfield College.
Gary Kinley welcomed the group and provided an overview of the purpose of the meeting.
Wendy Wayne provided a Power Point presentation highlighting the various Universal Preschool or Preschool For All initiatives: California Teacher’s Association (CTA), Packard Foundation’s Preschool For All, AB 56 Preschool For All, First 5 California Demonstration Projects, and the State’s Master Plan for Education.
Tammy Burns provided a review of the existing infrastructure of child care in Kern County including the estimated number of spaces in licensed family child care, non-subsidized child development centers and state/federally funded child development centers.
Gary Kinley then led the group through a brainstorming process with the following outcomes:

• Private non profits

• Family child care providers

• Head Start

• Subsidized child care

• Lab schools

• Family Literacy Programs

• In home outreach services

• Church based

• Except providers

• Migrant child care

• Even Start

• Early Start
• Dental programs
• Parents/families
• Cal Learn/CalSafe programs
• Kindergarten teachers
• First 5 Kern
• Home-schooling
• Pediatricians
• Private for profit
• State preschool
• Full day child care
• Exempt child care
• School districts
• Parent co-ops
• Employer supported child care
• Family Resource Centers
• School readiness/ First 5 Kern

• Put us (private sector) out of business
• Infant/toddler care for teens
• Short term decisions verses long term
• Need for qualified teachers
• Facilities - Money
• Quality control
• Input - family dynamics
• Money?
• Parent pressure / home Vs school
• Losing developmentally appropriate education
• On-going training (staff)
• Transportation (children)
• Immunizations
• Too much pressure
• Loss of parental choice
• Cookie cutter approach
• Sufficient stable funding
• Linguistically/culturally appropriate
• Curriculum
• Expanding a broken system
• Control by public school system/CDE
• Lose emphasis on play
• When does it stop e.g. babies?
• Not having every educated to do appropriate care

• More jobs
• Won’t disappoint families over income
• Curriculum, play, socialization
• Reach out to under served communities
• Supporting families, communities
• Brain development recognized
• Preschool Teachers = "Real" teachers
• Dramatically improving workforce by 2020
• Infiltrate elementary education with child development concepts
• Lower drop out rate (high school)
• College attendance (increased)
• Additional linkages to social services
• Building stronger bridges for more bilingual parents
• Improved social conditions/statues
• Learning opportunities
• Opportunity for children who are needy
• Affirmation that learning does not begin in first grade
• Children better prepared so Kindergarten teachers are able to focus on kindergarten
• Brain Development
• Early identifying of special needs children
• Improved wages
• System of articulation
• Provider parent support systems
• Money for quality facilities
• Increase parent involvement in education
• Educating school administrators in Early Childhood Education
• Early intervention and identification of children w/mental health issues
• Will be a system that is not fragmented w/continual funding dollars

• What is best for child - 11

• Parental choice e.g. family child care, church based, etc. - 8

• System based on dialogue with all such as families, centers, schools, etc. - 3

• Education for all staff – Credential - 6

• Continuous funding for high quality - 2

• Don’t reinvent the wheel

• Self-regulation - 3

• Parent involvement, education 6

• Collaborative effort - 3

• Workforce reflective of community

• Emphasis of attachment/bonding with parents - 1

• Ensuring wages and benefits

• Appropriate language - 1

• Age appropriate curriculum - 12

• Programs are equal (i.e. locations) – 2

• Funding goes to schools/programs - 2

• Funding system that is equal & accessible to all types of programs - 4

• Does not infringe on school district general funds

• Integrated family literacy component
• Mental health services
• Assuring there are services for families when they need them
• Curriculum that is inclusive ( cultural & special needs) - 2
• Being able to serve children’s legal status
• Monitoring system to make sure all components are working together
• Environment = improvement in playgrounds - 2
• Comprehensive safety features
• Strong articulation with Kindergarten - 2
• Teacher Standards (Employment in Early Childhood Education)
• Quantitative, Qualitative goals/measurable outcomes - 4
• Preschool for all income levels - 11
• Parents "in" the classroom - 1

• Make sure everyone received funding

• Conduct a voter registration drive

• Colleges and University work toward/increase credential programs

• Matrix workshops

• Making matrix mandatory for private programs

• Broader make up of views

• Smaller work groups

• Group of people are following all initiatives

• Be kept informed – timeline – accurate information

• Be advocate for what is happening, Everyone has a role/with legislators

• Input from families

• Early Childhood Education involved in Preschool For All

• Commit to continue as a group

• Share information with associates and staff

The group committed to continuing to meet to discuss issues and plan for Kern County. All will be notified of follow up meetings.

Present:
Armida Bermudez, Tammy Burns, Ashlie Burroughs, Debra Craig, Fred Drew, Alexis Esparza, Carmen Handy, Joyie Kirkham, Ginger Martinez, Debbie Matthews, Mary Mendoza, Mary O’Neal (by phone), LeeAnn Park, Julie Parsons, Zella Pettyway, Michael Rubio, Lupe Sanchez, Evangelina Soberon, Shri Knight-Stelzner, Wendy Wayne, Debi Welch.
Wendy Wayne welcomed the group and provided and overview of the purpose of the meeting which is to review all the materials presented at a Kern County Preschool For All meeting on February 5, 2004.
Wendy also provided a Power Point presentation highlighting the various Universal Preschool or Preschool For All initiatives: California Teacher’s Association (CTA), Packard Foundation’s Preschool For All, AB 56 Preschool For All, First 5 California Demonstration Projects, and the State’s Master Plan for Education.
Tammy Burns provided a review of the existing infrastructure of child care in Kern County including the estimated number of spaces in licensed family child care, non-subsidized child development centers and state/federally funded child development centers.

Notes from the February 5^th meeting were reviewed specifically the areas listing the prior groups comments to the following questions:

• What are our concerns and challenges relative to the upcoming initiatives?
• What are the exciting possibilities about these initiatives?
• What do we consider to be critical elements that must be included in Preschool for All?
• Next Steps to prepare for upcoming initiatives

The following comments were added as areas that need to be addressed:

• "wrap-around" services
• transportation issues
• facilities
• provider and staff training
• the training capacity of our educational institutions
• curriculum
• outreach
• parent component
• integration of existing programs
• incorporation of private sector and family child care homes
• support services for families

• It was commented that although the collaborative meetings were a great start for the process, there is a need for one entity to "be in charge".
• A request was made for a grid indicating the current child development funds flowing to Kern County be provided at the next meeting as well as an estimate of the funds needed to fully implement a preschool for all program.
• A Question/Answer sheet regarding the California Teacher’s Association initiative was mentioned and is attached to the minutes.
• The group committed to continuing our meetings regarding preschool for all and to move towards a plan for Kern County.

Gary Kinley opened the meeting with introductions and a review of the purpose of the evening.

Wendy Wayne provided an update on the various state and local initiatives revolving around preschool for all or universal preschool noting that

• The California Teacher’s Association has decided to remove their initiative that was slated for the November ballot.
• The First 5 California has offered $50,000 planning grants to interested county First 5 Commissions. Kern has applied.
• Preschool California, with funds from the Packard Foundation, is moving forward with gathering data and conducting focus groups throughout the state.

Questions from the group were addressed.

Tammy Burns provided a brief overview of the Los Angeles County Universal Preschool Plan and San Mateo’s Preschool for All Plan both of which were recently unveiled. Comments included:

• First 5 San Mateo has committed $1 million per year for ten years to design and implement a Preschool for All system
• Hired a consultant to assist with the process
• Have been in the planning stages for three years
• Workgroups were developed to address:
• Determining what PFA would look like
• Identifying where the funding would come from
• What staff qualifications would be
• How to build public will
• Determine program eligibility
• Decide who the lead agency would be

First 5 LA has committed $500 million for Universal Preschool

Used the Pyramid of Organizational Development framework which assists in:

• Identifying the market (customers)
• Developing products and/or services to meet the needs of this market
• Acquiring and effectively managing the resources (human, financial, physical, technological) needed to support the business and the organization’s growth plans
• Developing and effectively implementing day-to-day operational systems (eg. Marketing, information systems, financial management systems, claims processing, training, customer service, communication, etc.) needed to support effective operations.
• Developing and effectively implementing the management systems (i.e. planning, structure, management development, and performance management systems) needed to support the long-term development of the organization
• Creating a process of effectively manage the organizations’ culture as it grows and develops

• Nine workgroups were formed (each with paid staff) to accomplish their tasks
• More than 3,000 parents provided input via surveys and another 100 via focus groups. More than 300 child care providers also provided input via public forums.
• The plan is a 10-year plan which begins with target geographical regions and has the anticipation to be fully universal by 1013.

Mr. Kinley reviewed the critical elements that had been suggested by the participants from the first two Kern County Preschool for All meetings held on February 5, 2004 and March 18, 2004.

• Age / developmentally appropriate curriculum
• What is best for the child?
• Parental involvement and education
• Education / credentialing for staff
• Quantitative, qualitative and measurable goals
• Appropriate language, culture and inclusion of children with special needs
• Self regulation
• Quality, safe environments
• Training capacity of existing educational institutions
• Teacher standards
• Family support services
• Workforce reflective of community
• Integrated family literacy component

• Service to all income families
• Equitable funding to all programs
• Funding sufficient for high quality
• Ensure high wages and benefits
• Facilities
• No infringement on school district general funds

• Parental choice
• Services when families need them
• Ability to serve all children regardless of legal status
• Outreach efforts

• System based dialogue / collaborative effort
• Strong articulation with kindergarten
• Monitoring to ensure that all components are working together
• Locations
• Wrap-around services
• Transportation

These key elements have been placed under one of four general categories. These categories are now being proposed as subjects for workgroups. The suggested workgroups and their tasks are:

• Quality & Training – to define critical elements of quality early education including ratio, teacher training, curriculum and monitoring. Keeping in mind all current delivery systems. Cary Larson-McKay volunteered to chair this committee.

• Supply & Demand – to determine current supply that exists, by community, including all delivery systems. Estimate need. LeeAnn Park with Community Action Partnership of Kern volunteered to chair this committee.

• Integration System Design – to design a Preschool for All system that is inclusive of the current service delivery system including children with special needs and articulation with K-12 systems. Sharon Brown with Mercy Child Care Services volunteered to chair this committee

• Financing - to determine cost of providing Preschool for All services including facilities. Research existing and potential funding sources. Fred Drew with Community Action Partnership of Kern volunteered to chair this committee.

Meeting participants then volunteered to serve on one of the four workgroups and each determined their first meeting date, time and location.

Eighty individuals were present representing local child development agencies, elementary school teachers, parents, elected officials, educational institutions, family child care providers, private child development centers, students, and community based organizations.

Introductions were made and a brief video produced by Preschool California regarding the positive impacts of early education experiences was viewed.

Gary Kinley provided an overview of the purpose of the meeting and introduced Amy Cooper representing the Los Angeles Universal Preschool workgroup who provided an update on the LA plan to date.

• $600 million has been committed over the next 5 years by the LA First 5
• A mandate had been developed to offer Universal Preschool to more than 100,000 4 year old Los Angeles children
• Almost 200 individuals representing a broad range of stakeholders participated in the process that has taken approximately 2 years to complete.
• The process included intensive collaboration involving monthly, day-long work sessions and extensive community outreach.
• Five "Big Ideas" developed – the program would be
• Universal
• Of high quality
• Diverse and inclusive
• Connected and
• Sustainable
• Key decisions included:
• Serve all 4-year old children in LA County whose parents choose to participate
• Use a mixed delivery system, including schools, centers, and family child care homes
• Voluntary for all providers and parents
• Offer part-day programs with optional full-day child care
• Engage the public and private sector to sustain and grow the system
• Embrace partnership and collaboration in planning and implementation
• Improve quality through a highly trained, well-educated and well-compensated workforce
• Exemplify superior management and user friendliness

• Systems Focus

• Parent engagement
• Facilities development (will focus first on high need "hot zones" for new construction and renovation)
• Early launch (September 2004) – will add new sites throughout the year
• Workforce development – building capacity as well as improving quality
• Quality – Five Star Quality Rating System tied with career development supports and tiered reimbursement
• Curriculum and Articulation – identification of approved curriculum models, adopting a dual-language curriculum and developing criteria for vetting of proposed new curricula.
• Governance – creating a nonprofit, public-benefit corporation

• Task Teams

• Parent Engagement
• Facilities Development
• Family Child Care
• Workforce
• Curriculum and Articulation
• Coordination with Existing Systems
• Special Needs
• Operations and Service Delivery
• Quality, Monitoring and Compliance

Gary Kinley presented draft Vision, Mission and Core Values statements. Suggestions were taken from participants and will be incorporated into the statements which will be re-presented at the next meeting for approval.

Our vision is that all three and four-year-olds in Kern County, regardless of their family’s economic status or location, will have access to quality early education opportunities.

The mission of the Planning Group is to create a plan that will realize our vision for Voluntary Preschool for All.

Toward the achievement of our vision and mission, we embrace the following core values as critical elements for programs serving children:

• Decisions will be guided by what is best for each child
• The curriculum offered to children will be age appropriate
• Parents will have a choice in the provider of services including, but not limited to, family child care homes; faith-based centers; and public, private and non-profit centers
• Staff will have appropriate education and be credentialed
• Opportunities will be offered by providers for both parent involvement and education
• Funding for the system shall be equal and accessible to all types of programs
• Both quantitative and qualitative goals will be embedded in the programs, as well as measurable outcomes.

Each committee chairperson reported on the accomplishments of their respective committees to date:

Supply and Demand – LeeAnn Park reporting

Committee task - determine the current supply of services:

• What is available
• Where it is available
• Who it is available to

• Determining eligible programs

• Estimates will be "best guess"

• Child Care Council needs assessment
• Community Connection for Child Care database
• Community Connection for Child Care GIS maps

• Use current data to make estimations based on zip code/school district
• Full group to determine what type of programs would be eligible to participate in PFA

Committee Task - determine the demand for PFA services

• Who will use it
• Where it is needed
• When it is needed
• Estimated number of needed spaces
• What type of setting is needed

Resources available:

• Census
• CDE/CBEDS report (to obtain kindergarten enrollments by school)
• Child Care Council needs assessment
• Community Connection for Child Care GIS maps
• Subsidized program waiting lists
• Kern COG projections

• Draft formula

determine total number of 4 year olds

minus total number of subsidized spaces (including spaces for children with special needs)

calculate 70% of remaining

• Survey of parents to determine demand for PFA services
• Make estimates based on serving all 4 year old children first (3 year old children to follow in future years)
• Determine if demand should be calculated by zip code or school district

Quality and Training – Cary Larson-McKay reporting

• Committee has been working on a definition of quality and outlining necessary elements.

System Integration – Sharon Brown reporting

• Recommend targeting an age group such as 4/5 year olds and slowly integrating 3 year olds
• Offer a "town meeting" for providers and parents to determine interest in PFA
• Look at the educational needs of children

Financing – Fred Drew reporting

Committee task - determine potential funding sources available

• There are many funding sources available - the objective should be to prioritize the sources of funding and have a strategy of trying to get funding from the two or three sources which have the highest probability of success.

• Develop a long term strategy such as legislation that would require all new school bonds, all new school construction, etc to include funds or at least a site for a preschool.
• Local funding availability should be part of the overall strategy so as to provide for a match if necessary for other funding applications.
• Local funding sources need to have preschool for all as part of their strategic funding plans.

Recommendation:

• Committee should take all of the information available and prepare an action plan to secure additional funding for PFA, and include in that plan, how the money will be allocated.

Committee task - determine the cost of providing PFA services and facilities

• There are several child care organizations that can share their recent experiences and costs for building child care facilities.
• The ABCD (Affordable Buildings for Child Development) and Building Child Care are two statewide organizations that offer technical assistance in the costs for facilities
• There is a need to:

• compile the existing data on dollars coming into Kern County to determine the current funding as part of determining the overall cost.
• estimate the costs of serving 70% of preschoolers at current reimbursement rates for child care, as data indicates that about 70% of parents will want their child in child care.
• compare the estimated costs with the existing funding in the county to determine the shortfall.

• Use the First 5 California document as a guide to establish estimated costs.
• Cost estimates should provide alternatives and variations for the different types, levels and settings of child care.
• Much of the cost data will be based on assumptions and estimates.

Recommendations:

• Work on a report which will provide the costs associated with providing child care (individually, center based, and for Kern County as a whole).

Committee task - research and report on existing services, to include identifying the gaps in service.

• There is limited data on exempt providers doing care without reimbursement and on care that is informal i.e. the providers are not identified by any agency in the community.
• There is ample data available on child care services in the county to begin mapping where services are provided, and identifying the gaps.
• There is need to identify the various levels of services and capture the costs associated with the services to help with cataloging those costs.
• The plan for providing services should include how the resources will be allocated on a priority basis.

Recommendations:

• Compile data and formulate a report on the existing services, which will also show the current gaps in service.

The group discussed additional-potential committee participants (no particular order):

• Business
• Collaboratives
• Parent support groups
• Public schools
• Kern Council of Governments
• Kindergarten teachers
• Elected officials
• Parents
• Philanthropists
• Representatives from the field of special needs
• School principals
• Faith based community
• Parks and recreation districts
• Economists
• Health practitioners
• Chambers of commerce

• Continue to conduct committee meetings
• Recruit additional committee members
• Committee chairs to meet regularly
• Communicate committee meeting dates/times
• Distribute information to public leaders to increase interest
• Develop a marketing campaign including PSAs

Scheduled Committee Meetings:

June 29, 3:00 p.m. at the University Square, 2000 "K" Street, 5^th floor

June 25, 12:00 p.m. at Community Connection for Child Care, 2000 24^th Street

To be determined

communicating via e-mail for the summer

Committee listings were routed and participants encouraged to sign up for a working committee.

Approximately 35 individuals participated representing local child development centers, educational institutions, family child care, elected officials, and agencies related to child care & development.

Copies of the Vision, Mission and Core Values were distributed.

It had been determined by the Steering Committee that specific decisions and recommendations from the Quality/Education Committee were needed before work could continue with the remaining three committees. However some work has continued and brief reports were made.

• Fred Drew (Financing Committee) – this committee has made some initial calculations however the additional information and decisions coming from the Quality/Education Committee will affect their final estimations.

• Sharon Brown (Integration Committee) – this committee is also in need of information from the Quality/Education Committee in order to continue its work determining how to integrate the existing infrastructure into PFA.

• Tammy Burns (representing Supply & Demand Committee). Some initial "demand" estimations have been made however it has been determined that modifications will be made. Once complete and decisions on staffing qualifications have been made, the Committee can address the estimated "supply".

• Cary Larson-McKay, Chairperson of the Quality & Education Committee and committee members presented a matrix outlining the Standards of Quality criteria (attached). This matrix contains five levels of requirements for each of the following categories:
  • Staff Education and Training
  • Family and Community Involvement
  • Regulation and Administration
  • Environment

Participants were given the opportunity to participate in small group discussions regarding two of the areas they held expertise in or were interested in. Input was received for all categories and most all levels. The suggestions/comments were then shared with the full group. All comments will be taken back to the Quality/Education Committee for discussion and possible incorporation into the matrix.

The full group then provided suggestions for "next steps".

• It was announced that there is an effort to make most PFA communication happen via e-mail.
• Participants were asked to provide the name/contact information for anyone they felt would be interested in being a part of the PFA planning process.
• The next general meeting was scheduled for Thursday, October 21^st at 6:00 p.m. (location to be announced at a later date).

VOLUNTARY PRESCHOOL FOR ALL IN KERN COUNTY

http://kcsos.kernorg/kcccc Click on Preschool for All on left column, includes: