Preschool Expansion Grant Technical Assistance

Job Embedded Professional Development (JEPD) and Coaching: A PDG Peer Exchange Call.  Held Nov. 1, 2016, the webinar engaged state team participants in discussion about definitions and characterisics of job embedded professional development, why it is important, best practices, and selected examples. Participants also considered Virginia’s approach to  JEPD and coaching, hearing Ann Lhospital, from UVA-CASTL. (Recording)

Building State P-3 Systems focuses on the SEA role in supporting P-3 system building at the state and local levels. It draws on a recent study of three states that have devoted significant attention and resources to P-3 efforts: Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Each of these states has developed state-wide P-3 policy initiatives regarding standards, assessments, and instruction as well as targeted programs to support local P-3 community partnerships. After providing an overview of each state’s P-3 work, speakers discuss nine recommendations that emerged from the case studies.

Why Understanding the Costs of Preschool Quality is Important: A Webinar for Preschool Development Grantee States presents and demonstrates the use of the Cost of Preschool Quality Tool (CPQ) by the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes, an Excel based model that can be used at the state or district level to estimate the cost of expanding high quality preschool for 3 and 4 year olds.

Communicating with Families to Prevent Chronic Absenteeism (August 2016) presents findings and successful strategies from a study on absenteeism in pre-k, commissioned by DC’s public schools. Study author Michael Katz from the Urban Institute shares insights from the study and Sedria Wilson provides examples from her work as a Case Management Specialist in the Early Childhood Education Division at DCPS. CEELO’s Melissa Dahlin facilitated the conversation as part of the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Family Engagement Community of Practice.

The Home-School Connection (June 2016) features Mary P. Hall, Communication and Outreach Specialist for the Pennsylvania Key, shares information and demonstrates features of the state’s unique GPS (Guiding Parents Smoothly) for families. She also shares other creative and exciting initiatives that build the home-school connection.CEELO’s Melissa Dahlin co-facilitated the webinar as part of the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Family Engagement Community of Practice.

Communicating with Families (2016) discusses strategies for communicating with families using the Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework as a springboard to discuss strengths-based attitudes and relationship-based practices that can build and grow relationships with families, a key to successful communication. Black Thacker from the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement offered her expertise in this webinar as part of the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Family Engagement Community of Practice.

Connecting with Hard to Access Families (February 2016)  was hosted by the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Family Engagement Community of Practice on February 18, 2016. It was targeted for state and program administrative staff interested in reaching and connecting with hard-to-find families. Attendees heard from Deborah Watson (CT Office of Early Childhood) about her state’s strategies. CEELO’s Melissa Dahlin presented findings from research and practice.

Approaches to State Pre-K Eligibility Policy Webinar (July 2015) Approaches to State Pre-K Eligibility Policy: Considerations for Policymakers reviews key findings from a recent policy report by the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes that provides information on state-funded pre-K program eligibility policies and considerations for policymakers as they review or revise eligibility to balance accountability and increase access for high needs children. Susan Hogge, Legislative Fiscal Analyst for Public Education, Virginia House Appropriations Committee offers remarks regarding Virginia’s recently revised eligibility policy for the Virginia Preschool Initiative. Lori Connors-Tadros and Diane Schilder from CEELO also presented. The webinar discusses: components of a high quality pre-K program; access, equity, & sustainability; approaches to eligibility policy; implications for income verification; Virginia’s new eligibility policy; and considerations for policy makers.

• Slides
• Archived webinar
• Approaches to State Pre-K Eligibility Policy: Considerations for Policy Makers in Revising Policy to Increase Access for High Needs Children – CEELO Policy Report
• Examples of State Guidance to Determine and Verify Income Eligibility for Prekindergarten Programs – CEELO Fast Fact

Effectively Engaging Private Partners Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) Program Webinar (March 2015) Hosted by the Virginia Department of Education with assistance from CEELO, this webinar shares successful strategies and lesson learned to strengthen the effectiveness of partnerships across sectors. The purpose and goals were to: promote collaboration between schools and community based partners in increasing access to VPI; provide school staff with successful strategies and solutions to partnering with community-based early education providers; share experiences from two school divisions; and, encourage all school divisions to explore options for partnering with private providers.

• Slides
• Recording

Preschool Expansion Grant Webinar – Setting the Stage for Success: Quality Improvement and Program Evaluation in State Pre-K Programs (March 2015) Hosted by CEELO, this webinar features an interactive discussion with Dr. Steve Barnett, Principal Investigator of CEELO and Director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), along with senior management colleagues from CEELO. The experts share insights on the implementation or expansion of a continuous improvement cycle in state-funded pre-k programs. They also discuss how state leaders can ensure they have sufficient data on the short and long term outcomes of the program. Topics include: foundations of a continuous improvement cycle to improve quality of pre-K programs; options for evaluating quality and effectiveness; key planning points for long-term evaluation of program implementation and impact; and technical assistance available to States.

• Slides
• Recording

Leadership for Early Learning Impact shares tools to support leadership, including habits of systems thinking, driving with data, self as an agent of change, powerful communicating, and collaborating to get things done. This presentation was given by Jana Martella at the Sustainability Planning Meeting held by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care on May 10^th, 2017 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Attendees were Preschool Development Grant – Expansion grantees and other early learning programs. (May 2017)

Cost of Preschool Quality Tool details the goals, purposes, and uses of the Cost of Preschool Quality Tool and provides a short demo of the tool. This presentation was given by Lori Connors-Tadros at the Sustainability Planning Meeting held by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care on May 10^th, 2017 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Attendees were Preschool Development Grant – Expansion grantees and other early learning programs.  (May 2017)

CEELO Presentations from the 2016 Preschool Development Grantees and Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Grantees Annual Meeting November 17, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia.

• Breaking the Mold: Leadership for Early Learning Impact examines the need for new approaches to leadership and initiatives currently underway throughout many RTT-ELC and PDG states and communities to cultivate effective, inspirational B – 3rd leaders, often with the support of national partners. CEELO staff were joined by Leadership Academy Cohort 2 Fellows Tracye Strichik (AL), Bryan Stokes (IL) and Tracy Jost (MD) during this session.
• Cost of Preschool Quality: Using a Tool to Project Costs for Scaling and Sustaining High Quality Preschool Programs shares and demonstrates the Cost of Preschool Quality (CPQ) and how this tool could be used by states to: (1) Estimate the additional funding that would be required to raise standards in an existing program so that these more closely align with the best practice quality standards, (2) Assess the costs of various state specific policy proposals, and (3) Provide information on what will be needed from other sources to sustain funding after federal grant funds end. [Slides | CPQ Quick Start Guide | CPQ Description]
• Financing High Quality Preschool Programs: How States and Communities are Addressing Adequacy, Equity and Efficiency of Funding presents preliminary findings from a study of how local communities (districts and community based programs) use mixed funding sources, including state, federal (including PDG), and local funds, to offer high quality preschool programs, in mixed delivery settings, to children from varied economic backgrounds.  The session discussed lessons learned and recommendations to ensure the financing of high quality preschool programs supports the expected goals and outcomes for children and families. CEELO was joined by state representatives from New York (Tina Rose-Turriglio, Peg Drappo) and Tennessee (Lisa Wiltshire, Kathryn Bostick) during this session. [Slides | Discussion Handout]

Additional Resources

• Coaching Resources
• VPI+ CASTL Annual Report – Excerpts
• CT –  PDG Professional Learning Collaborative
• CT – High Quality Early Childhood Professional Development Systems
• PDG-TA Peer Learning Exchange on Workforce

RESOURCES ON EVALUATION AND MONITORING

• Assessing Accountability and Ensuring Continuous Program Improvement: Why, How and Who (2011), Ellen Frede, Walter Gilliam, and Lawrence Schweinhart, In Pre-K Debates: Current Controversies and Issues Edited by Edward Zigler, Walter S. Gilliam, and W. Steven Barnett. 
• Improving Early Education Programs through Data-based Decision Making (2011), Shannon Riley-Ayers, Ellen Frede, W. Steven Barnett, and Kimberly Brenneman, While state-funded preschool programs have been growing, reliable guidance on how best to study program effectiveness remains limited. This working paper from NIEER presents five options for studying program effectiveness, summarizing each option in chart form and providing estimated costs for each evaluation.
• State Approaches to Evaluating Preschool Programs (2015), Shannon Riley-Ayers andW. Steven Barnett. presents guidance for state policy makers for evaluating the quality and effects of a preschool program. The information here will be valuable as states consider monitoring for program quality and continuous improvement as well as conducting a program evaluation for effectiveness. This document is the first in a series of Short Takes that are designed to be quick resources on key issues of importance to Preschool Development Grant (PDG) states. While geared towards a PDG audience, the information in Short Takes is often of interest to other states and early childhood policymakers.
• State of the States Policy Snapshot: State Pre-K Monitoring and Evaluation Policies (2013), Diane Schilder and Megan E. Carolan, This policy brief from CEELO discusses why evaluation and monitoring systems are important for quality early education and the data states collect to monitor and evaluate pre-k programs.
• Preschool Program Quality Assurance System Discussion Guide (2015), Kate Tarrant. This discussion guide is designed to facilitate policymakers’ review of their state’s Preschool Program Quality Assurance Systems (PPQAS) and serve as a tool to examine and strengthen current approaches. PPQAS often involve shared responsibilities between State Education Agencies and Local Education Agencies and other local partners.

RESOURCES ON PRE-K ELIGIBILITY

• Approaches to State Pre-K Eligibility Policy: Considerations for Virginia Policy Makers (2015), Lori Connors-Tadros.  This presentation provided an overview to the Joint Legislative Committee on Virginia’s Preschool Initiative of national data on state pre-k eligibility policy and considerations for policy makers in ensuring that high need children have equitable access to quality preschool programs. This presentation at the first meeting of the committee charged with providing recommendations to the Governor by November 2015 for reforming the Virginia Preschool Initiative to increase accountability, flexibility and innovation, in partnership with schools and private providers.
• Approaches to State Pre-K Eligibility Policy: Considerations for Policy Makers in Revising Policy to Increase Access for High Needs Children (2015), Megan Carolan and Lori Connors-Tadros. This policy report provides policy makers with information on state-funded pre-K programs’ eligibility policies and the common risk factors used to prioritize enrollment. The report on the risk factors with the strongest impact on children’s school readiness is summarized. The report concludes with considerations for policy makers as they review or revise eligibility to serve more children, effectively and efficiently, in high quality early education programs. (Full Report) (Executive Summary)
• Examples of State Guidance to Determine and Verify Income Eligibility for Prekindergarten Programs (2015), Lori Connors-Tadros, Kirsty Clarke Brown, and Diane Schilder. This FastFact shares income eligibility guidance, tools and resources states have developed for preschool programs  to use determine and verify income eligibility  for and illustrates different approaches states can consider. (May 2015)

Additional resources are available on the Preschool Development and Expansion Grant Technical Assistance Program Website.

CEELO PDG Peer Exchanges.  Peer Exchanges provide opportunities for selected state teams of Preschool Development Grant-Expansion (and in some cases Development grantees) to address critical issues in implementing high-quality preschool programs. The Peer Exchanges are highly interactive and include sharing of successful strategies among states, presentations by experts, and time for facilitated state team action planning. The following Peer Exchanges have been conducted:

• B-3 Systems (September 2016)
• Finance and Sustainability (August 2016)
• Recruitment and Enrollment Peer Exchange (April 2016)
• Professional Learning Communities to Build Local Leadership Capacity (December 2015)
• Effective Curriculum Implementation (November 2015)
• Monitoring for Continuous Quality Improvement (Part 1 – September 2015; Part 2 – March 2017)