Kentucky’s Governors Office of Early Childhood hosted an Early Childhood Care and Education Roundtable on June 19, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky for more than 1000 teachers and leaders of early childhood programs. Lori Connors-Tadros presented remarks on a select panel of leaders on the strengths and opportunities of the Preschool Development Grant- Birth to Five for Kentucky. Following this panel, Lori addressed Kentucky’s Early Childhood Advisory Council and discussed a framework for prenatal to grade three (P -3), outcomes to be expected, and state approaches to implementing P-3.

How do leaders ensure the vision, mission, and objectives for their programs have legs to guarantee that a principled legacy continues past their tenure in early childhood policy and practice? Starting succession planning well before a departure is on the horizon will help the transition to go smoothly when the day arrives. (Presentation at the 2019 NAEYC Professional Learning Institute)

Nothing happens in early childhood except in a system. That system has profound influence on whether what happens is successful and supportive of children … or is not. But too few early childhood professionals understand how early childhood systems work at the local, state or national level. This session provides a primer on systems thinking and systems leadership, and how these concepts apply to early childhood systems. Through simple explanations and focused discussion, this session will help you become more adept at understanding how best to operate within your system. (Presentation at the 2019 NAEYC Professional Learning Institute)

Leadership Development is an ongoing process, and it involves complex skills and abilities related to establishing vision and direction, providing motivation and guidance, and promoting collaboration within and across agencies and programs. This presentation will explore tool kits and resources designed to support knowledge and skill development in individual leaders so they can successfully build and sustain high-quality systems that implement evidence-based practices, such as the HighScope framework.

More than 40 years ago as a teacher and curriculum consultant at HighScope, Ellen Frede was exposed to central principles of teaching, learning. and professional development in early childhood settings. In this keynote, Dr. Frede will describe how these principles have been instrumental in shaping the development of our field and should continue to guide practice in classrooms and programs.

The National Institute for Early Education Research’s State of Preschool Yearbook 2018 provides data to inform policymakers.  Lori Connors-Tadros presented highlights of the 2018 data and research on the importance of PreK-Grade 3 continuity to the Early Childhood Workgroup of the National Association of State Boards of Education and discussed opportunities for state board members to leverage their authority to increase access to high-quality prekindergarten.

CEELO recently released a report on the findings from a national survey of state early childhood education agency staff as part of CEELO’s Early Childhood Legacy 2030 project. Lori Connors-Tadros presented a summary of the findings to the Society for Research in Child Development State Policy Fellows on the characteristics of state early childhood education agency staff and what they believe is most important to realize a legacy for young children by 2030, followed by a discussion of the implications for effective implementation of early childhood state policy.

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has provided state education agencies (SEAs) with new and broadened opportunities to bring early learning to the forefront of their education strategies, and to encourage local school districts to do the same. This presentation provided at the 2019 ESEA Conference discusses the evidence-based early learning initiatives that have emerged as ESSA is implemented across the country and provides advice and recommendations to SEA and LEA leaders on how to seize those opportunities.

The Louisiana legislature charged the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission with making recommendations to build on the current early care and education (ECE) quality infrastructure. Lori provided commission members with information on how selected states have developed a sustainable financing plan for increasing access to quality ECE, particularly for infants and toddlers.

State level leadership and organizational capacity is essential to leading sustained improvements in early learning opportunities and outcomes. This session at the Ounce of Prevention – Partnership for PreK Improvement (PPI) peer learning convening highlights the CEELO Vision paper and discusses organizational capacity, effectiveness, and leadership and staff capabilities necessary for states to lead improvement in the long-term.  Presenters also explore strategies and opportunities for advocacy that focus on creating the organizational capacity necessary to advance PPI’s work. You can also explore this work further on our project page on Highly Effective Offices of Early Learning.

Leadership development is an on-going process and it involves complex skills and abilities related to establishing vision and direction, providing motivation and guidance, and promoting collaboration within and across agencies and programs. This 3-hour session explores toolkits and resources designed to support knowledge and skill development in individual leaders to enable them successfully build and sustain high quality systems that implement evidence-based practices.

CEELO and NIEER presenters provided information during this webinar to the National Council of State Legislatures Early Learning Fellows Program, highlighting how to design PreK programs for success, and craft policies to reach goals. The presentation focuses on costs and revenues, selected high-capacity states, and how to seize opportunities in ESSA, PDG and other resources. (August 2018)