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Discovery Contributions to Discovery Contributions to Recent EC Policy Results–Recent EC Policy Results–The View from State-Level The View from State-Level Grantees and StakeholdersGrantees and Stakeholders

Discovery Contributions to Discovery Contributions to Recent EC Policy Results–Recent EC Policy Results–The View from State-Level The View from State-Level Grantees and StakeholdersGrantees and Stakeholders

Prepared by the Center for Assessment & Policy Development for the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund – April 2008

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Discovery Contributions to Discovery Contributions to Recent EC Policy Results–Recent EC Policy Results–The View from State-Level The View from State-Level Grantees and StakeholdersGrantees and Stakeholders

Discovery Contributions to Discovery Contributions to Recent EC Policy Results–Recent EC Policy Results–The View from State-Level The View from State-Level Grantees and StakeholdersGrantees and Stakeholders

Report of Findings: April 2008Report of Findings: April 2008

Overview of this report

• Purpose• Report “Road Map”

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SUSTAINED FOCUS ON EC AND CAPACITY TO INFLUENCE POLICY

With manycommunities

With severalstatewide

organizations

With state agencies

& initiatives

Critical Mass

PoliticalMomentum

Cumulative Results

EnhancedCapacities

the Memorial Fund APPROACH & STRATEGIES

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SHORT-TERM RESULTS FROM INITIATIVE CAPACITY BUILDING INTERVENTIONS

Withcommunities

Withstatewide

organizations

With state system entities

Collaborative processes

& communityinfrastructure

Networks &

partnerships

Organizational processes

& infrastructure

System building

processes &

infrastructure

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the Memorial Fund STRATEGIESFOR CAPACITY BUILDING

With communities

With statewide

organizations

With state agencies and

initiatives

•Small grants•TA/Tools

•Convenings•Liaisons

•Website &listserv

•Grant support•Convenings

•TA

•Staff leadership

•Facilitation support

•Matching funds

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THE DISCOVERY STATEWIDE AND REGIONAL GRANTEES

The Discovery Statewide and Regional Grantees:

Who They Are & What They Do

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Who are the Statewide & Regional Grantees Considered

Critical to Discovery?• Bridgeport Hospital

ChildFirst program• Connecticut Association

for Human Services• Connecticut Center for

School Change• Connecticut Early

Childhood Alliance• CHDI Early Childhood

DataCONNections• Connecticut Parent

Power

• Connecticut Voices for Children

• Danbury Children First• League of Women Voters

Community Conversations• Local Initiatives Support

Corporation • Meriden Children First • Parent Trust Fund• United Way of

Connecticut • Yale Child Study Research

Center

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What is the Focus of Work of the Grantees?

Among the 14 grantees, work was mainly focused on: – Early care and education– Health/mental health – Parent engagement/leadership – School system reform

–Civic Engagement

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What Strategies are Used by the Grantees?

Among the 14 grantees, a diverse set of strategies were reported:– Technical assistance to communities– Data/Research– Advocacy– Parent leadership and training – Parent/Community organizing– Supporting communication, coordination

and collaboration among statewide organizations

– Facilities improvement and development– Developing and replicating a service model

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How Closely do These Grantees Believe Their Work is Aligned with Discovery?

• These core grantees see their work as closely aligned with the Discovery initiative

• More grantees report being closely aligned to the strategies and values of Discovery (such as parent engagement and collaboration) than to the four objectives

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How is the Work of these Grantees linked

with the Discovery Communities?

• 13 grantees have worked directly with communities receiving Discovery grants

• 12 grantees were linked to communities receiving Discovery grants through membership in a common organization (the Early Childhood Alliance)

• 9 grantees expressed a strong desire to work more closely with communities

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How is the Work of these Grantee Organizations Linked with Parents?

• Though most statewide and regional grantee organizations have had some contact with parents, few organizations work with parents directly on a regular basis

• However, two of the organizations that are focused on parent organizing and leadership have reported increased capacity to do this work

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How are the Grantees Connected with Each Other in

Their Work? • All 14 statewide and regional

grantees identify at least one other state-level grantee as a partner in their work

• 9 grantees identify 4 or more other grantees as key partners

Supporting the Statewide and

Regional Grantees — Strategies & Results

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What are the Memorial Fund’s Major Strategies for

Supporting Grantee Work? • Grants • Incubator support for new organizations• Technical assistance to several key

organizations • Occasional convenings of grantee

organizations• Staff availability and engagement

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What do Grantees report as the Contribution of the Memorial Fund to their

Capacities? • More staff with focused expertise• Stronger partnerships among

organizations and with new organizations • Stronger connections to communities• Increased funding• Improved technology• Creating an appetite for data

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What do Grantees Report as Critical Memorial Fund

Supports for their Work? • Helping to leverage funds & other resources• Providing knowledge, insight, advice• Supporting communications & dissemination• Sharing contacts & providing access • Attending key meetings & events• Providing visibility to the work

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What do Grantees Report as Critical Supports for

Connections and Collaboration?

• Encouraging contacts & relationships• Providing opportunities for collaboration

with communities and each other• Convening diverse groups • Providing space/food/assistance with

arrangements for meetings•Providing technical assistance

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What do Grantees Report as Critical in the Memorial

Fund’s Approach?

• Relationships with staff are key• Flexibility• Sustained attention to ECE issues• Consistent commitment to core

values and goals

Early Results from Work of the Statewide & Regional

Grantees – Their Perspective

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Summary: Results through 2006

The work of the statewide and regional grantees has contributed to:

• Stronger connections between organizations working on early childhood issues

• Increased capacity for data collection and dissemination and policy research

• Increased capacity for grassroots organizing

• Broader base of attention and support for early childhood education and

related issues

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Stronger connections between grantee

organizations working on early childhood issues

• Statewide and regional grantees report closer connections to each other

• Staff changes and new staff have led to new opportunities for collaboration

• Grantees report more coordination around research, analysis, policy proposals and developing policy strategies

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Continued strong capacity for data

collection/dissemination and policy research

•Data collection and research expertise is well represented among the grantees

•Grantees report that their work is more relevant and responsive to user needs

•Data from grantees are used to inform the work of the ECE Education Cabinet

•Data collection and policy research capacity is recognized and valued by the grantees

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Increased capacity for grassroots organizing

• Statewide and regional grantees report new momentum around parent and community organizing

• Grantees report increased capacity to do organizing and policy work

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Broader base of attention and support for

early childhood issues• Grantees report increased awareness of

and focus on early childhood issues • Grantees are encouraged by the positive

policy developments of the past several years

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CONTRIBUTIONS TO POLICY – THE 2007 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Overview of 2007 Legislative Session ECE Outcomes

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Results from the 2007 Legislative Session Related to

Early Care & Education• $56.2 million dollars of new money for SFY 08

and SFY 09 Early Childhood Education Cabinet goals

• Memorial Fund partnership with Department of Education and Cabinet to support local community planning for young children

• Memorial Fund matching funds for new investment for parent leadership training through the Parent Trust Fund

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Putting the Numbers in Context

• 2007 Legislative Session – Major New Investments• New dollars, more preschool slots• Increased preschool subsidy rates for State Funded

Centers• Increased access to Birth to 3• Funding for the Parent Trust Fund• Funding for a quality rating system for childcare

centers• Funding for linking Head Start to existing early

childhood programs• More funding for ECE Cabinet• More funds for facilities

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Putting the Numbers in Context

• 2007 Legislative Session – Flat Funding in Other Areas• Funding in FY 08 not much higher than

in 2002 = reduction in inflation-adjusted dollars

• No expansion of Care 4 Kids (child care subsidy program)

• Flat funding for Head Start • Flat funding for Family Resource Centers

•No new quality enhancement funding

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State Stakeholder Perspectives on Memorial Fund

Contributions to Legislative Results

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Stakeholders’ Perspective-The Political Environment

• All felt the environment for ECE issues in CT has improved since 2001

• Particular areas that are viewed as having improved:

– More state level political support

– Greater awareness about the issues

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Stakeholders’ Perspective-Value of the Memorial Fund

Approach

• Long-term commitment to the issue

• Knowledge and information

• Neutral, objective voice

• Building relationships

•Statewide approach

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Stakeholders’ Perspective -Contributions of the

Work with State Agencies and Initiatives

• Providing leadership

• Leveraging resources, providing matching funds

•Building state-level capacity

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Stakeholders’ Perspective - Contributions of the

Work of Statewide Organizations• ECE advocacy organizations seen as well

organized to work on these issues

• Advocates seen as key capacity in the state for moving the work forward

•Most of the organizations cited as strong advocates and champions for the work are Memorial Fund partners or grantees

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Stakeholders’ Perspective - Statewide Organizations

Making Contributions

• Early Childhood Alliance• Connecticut Commission on Children• Connecticut Voices for Children• Connecticut Parent Power• Connecticut Association for Human

Services • Child Health and Development Institute

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Stakeholders’ Perspective - Contributions of the

Work with Communities• Capacity building

• Replicable programs, systems

• Momentum and awareness around ECE

• Local wins

•Increased access to legislators

State Stakeholder Perspectives on Continuing

Challenges in ECE Policy

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Stakeholders’ Perspective-Parent Voice

• Advocacy groups and ECE providers are seen as driving the work

• Parent voice is not yet significant in the state policy work

• CT Parent Power is seen as an effective advocacy organization

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Stakeholders’ Perspective-Challenges Going Forward• Legislator perceptions that ECE now

adequately addressed

• Competing issues

•Lack of strong voter interest

•Lack of common agenda among advocates

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Stakeholders’ Perspective-What’s Needed

to Sustain the Work (1)• A shared vision

• Coordinated system

• Community Capacity and Infrastructure

• Community impact on state policy

• Evidence of results from public investments

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Stakeholders’ Perspective-What’s Needed

to Sustain the Work (2)

• More diverse champions

• Messages that engage the voting public

• More active parent voice

SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS

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Summary- Developing Capacities

among Statewide Organizations

Grantees and other stakeholders reported the most growth in capacity in the following areas:

• Connections between organizations• Capacity for data collection and

research• Broader support for early childhood

issues

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Summary- Needed Capacities in the State

Statewide grantee organizations & stakeholders both reported the following areas as needing to be strengthened:

• Coordinated vision among advocates• Stronger community connection to the

work at the state level• Stronger parent voice at the state level• Continued focus of legislators on EC

issues

Summary-- Contributions to 2007 Legislative

Results • Memorial Fund approach to the work• Memorial Fund leadership in state

policy work• Work of the statewide organizational

grantees• Capacity-building work in

communities

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Ongoing Challenges Facing ECE Proponents

• Sustaining momentum into the 2009 session

• Building public will• Continued/increasing public

investment• Amplifying parent voice and

leadership

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Continuing Discovery Initiative Strategies

• Leveraging public funds with private investments

• Enhanced investment in and support for communities and statewide partners

• Grant support for a communications campaign

• Leadership

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Looking Ahead to the Next Evaluation

Questions

How will the Discovery capacity-building strategies contribute to:

• further changes in local and state policies and practices?

• strengthening of community and state capacities to sustain attention to early childhood issues?