Celebrating 40 Years 1980~2020
EARLY CHILDHOOD INITIATIVES
Early Childhood Initiatives (ECI) focuses on
children from birth to grade 3, offering a wide array of consultation, professional development (PD), technical assistance, coaching and direct services to the region’s early care and education programs, school districts and communities. PD includes support for strategic planning, program development, accreditation and professional learning on standards, curriculum, assessment and instruction. Parent education is also provided to the communities we serve. ECI administers and provides direct services to children and their families as the grantee for the state-funded Birth to Three program and the federally-funded Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Windham and Tolland counties.
COVID-19 Response
Our NAEYC-accredited Head Start and Early Head Start programs develop children’s executive function and social skills, and deliver comprehensive services, including health, nutrition education, dental, mental health and family support.
In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic and program-site closings in mid-March, Early Childhood Initiatives staff continued to deliver direct services, using innovative, new approaches and online platforms and strategies to communicate with children and families. Staff worked remotely to ensure that children, birth to grade 3, kept their learning and developmental progress on track, and that our families continued to get the support they needed. Learn more about pandemic-related data and strategies used by ECI staff, and the services they provided, in the COVID-19 Response Supplement insert.
2019-2020 HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS Regional Programs for Young Children & Families Birth to Three Program
This early-intervention program builds upon the supports and skills of families in order to meet the developmental and health-related needs of infants and toddlers who qualify, based on delays or disabilities. We assist family members and caregivers to enhance children’s learning and development through everyday learning opportunities and research-based practices. Starting in
mid-March, and in spite of the COVID-19 crisis, Birth to Three continued to serve a record number of children and families across 32 towns in the EASTCONN region, providing virtual interactions, including “home” visits, video-resource-sharing, phone calls, and other strategies to stay connected with families and keep children’s development on track. This year, the number of children evaluated and eligible grew by 14%, increasing the average number of new, monthly evaluations to 29. The monthly program-wide caseload averaged 230 children and families; with more than 400 children and families
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EARLY CHILDHOOD INITIATIVES | HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
120
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Early childhood educators attended our Infant/Toddler Conference
Our Birth to Three program provides essential services to children in their natural environments, using the coaching model for all eligible children with significant delays. We also provide services for children with more intensive needs, such as medical or diagnosed conditions like autism and Down Syndrome.
receiving services within the last year. As a result, staff grew to 15, in addition to 36 outside contractors. We provided intensive services for more than 60 children with more significant needs, such as medical complications, autism, Down Syndrome, etc. Of special note:
• Child Outcomes: Of the infants and toddlers with
Individual Family Service Plans, 74% demonstrated improved positive social-emotional skills, including social relationships; 86% demonstrated improved acquisition and use of knowledge and skills, including early language/communication; and 87% demonstrated improved use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.
• Birth to Three Annual Family Survey: Families
enrolled for more than 6 months were surveyed and reported feeling more confident and competent; 89% reported Birth to Three helped them effectively communicate their child’s needs; 96% reported Birth to Three helped their child develop and learn; and 91% felt informed about their rights under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) law.
Early Head Start & Head Start Both before and during COVID-19-related closures, our federally and state-funded Head Start and Early Head Start programs used a variety of in-person and virtual communication strategies to continue serving a combined total of 398 income-eligible children and families, along with 24 prenatal mothers who normally receive in-person services at 9 sites and home-based programs across Tolland and Windham counties. Prior to the pandemic’s arrival, we completed our management team by hiring a new Director of Head Start, and a number of other early childhood professionals who hold key leadership roles.
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EASTCONN Head Start was also recently notified of an increase in federal funding through quality enhancement dollars, starting summer 2020. Also of note:
• Early Head Start: Prior to pandemic-related
closings, we provided center-based, in-person services for 64 infants and toddlers, 111 home-based infants and toddlers, and 8 children who had a combined center-based experience with monthly home visits. This year, 16% of the children enrolled in Early Head Start qualified for Birth to Three services.
• Head Start: Both remotely and in-person, we
provided services to 199 center-based and 16 homebased income-eligible preschool children and their families; 16% of enrolled children have an IEP. Head Start children continued to show significant growth on the High Scope Child Observation Record assessment. We attribute this to continued professional learning for the teaching staff, in particular the two-day High Scope in-service training in August, and the continued implementation of executive function strategies.
• Head Start Goals: Now in its final year of a 5-year
grant cycle, our Head Start Prenatal-to-Five program continued working with families and communities to close the achievement gap and assure that children, especially those with significant barriers, are successful in school and beyond. This program strives to be a model of excellence and innovation in promoting cultural awareness, openness and social-emotional competency among staff, families and children. In February 2020, we held our 2nd Program-Wide Planning meeting, with a data-walk led by Gladys Rivera from the Regional Office of Head Start; resulting data will inform plans throughout 2020.
EARLY CHILDHOOD INITIATIVES | HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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Research shows that children benefit from unguided “purposeful play” that allows them to be creative, use their imaginations and explore new concepts in a social setting. Here, Head Start students glimpse Native American life in a traditional igloo, made from milk cartons.
• Family Goals & Stress Factors: We continued
our collaboration with UConn’s School of Human Development and Family Studies, analyzing data around family-defined goals and outcomes. This year, we implemented the Connecticut Family Outcomes Matrix, which is tied to the Head Start Family and Community Engagement Framework, with a focus on family outcomes. Results helped guide referrals, program improvement efforts and staff PD.
• Head Start School Readiness: EASTCONN
continued to show significant progress in comparing kindergarten-eligible children, using the COR assessment tool. By the end of 2019-20, the data preliminarily indicates that 85% of our Head Start children will meet the benchmarks.
• Dual Language: We have 4 bilingual staff members,
in response to the growing number of HS and EHS families who need Spanish translation services. All year long, bilingual staff provide in-person (prior to the pandemic) home-visits and remote (duringpandemic) visits, as well as center-based and remotebased translation and interpretation for Spanishspeaking families. We provide a Spanish-version Head Start application packet.
• Practice-Based Coaching: Head Start and
EASTCONN ECI staff continued to implement individualized coaching, both face-to-face (prepandemic) and remotely, to improve instructional
strategies and promote best practices, starting this year with our Early Head Start Home Visitors, as well as all classroom staff. Our leadership team reviews implementation, outcomes and next steps.
Statewide Professional Learning & Support for Early Childhood Educators Early Childhood Professional Development • Infant/Toddler Conference: Just prior to
Coronavirus-related closings across Connecticut, EASTCONN coordinated and presented its soldout, 7th annual regional conference, “Connecting with Families: Building Partnerships to Support Children’s Learning,” attended by 120 early childhood educators. The conference focused on understanding and applying ways that early childhood professionals can engage families and children in learning together. Using Galinsky’s Theory about the stages of parenthood, participants reflected on how they currently build partnerships with families to support children’s learning.
• Executive Function & Purposeful Play:
EASTCONN provided training and on-site coaching in 9 communities statewide, pre-Coronavirus, to promote increased child outcomes and success in school; teacher support as they consider the whole child in all domains of development; engagement in evidence-based practices; promotion of higher-order thinking; accountability; and child progress.
“Head Start is a very loving, nurturing environment. My son is always smiling when we walk into school.” – Caleb G.; Head Start Parent www.eastconn.org 3.
EARLY CHILDHOOD INITIATIVES | HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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Prior to COVID-19, EASTCONN provided in-person workshops for community-based, early-care providers, on a wide variety of best-practice content and pedagogical topics. Post-COVID-19, EASTCONN Early Childhood staff collaborated with RESC Alliance colleagues and the state Office of Early Childhood to provide free, virtual professional learning to help providers stay current with the latest learning.
• Distance-Learning for Early Professional Support During COVID-19
As the pandemic swept through the Northeast, EASTCONN staff collaborated with RESC Alliance colleagues and the state OEC to quickly design, launch and deliver a free, statewide, online series of distance-learning options for all early childhood professionals, with links and timely resources housed on the RESC Alliance website.
Quality Improvement Supports Grant
EASTCONN is the lead RESC, collaborating in response to an RFP issued by the Connecticut OEC, to develop and coordinate wide-reaching, PD services across the state through December 2021. EASTCONN has been awarded grant funds that address 6 areas:
• Connecticut Core Knowledge and Competency (CKC ) Framework Support • Fiscal Management Training
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation Support • Quality Assurance and Technical Provider Support • Standards, Curriculum and Assessment Support • Trauma and Insecure Housing Training Support
EASTCONN is also collaborating with Early Childhood Associates and the OEC to establish the grant’s quality assurance measures and professional learning supports for trainers, coaches and technical assistance providers, who are critical to the state’s early childhood workforce and programs. EASTCONN’s Director of Early Childhood Initiatives is the grant’s project manager.
Regional Early Childhood Consultation & Support School Readiness Grants
ECI staff provided School Readiness liaisons and monitoring work in 12 districts. School Readiness liaisons work with Readiness Councils to help them meet Readiness Grant requirements. A comprehensive, staff-designed tool is used to monitor School Readiness programs, based on requirements set by the state OEC. Districts receive feedback, ongoing resources and PD to ensure program quality.
Early Childhood Roundtable
Roundtable meetings, facilitated by ECI staff, help districts meet required training hours, share resources and provide regional PD. Administrators of public-school preschools learn about state and national policies, changes in NAEYC criteria and best practices, and discuss topics of local interest. ECI staff also support administrators’ use of the Connecticut Core Knowledge and Competency (CT CKC) framework as they develop staff PD.
“I always feel supported with everyone on your team always giving positive feedback and helping me be the best parent I can be.” – Brandy D., Head Start Parent 4. www.eastconn.org
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EARLY CHILDHOOD INITIATIVES | HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS Connecticut Core Knowledge & Competency (CT CKC) Framework for Technical Assistance (TA) Providers Our staff collaborated on and supported the implementation of this online self-assessment tool, used by professionals supporting staff who work with young children and their families. The CT CKC for TA Providers framework provides a foundation for professional learning decisions, PD criteria and quality improvement efforts.
Statewide & RESC Alliance Collaborations
Accreditation Quality Improvement System (AQIS) EASTCONN ECI holds the RESC Alliance grant for providing “intensive supports” to 23 programs seeking accreditation or re-accreditation through AQIS; each RESC provided training, self-study, portfolio supports and onsite supports to programs pursuing NAEYC accreditation. In addition, facilitators developed a series for study-group discussions based on the NAEYC Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards and Assessment Items; 159 participants took part. Each session focused on a standard in the new documents and tools. Discussion centered on the analysis of best practices and how to apply them. The study-group process models a team approach, so participants develop strategies for continuing discussions in their own program settings.
Connecticut Documentation & Observations Teaching System (CT DOTS) EASTCONN’s ECI staff and their Early Childhood RESC Alliance colleagues worked with the state Office of Early Childhood to provide training and technical assistance to participants statewide, using the CT DOTS system. CT DOTS provides online tools that help early-care and education providers monitor children’s progress across criteria defined by the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards (CTELDS).
Technical Assistance for the Connecticut Department of Health
The RESC Alliance’s collective Early Childhood staff provided the state Department of Health with technical assistance on nutrition and exercise, for nearly 45 programs statewide.
Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE)
The CSDE has contracted with EASTCONN and the Early Childhood RESC Alliance to develop and deliver trainings to improve the quality of programs serving preschool-age children with IEPs. Training topics include: Writing Standards-Based IEPs using the CTELDS; Increasing Capacity in Community-Based Childcare for Children with Special Needs; Building Sustainable Partnerships Between LEAs and Community-Based Programs; Using CT DOTS to Document Children’s Progress in Special Education; Preschool 101 for Principals Without a Background in Early Childhood; and more.
Early Learning Document Alignment
Staff created a meaningful cross-alignment of the Head Start Early Learning and Outcome Frameworks (HSELOF) with the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards (CTELDS) for all Connecticut early childhood programs, and worked with EASTCONN’s Marketing and Communications group to produce 2 documents that will be used by Head Start programs across the state.
Foundations of Coaching Video
In a follow-up to the Foundations of Coaching video, which highlights the key principles of coaching in various early childhood settings, EASTCONN has sought funding to have the video translated into Spanish. Collaborative partners include the OEC, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, All our Kin, Training and Technical Assistance Network, and Birth to Three.
“Your guidance and feedback have been invaluable in the [NAEYC] re-accreditation process. We received the letter stating that our program was successful in becoming re-accredited in late December 2019. Our entire staff is appreciative of the support we received in this process.” - Peggy Falcetta, Program Administrator, Stafford Public Schools www.eastconn.org 5.
EARLY CHILDHOOD INITIATIVES | HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS Executive Function & Purposeful Play; Expanding Our Reach
EASTCONN professional staff are providing training, both in-person and online (following school closures) for educators in pre-K and kindergarten classrooms in all 3 of Waterford’s public elementary schools.
Social/Emotional Health The Connecticut Head Start Collaboration Office funded our State Head Start grant proposal to offer “Mind in the Making” to train Head Start staff on the Seven Essential Life Skills related to Executive Function, so that children and families will realize better outcomes.
Cross-Agency Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Support
ECI staff supported the cross-agency team working to align SEL and academic supports for our region, with service delivery designs. A new format was developed for
2019-2020
Executive Function and Social Competence: Supporting All Children to be Successful, which includes PD with coaching support. This PD provides participants with the components necessary to understand executive function and social competence, and how they influence children’s behavior, learning and peer interactions. This new, research-proven approach will increase teachers’ impact and effectiveness in the classroom.
400+ Children and families received Birth to Three services this year
“We could not be more pleased with the path that [EASTCONN’s] coaching has established for our team.”– Joe Macrino, Principal, Oswegatchie Elementary School
PLANS & IMPLICATIONS FOR 2020-2021 • Direct-Service Early Head Start & Head Start will introduce the “Mind in the Making Modules” to parents, and will document the impact they may have on child outcomes through a research project contracted with UConn.
• Birth to Three Birth to Three will send 2 new teams to participate in the intensive coaching training provided by
Rush and Sheldon, and incorporate it into practice. This model of coaching is required for programs identified by OEC to receive Birth to Three contracts, beginning July 2020. The communities that EASTCONN will serve are changing, allowing us to leverage our human resources more efficiently.
• Two-Generational (2Gen) Initiatives EASTCONN’s Adult Education services and job-training group is working to support a range of adult needs at their Danielson location, including those among Head Start parents. We anticipate that, based on education level and employment, identifying families early in their introduction to Head Start will create better outcomes for children and families, resulting in enhanced employability.
• Quality Improvement Supports
In collaboration with the state OEC, we will support a statewide effort to plan meaningful professional learning through the lens of a trainer, technical assistance provider and coach. The development and revisions of training series for Early Childhood trainers with OEC specialists will gain momentum as Connecticut focuses on building a comprehensive system of care to support early childhood providers.
• Directors’ Support ECI plans to develop a community directors’ group that’s open to member districts, community programs and family child care providers.
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