FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
General |
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Completion of Early Learning Coalition Plan |
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What is Early Learning?
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2004A/House/bills/billtext/pdf/h0001Aer.pdf
What is the Office of Early Learning?
The Office of Early Learning (OEL) serves as the principal organization responsible for enhancement of school readiness. The OEL has duties which include providing final approval and an annual review of coalitions and plans; safeguarding the effective use of federal, state, local, and private resources to achieve the highest possible level of school readiness for the state's children; adopting a system for measuring school readiness that provides objective data regarding the expectations for school readiness and can be used to assist in determining program effectiveness; developing and adopting performance standards and outcome measures and preparing a plan for measuring school readiness which includes a uniform screening that will provide objective data regarding expectations for school readiness.
The OEL is assigned to the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI), which administers school readiness funds, plans, and policies.
What are Early Learning Coalitions and plans?
Early Learning Coalitions consist of 18 to 25 members, with more than 1/3 of the members from the private sector. Counties serving less than 400 children must join in a coalition with another county, share a fiscal agent, or demonstrate efficiency and effective plan implementation. Each coalition must implement a plan that includes a comprehensive program of school readiness services that enhance the cognitive, social, and physical development of children to achieve the performance standards and outcome measures specified by the Office of Early Learning. There are 50 local early learning coalitions, each operating under a plan approved by the Office of Early Learning representing all of Florida’s 67 counties.
Who is eligible to participate in the school readiness program?
Proviso language in the 2003 Appropriations Act gives priority for participation in the school readiness program to children from families that are receiving temporary cash assistance and meet federal work participation requirements. Other eligible participants are children under kindergarten age who are at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation, children at risk of welfare dependency including economically disadvantaged children, children of participants in the welfare transition program, children of migrant farm workers, children of teen parents, and children of working families whose family income does not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty. Three and 4-year old children who may not be economically disadvantaged but who have disabilities, economically disadvantaged children, children with disabilities, children at risk of future school failure from birth to 4 years who are served at home through home visitors programs and intensive parent education programs are eligible. Children who meet federal and state requirements for migrant preschool but who do not meet the criteria of economically disadvantaged are also eligible. Effective July 1, 2002, children for whom the state is paying a relative caregiver payment are a new eligibility category. Once in the program, the child may remain until kindergarten without regard to family income level, subject to adjustment to the family’s co-payment on the sliding fee scale.
What are the applicable statutes and rules?
http://www.floridajobs.org/earlylearning/IMPI.html
How are school readiness programs funded?
In fiscal year 2005-2006, funding was provided from:
SCHOOL READINESS FUNDS
Child Care Development Fund
$379.6 million
General Revenue
$178.20 million
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
$111.5 million
Federal Dept. of Education-Even Start
$1 million
Federal Dept. of Children & Families-Social Services Block Grant
$500,000
Local Funds
$700,000
TOTAL SCHOOL READINESS FUNDS
$671.5 million
VOLUNTARY PREKINDERGARTEN (VPK) FUNDS
General Revenue - Headquaters Administration
$5.8 million
General Revenue (Channeled from DOE through a trust fund) - to Coalitions
$387.1 million
TOTAL VPK FUNDS
$392.9 million
TOTAL EARLY LEARNING FUNDS
$1064.4 million
The average number of children served monthly with school readiness funds, between March 2005 and February 2006 were:
Infants
8,563
Toddlers
17,978
2 yr. olds
22,217
3 yr. olds
23,764
4 yr. olds
24,212
5 yr. olds
13,861
Over 5 yr. olds
59,992
TOTAL
170,587*
In addition, 36,349 children are served in Head Start’s programs for children birth to school age.
Where can I get additional information?
Agency for Workforce Innovation
The Office of Early Learning
The Caldwell Building
107 E Madison Street, Suite 100
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
(850) 922-4200
Where do I find more information on Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten?
http://www.upkflorida.org/index.cfm?Page=faqs
What timeline should be used for this plan? What year-end date should be used for measurement? Is a mid-year measurement required, and if so, what date should be used for that measurement?
The Office of Early Learning has approved a plan timeline of 18 months. It is anticipated that most plans will be approved in February or March, 2003 and will remain effective through June 30, 2004 (with amendments as required). Initial instructions regarding the planning process indicated a one year timeline (July 1, 2002 – June 30, 2003), with no mid-year measurements required given the mid-year plan submission deadline. Early learning coalitions may choose to submit under the one year guidelines with the understanding that amendments will be required by July 1, 2003. The best practice recommendation is to submit a plan under the 18 month timeline, select an appropriate mid-year measurement point, and identify mid-year, as well as, year-end measurements.
Also, please note that 18-month plans should take into account that early learning coalitions will receive quality initiative funds directly in fiscal year 2003-2004. Whereas, central agencies received quality initiative funds in fiscal year 2002-2003 and worked in concert with local coalitions, local coalitions will receive and be responsible for quality initiatives in 2003-2004. Keep in mind that the quality funds earmarked for child care resource and referral and school-age care, infant and toddler care, and additional quality expansion activities are separate and above the designated 4% for quality availability and enhancement activities.
How might early learning coalitions address Goal 1, required element a? Would use of a program evaluation tool be appropriate to assess “research-based activities and instruction”?
There are a wide variety of ways that early learning coalitions may address this element, and there is no single approach that is best. Some early learning coalitions may be in the initial stages of addressing this element, whereas others may have already made considerable efforts in this area. Some early learning coalitions may want to study and develop guidelines for “research-based activities and instructions”. Others may have identified particular curricula as “research-based” and plan to provide training on the curricula. Identifying a program evaluation tool that assesses the use of research-based activities and instruction is another approach.
In the “statement of community strengths and challenges” under Section II of the plan, is it appropriate to simply provide a bulleted list of strengths and challenges?
Local coalitions should provide a clear picture of their communities and the organizational structure of service delivery. This section should set the stage for the plan as it will be used by reviewers in assessing the meaningfulness of objectives for the coalition. A good description of the community, its assets and needs, will help reviewers in understanding the plan. If done well, a reader of this section should be able to immediately identify priority areas. A bulleted list is unlikely to provide a clear description.
In an 18-month planning period, what does “short-term” mean in “short-term priorities”?
Short-term should be interpreted as within the current planning cycle. Thus, it would be within 18 months for an 18-month planning period. “Long-term priorities” would refer to priorities for 2 to 5 years in the future.
What FEID number is required in Section 1, Early Learning Coalition Identification Information?
The early learning coalition’s FEID number should be provided. Do not provide the FEID number of the fiscal agent.
Who may be designated private sector to meet early learning coalition membership requirements?
On the early learning coalition membership form (Form A), early learning coalitions are asked to indicate whether members are private sector AND neither they nor their families earn an income from early care and education. This box should only be checked if both parts of this statement are true. For example, there would be no check in this box for members that operate a private child care center. This designation is reserved for members appointed by the chamber of commerce or economic development council.
The issue as to what constitutes a member from the “private sector” has been raised on numerous occasions. It has been interpreted to apply to those individuals who are affiliated with the private industry, such as a business owner, an employee of a private business or any private enterprise. This would not include a private citizen who is not employed or affiliated with the private industry, such as a parent who is not employed. However, a person who is retired from the private sector could be considered as a representative of the private sector.
The definition of “private sector” in accordance with BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY, is “the part of the economy or an industry that is free from direct governmental control” versus the definition of “public sector”, which is “the part of the economy or an industry that is controlled by the government”. Furthermore, the term “private sector” is referred to in several attorney general opinions and used synonymously with the terms “private corporation”, “private enterprise”, and “private business”, see Ops. Att’y. Gen. Fla. 85-49(1985) and 95-44(1995).
Are all objectives required to reflect improvements or increases in services?
No, some objectives may be to maintain current services or efforts. In such instances, objectives should simply reflect maintenance of effort with activities and measurements that sustain and track the status quo.