Kansas Early Learning Collaborative

KANSAS EARLY LEARNING COLLABORATIVE

GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

GOAL ONE:  Expand and enhance high-quality, research-based services to pregnant women, infants and toddlers in un-served and underserved communities throughout the state.

2. Increase the availability of Kansas Early Head Start by 12 percent, to a total of 1,249 pregnant women, infants and toddlers, in 12 communities.

4. Expand high-quality child care to infants and toddlers in 12 communities.

6. Serve an additional 550 families with 687 children prenatal to 3 years of age through Parents as Teachers in 12 communities.

8. Increase the availability of Healthy Families to provide new services to 180 families in 8 communities.

GOAL TWO:  Integrate prenatal to age 5 services at the community level through a collaborative systems model, including a centralized referral system, common outcomes and shared resources.

2. Establish a clear model of collaboration to which all community providers receiving ECBG funds are held accountable.

4. Provide research-based technical assistance to strengthen community-based collaboration.

6. Expand successful models, such as the Connections referral system in Wyandotte County and Success by Six in Shawnee County, to other communities.

8. Identify common outcomes among the KELC service providers which can be tracked and continuously improved.

10. Increase the number of community providers sharing resources such as training, consultation and other support services.

GOAL THREE:  Increase the number of qualified professionals providing early care and education, particularly those serving infants and toddlers.

2. Provide intensive, coordinated family services and high quality child care in seven targeted communities across Kansas.

4. Increase availability of professional pre-service training for 240 child care staff throughout Kansas.

6. Embed inclusion throughout the infant/toddler service delivery system.

8. Train all KELC partners on best practices in screening designed to enhance early intervention for children with special needs.

10. Expand the practice of inclusion of all children in KELC partner programs.

KANSAS EARLY LEARNING COLLABORATIVE

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

GOAL FOUR:  Embed inclusion throughout the infant/toddler service delivery system.

2. Train all KELC partners on best practices in screening designed to enhance early intervention for children with special needs.

4. Expand the practice of inclusion of all children in KELC partner programs.

GOAL FIVE:  Strengthen mental health consulting services and embed social-emotional development into birth-to-five early learning settings.

2. Implement the Kansas Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement System, with more professionals completing their endorsement and more professionals in the portfolio development process.

4. Provide mental health consultation services in at least seven targeted communities.

GOAL SIX:  Expand the use of the Kansas Quality Rating System to increase quality and to support more informed decision-making by parents.

2. Increase the percentage of rated providers to 15% in at least one community, allowing publication and utilization of ratings to support parent choice and impacting child care for 1,416 children.

4. Initiate development of a tiered system of SRS child care subsidies linked to QRS ratings.