Parent+Education

Meeting Dates and Location December 5, 2008 @ 8:45am. Meeting is located at Quinebaug Valley Community Center (QVCC) - Room #6, 729 Main Street in Willimantic, CT 06226

Meeting Minutes ** Windham’s Children: A Plan for the Future ** ** Community Planning Initiative for Children, Birth to Age 9 ** ** Parenting Education and Support Work Group ** __ Meeting Highlights __ 11-24-08 __ Attendance __ : Delia Berlin, Jim Belisle, Kim Russo, Lt. Mary Beth Curtis, Mary A. DeMarco, Michalene Bedard, Michael Pernal, Phyllis Bonneau, Maribeth Stearns, Adrianne Levine, Ruth Freeman __ Absent __ : Bill Stover, Cathy Tormey, Joe Randazzo The context of this planning process was reviewed by meeting facilitator, Ruth Freeman. The purpose of the process is to develop a comprehensive plan for Windham children from birth to nine years old which addresses the needs and gaps related to children’s success. The goal is to have a draft plan, with recommendations, in place by January to be part of the legislative agenda. This phase of the planning will include about three meetings of this work group. Three other work groups are meeting and these are: Early Care and Education, Health and Nutrition, and Welcoming Schools. Further work will be accomplished in the spring by all the groups. The main steps of the planning process will include: · Convene stakeholders · Select desired results and indicators · Gather baseline data and trend data · Investigate the story behind baseline and trends · Learn about effective intervention strategies (what “works”) · Recommend and implement change strategy based on knowledge and consensus · Repeat The group reviewed Windham’s Vision for young children: // Windham families, schools and the community will ensure the health, safety and optimal intellectual and personal development of all children birth to eight years old. // // Our system of early care and education will equalize access to positive experiences for all young children by providing services that are: // · // Comprehensive (include health, mental health, family safety, parent and child education // ·  // Inclusive (offered in a respectful environment, regardless of income level, need or cultural background) // ·  // High Quality (meets or exceeds current professional standards and those defined by customer satisfaction) // ·  // Integrated (organized in a clear, family friendly manner through collaborative delivery of programs) // // Core values –  // ·  // Increase diversity // ·  // Full community participation // ·  // Improved accessibility // ·  // Increased socioeconomic integration // The group was encouraged to consider this vision and the judicious use of resources and, finally, to “think outside the box” as they take the next steps in planning.   The following objectives for this first meeting were outlined:  1.  Establish the population  2.  Identify results  3.  Determine indicators at the population level 4. Rate indicators by their “power” ** Population ** The group agreed that the population to be considered is: “Parents and other caregivers of children from prenatal development to nine years old.” ** Results ** The group proposed the following results as the outcome of this plan: “All caregivers have high hopes and goals for their children to achieve each child’s full potential regarding · Education · Health · Mental health · Well-being · Future success All children are raised in home settings that are safe, provide sufficient nurturing and support learning at home and school.” ** Indicators ** The group brainstormed the following list of possible indicators of progress: · Increased school attendance · Increased parent attendance at school events · Increased students arriving at school on time · Decreased DCF incidence of substantiated abuse and/or neglect · Decreased rates of domestic violence · Decreased rates of juvenile delinquency · Increased academic achievement as measured by grades, SAT scores, college admissions · Graduation rate – 8th grade, high school, college · Decreased drop out rate · Increased participation in childbirth classes · Increased use of library cards · Increased participation in Family Resource Center activities and use of services · Rate of children from bilingual families who remain bilingual and achieve similar levels of proficiency in English as native speakers · Rate of children who arrive at kindergarten with developmentally appropriate language skills · Rate of parents and other caregivers with high school diploma or GED The following indicators were ranked the top five by participants: 1. School attendance 2. Parent and other caregiver attendance at school events and Rate of children who arrive at kindergarten with developmentally appropriate language skills (tied) 3. Rate of parents and other caregivers with high school diploma or GED 4. DCF incidence of substantiated abuse and/or neglect Each participant received a document defining a way to rank the “power” of the five chosen indicators. These are: __ Communication Power __ – the indicator must be clear enough that it is easily understood by the general public. __ Proxy Power __ – the indicator tells us something important, and is indicative of other related data. __ Data Power __ – the data must be readily available (if you can get it within an hour it is ranked “high”) Each participant completed the document, voting on each kind of “power” for each indicator. See table below for summary of participant votes. ** Indicators Review ** ** Possible Indicator ** |||||| ** Communication Power ** |||||| ** Proxy Power ** |||||| ** Data Power ** || || ** High ** || ** Med. ** || ** Low ** || ** High ** || ** Med. ** || ** Low ** || ** High ** || ** Med. ** || ** Low ** || School attendance || 0 || 0 ||  4 ||  5 ||  0 ||  1 ||  0 || Rate of parent attendance at school related events || 5 || 4 ||  0 ||  1 ||  0 ||  6 ||  3 ||  0 || Rate of DCF substantiated incidents of abuse and/or neglect || 2 || 0 ||  2 ||  0 ||  2 ||  0 || Rate of children arriving at K with appropriate level of language development || 4 || 5 ||  0 ||  3 ||  0 ||  1 ||  8 ||  0 || % parents with high school diplomas || 4 || 5 ||  0 ||  3 ||  0 ||  4 ||  5 ||  0 || The next meeting of the work group is at 8:45 AM on Friday, 5 December 2008 at QVCC in Willimantic. //Ruth Ettenberg Freeman, LCSW// //     Parenting Services Coordinator  // //     EASTCONN //
 * Overview **
 * 9 ** ||
 * 8 ** ||
 * 8 ** ||
 * 7 ** ||
 * 7 ** ||
 * 7 ** ||
 * 6 ** ||
 * 6 ** ||

Results

Indicators

Baseline Data

Strategies

Budget Cost Fiscal Scan

Action Plan

Other Data