1. RTT-Early Learning Challenge Illinois’ Promises October 24, 2011

2. Our Reform Agenda • Deepening alignment and integration: • State systems • Local systems, with a focus on areas of concentrated high need • Identifying all high need children/families and providing high quality supports and programs • Moving programs from adequate to good and from good to great

3. Win or Lose: What We’ve committed to do

4. Integration at the State Level • “Birth to 8 Interagency Implementation Center” • Integrated budget and common performance management and accountability system for Early Learning and Development Programs across: • ISBE • IDHS • IDCFS • Joint responsibility across these departments for outcomes

5. Quality Counts (TQRIS) • Will become a jointly administered system (IDHS and ISBE) covering all early learning programs (except home visiting and EI) • Child care centers and homes • Head Start/Early Head Start • Preschool for All • Private preschools that are licensed through DCFS • New criteria that more explicitly spell out the “roadmap to quality” • At the highest tiers, much stronger emphasis on instructional quality

6. Quality Counts—immediate next steps • Develop criteria for Star Level 5 • Refine how ERS measures will be used at Levels 2-4 (weighting of subscales, etc.) • Plan for getting the word out to programs about the changes • Plan for public awareness campaign

7. Birth to Five Early Learning & Development Standards • New Birth to Three standards • Thoroughly revised Three to Five standards • Integrated roll-out process

8. ELD Standards—Immediate Next Steps • Finish creating age-specific benchmarks • Develop resource guides • Plan for updating all the resources that already exist supporting the Early Learning Standards

9. Workforce Development • All EC professionals brought into Gateways to Opportunity registry • Immediate Next Steps: • Plan for getting the word out to programs about need to register their staff in Gateways

10. Kindergarten Assessment • RFSP for KIDS instrument has been issued • Instrument selected will be piloted in 2012-13 in a variety of districts • Substantial statewide implementation in 2013-14 • Full state implementation in 2014-15 • Implementation committee already in place

11. What else we’ll do if we get the funding(and what we’d like to figure out how to do even if we don’t!)

12. Quality supports • Expansion of supports for moving up quality levels • Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood Teaching and Leading • Study of costs of providing care at different Star Levels; redesign reimbursement/incentives to reflect true costs • Policy changes to support participation in high quality programs • Technical assistance to communities looking to create more collaboration programs and “Community Connections” programs

13. Workforce Development • New credentials • Family Worker • Technical Assistance/Coaching • Home Visitor • Family Child Care • Scholarships to get ESL/Bilingual endorsement • Faculty institutes to strengthen coursework at IHEs

14. Data • Consortium for Early Learning Research • Link HS/EHS into state data systems • Data for Community Systems Project • Extension of Illinois Shared Learning Environment to early childhood • Integrate DCFS Sunshine system with Quality Counts rating data and make all available on parent-friendly web site

15. Community Collaborations • Supported to • Coordinate outreach to families • Adopt a universal family screening/risk assessment • Implement comprehensive referral, linkage, and follow-up system • Community-level accountability for early learning outcomes

16. Where would the $70 million go?

17. Supporting State-Level Integration • Interagency Center Staffing & related systems integration—$3.6 Million • Data integration projects-$12.2 Million • KIDS implementation-$3 Million • Research-$3 Million • Quality Counts-expanded monitoring and infrastructure (incl DCFS outreach)-$9 Million • Public awareness campaign-$2 Million

18. Community Collaborations • Consortium for Community Systems Development-$1.9 Million • Includes support for developing more Community Connections model programs (linking FCC to preschool) • Community Collaborations-$7 Million • Strengthening Families expansion – $1 Million

19. Adequate to Good and Good to Great • Consortium for Workforce Development-$1.9 Million • Adequate to Good Quality supports- $11.1 Million • Good to Great Quality supports- $6.1 Million • Gateways expansion (new credentials, more PDAs, Registry expansion)- $4.9 Million • Scholarships & PD expansion-$2.8 Million