Early Childhood Action Conference

May 31, 2002

Concordia University, St. Paul, MN

 

Part 2: Final Report on the Sessions

 

Approach:

Each of the five strands at the Conference had its own leaders and recorders.  Some recorders followed a suggested format in their reports; other recorders found that a different formatting followed better the focus and course of their strands.  All of the strand reports provide a useful summary of the events at the conference.  Very little editing was needed, as the reports are both informative and meaningful.

 

Dan Gartrell, June 27, 2002

 

 

Contents:

                                                                                            Page

MnAEYC Initiatives                                                                 2

Political Connections                                                              5

Systems Approach to Financing the Profession                       8

T.E.A.C.H.                                                                           11

Men in Early Childhood Education                                      14

 

  

MnAEYC Initiatives

 

Facilitator:  Kate Zabertini, President-Elect of MnAEYC

 

Recorder:  Penny Warner, MnAECTE,

 

 

1.     Recent history—last 5 years or so

GOALS:

 

 

 

 

 

PROBLEMS:

 

 

2.     Major advancements in progress, major obstacles to progress

 

THREE IDEAS THAT MnAEYC IS WORKING ON

A. TRY TO ESTABLISH A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY

Looking at the Friday of the MnAEYC Conference

 

B. MEGA CONFERENCE IDEA

All of the agencies that work with or for children host a large conference together in effort to make a unified stand.

 

C. STAGING A WALK-OUT/TEACH-OUT/ STRIKE DAY

This event would ask that all people who are working with young children do not work on a specific day.  This will make a publicity statement about the work that we do.

Comments from the group:

·          Public opinion would most likely frown upon a walk out.  This is not teaching the children a positive way to work through a problem.

·          If it is planned out as suggested, then it may not have the same impact because all of the parents will make other plans.

·          Try to make a statement in a more positive way.  More visual for impact:  such as a walk-to a professional day instead of a WALK OUT!   Possibly walk from the Convention Center to the Metrodome to create a visual demonstration of the amount of people who are involved in caring for young children.

·          Question:  Why are we really “walking out_”  It was already mentioned that we need to focus on one htmlect; we need to choose the focus.

 

Question to the group:  Why do you do this_

·          I started this occupation because of the children.  I now am working to make the teachers accountable for the expectations that we have for our program.  (Trying to end the  “stayed, but left” syndrome.)

·          Help teachers “get” what is going on with the children in their care.

·          Helping family child care providers see themselves as professionals.  Also assure that they do something with the children who they work with each day.

·          Want to see more hours of training for family childcare providers.  Confident that there is a “trickle down” effect that some of the training that that we are doing really is getting to the children.

·          Would like to see more research on children who were raised in childcare environments.  (How are they doing later in life_)

·          I enjoy the consultation with the teachers.  Hold the teachers to task.

·          My passion to work with children comes from taking a year off from work and taking care of my own child.  I think that passion is both anger and love.  It calls us into a deeper place.  It takes a while to get there.

·          We must be careful of our strategic events.  Since it does take time, we must plan accordingly.

·          How is our country (our system) set up for taking care of our children_

 

 

3.     Strategies for addressing obstacles and enhancing advancements

 

Two pieces that seem to be evolving from discussion:

1. We need to have a clear message

2. We need an event or way to get that message across

 

Some ideas from the group:

·          Walk for the Cause, like a “walk for the cure”

·          Walk With the Children may have the most visual effect.

·          Parents and their children could have a picnic at the Capitol grounds.

·          Instead of focusing on what the teachers are NOT getting, FOCUS ON WHAT CHILDREN GET FROM THEIR TEACHERS

·          World’s Longest Rope:  have a rope that stretches from the conference center to the Metrodome.  This will get the focus on the topic.

·          Not just at legislature issue; it is a public awareness issue.  That is the way to get it to the legislatures.  One way to do the public awareness is to have

·          Consumer Awareness is also important.  Many parents do not know what to look for in childcare.

·          Ready for K is doing a kick-off in the fall.  Would like to have people from various agencies all hold hands together as a united message.

·          Transition from Preschool to Kindergarten.  New Horizon Child Care has made the move to consult with the school districts and ask for their curriculum, so that the preschool teachers know what to be preparing the students for.

 

 

4.     Planning/coordinating follow-up events

 

EARLY YEARS ARE LEARNING YEARS—MAKE THEM COUNT

·          Kids are important

·          What happens early, matters

·          Systematic development (stages):  foundations

·          EDUCATORS--impact lives

-children            -staff                -parents

·          Children are learning all of the time (impressionable)

·          Picture campaign  (child building with blocks/architect, boy with doll/doctor)

·          Everyone needs to be involved/invested/responsible

·          Ask questions to make people think!

·          What is YOUR issue___  It is all about kids!

·          Research:   what is working in other countries_  What has changed the military view on childcare_

 

POSSIBLE SLOGANS:

 

Invest in YOUR future…

 

We are connected to kids!  (This goes along with the theme of all of the childcare providers walking together through the streets holding the longest rope in history.)

 

Upcoming Conference:

MnAEYC Conference

www.aeyc-mn.org

October 10-12, 2002

Friday Keynote:  Jonah Martin Edelman, Executive Director, Stand for Children

 

Saturday Keynote:  Madelyn Swift, author

 

 

Political Connections

Next Steps

 

Leader: Ann Kaner-Roth

 

Fill-in recorder: Katie Connor

 

The group identified 9 areas in which action is needed over the next few years.  The suggestions were both broad and specific.

 

1.  Legal Unlicensed Care

·          Laurie Possin will be putting together a task force to analyze this issue

·          The goal of the task force:  to discuss and address the strategies surrounding the tiered reimbursement plan from the Alliance of Early Childhood Professionals, with some specific attention paid to the issue of legal unlicensed care

·          The task force will issue a report with their findings

 

2.  Early Childhood Leadership in the Legislature

·          Actively recruit members to sit on early childhood committees

o       Brainstorm names for the committees

§         Children’s Defense Fund will distribute information on names of early childhood supporters to support for committees

o       Convince Senate leadership to bring back the Early Childhood Committee

o       Identify legislators that send their children to child care

 

3.  Campaign Year Involvement

·          Distribute a list of questions that parents/providers could ask legislative candidates, both privately (i.e. during door knocking) and in candidate forums

o       501-C-3 organizations can distribute questions legally

o       Other organizations could use these questions for their own distribution and on their own websites

·          CDF will be issuing their legislative report card, which  can be linked to on-line

o       Ask parents and providers to share the answers they receive when they ask legislators these questions

o       CDF and Child Care WORKS could act as a clearinghouse for these answers

·          Try to build relationships between legislators and centers

·          CCW could distribute step-by-step instructions to invite candidates to a child care center

o       Centers would have to invite all candidates to avoid “electioneering”

o       CCR&R’s could also distribute this information

o       Centers could also invite legislators after they are elected

·          Centers could encourage parents to vote

o       Centers must be careful to be non-partisan

·          There is a June 28th meeting on what 501-C-3’s are allowed to do to be involved in election activities through the Minnesota Council on Nonprofits (information on MCN’s website, www.mcn.org)

·          Parents could also invite candidates

·          Candidate forums are also being organized through Big Leap (information from CCW)

 

 

4.  2003-2004 Specific Legislation

·          Fraud (suggestions probably coming from the “Systems Approach to Financing” track)

·          Budget reductions are likely

·          Consolidation could be a large topic

o       We could form a group to make proactive proposals in regard to consolidation and bring those suggestions to CFL

·          TEACH

o       Talk to Senate leadership about strategy

·          Could get Barb Sykora to take committees on center tours as part of their orientation

·          Experienced Aide

o       Child care center directors to come to the legislature with recommendations on the experienced aide bill

o       Centers are more amenable to change recently, because the staffing crisis has died down a little

·          Regulations

o       Quality of licensed care is dwindling, because licensors are losing resources

o       Develop interactive guidelines to give licensors more specifics to look for

o       Find out what the licensing needs are

§         Check out statistics.  Could use them with the media

§         Set up a meeting

§         Talk to county associations

 

5.         Media

·          Outline for families

·          Work on a unified message and one voice for the early childhood community

·          Work on diminishing enmity within the early childhood community

·          Develop and look for future “hooks” in the early childhood community for the media

·          Write letters to the editors

o       Relate happenings in the legislature and its links to child care

o       Thank the editor anytime there is a focus on child care issues

6.            Revenue

·          Check-off box on tax return_

·          License plate with kids on it

o       The money made this way might not end up where we expected

·          Tobacco tax might be raised

 

7.            Concrete Steps

·          This conference is a first good step

·          CCW Convention and MnAEYC Conference would be a nice occasion to meet again and continue the conversation

o       We could use the media well there

·          Get all groups involved in Voices for Children Advocacy Day 2003 to agree on one platform

   

 

Systems Approach to Financing the Profession

                       

Group Leader: Deborah Fitzwater-Dewey

 

Panel Members:  Margaret Boyer, Todd Otis

 

Recorder: Carol Marxen

 

Explore comprehensive legislative approaches to the problems concerning wages and benefits in the profession.

 

1.     Recent History--last 5 years or so

·          Todd Otis—Ready 4 K is a non-profit organization incorporated in June 2001 dedicated to changing public opinion on early childhood issues.  Ready 4 K grew out of the work of Minnesota’s Early Care and Education Finance Commission, a distinguished group of citizens who made many bold and far-reaching recommendations to policy-makers that were largely ignored in the 2001 Minnesota legislative session.

·          Margaret Boyer—Alliance of Early Childhood Professionals (AECP) founded in 1979—for better conditions for Child Development Professionals Means Better Care for Children.  They have done Economic Summits, Think Tanks, with economists and visionaries from business and higher ed and early childhood visionaries.

·          Three strategies--financial aid office, quality initiative, development office

·          Website – www.earlychildpro.org

·          Current Projects—Public Policy, Leadership Development, Tools to Tackle Turnover, Research

 

 

2.     Major Advancements and Major Obstacles to Progress

Advancements

·          Child Care Sliding Fee Scale--$2 million a year—good for population in MN

·          Army model—pay a certain percentage of their income for child care

·          Influx of men as advocates—men who are in the public arena

·          Todd had men testify

·          Men in Childcare

·          ECFE in our state—a system in which people are making a living wage

·          TEACH

·          Philanthropic community

·          We have some fundamental building blocks that will help us to build a quality state with ECE housed in the Dept. of Children, Families and Learning

Obstacles

·          Fragmentation of field

·          What does quality mean_

·          Need to make public aware of what we are doing in ECE and why it is important

·          Not well organized support/public

·          Getting past “self-serving vision” when we go to the legislature for more money

·          Dichotomy of high standards for child care workers and low pay

·          Lack of “reporting/governing” structure that puts all the field on the same “page”

·          Children cannot advocate for themselves.  Should always have one person in a meeting that advocates for the child—what would the child think_

·          Erosion of licensed system

·          “Wal-Mart vs Saks”  Parent choice—they want Saks quality, but want to shop at Wal-Mart

·          “Turf wars”

 

3.     Strategies for Addressing Obstacles /Long-Term Actions

·          Todd—don’t cut childcare

·          Look what happened when we cut public schools—time to raise taxes

·          Candidates cannot run on the policy of raising taxes

·          Studies—Where do preK licenses go_

·          All kids need to be screened (development) focusing possible needs

·          Kagan, S. L., Brandon R. N., Ripple, C. H.,  Maher, E. J., & Joesch, J.M. (2002).  “Supporting Quality Early Childhood Care and Education” Addressing Compensation and Infrastructure.”  Young Children, 58-72.

·          Minnesota’s Child Care Problem: A Way Out: Paying a worth wage to early childhood/school age workforce.  Affordable Care for Families, and Quality Care for Children.

Draft copy written by Alliance of Early Childhood Professionals

·          Increasing “sliding scale” for all families and children

·          Sliding scale tiers tied to quality/level of child care—Universal sliding scale

·          Unification of segments in the field—plan includes private child care centers

·          Educate Legislators

·          Personal direct contact with a variety of legislators

·          Repeated contact with legislators

·          Network with legislators

·          Specific message—clear focused message

·          Pushing the leadership within the caucus group-

·          Legislators are concerned about how do we maintain the majority

·          Depends on who the new governor as to how much we can get—We should at least try to make some progress each year—maybe have different plans

·          DON’T CUT KIDS!!!

·          Parent/Public support—user friendly terminology—how_

o       Use different terminology—“child development” or “educare” rather than “child care”

o       Continuum of care for children—

o       “Catch phrases” need to know what is meant behind the phrase           

·          Universally affordable quality child-care—bottom line is unit price—need to define and educate what quality is for field, legislators, and public.

·          AARP/Mn Seniors Federation—need to bond with them—“Future is today”

·          How do you work with schools_

·          Magnify enhanced legally unlicensed care—

o       Basic ties to public funding

o       Lower rates for unlicensed care

 

4.     Planning/Coordinating Follow-up Events

·          MnAEYC News public policy education

·          MnAEYC position statement on unlicensed care/funding

·          Each person pledges 3 hours on each level of state/federal government

·          Attend candidate forums

·          Write a letter to the editor

·          Dayton hearings across the state—Childcare Block Grant funding

·          Conference/workshop on political action—“how to” “Communicating with Legislators for Dummies”

 

 

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood ® MINNESOTA & Early Childhood

Workforce Retention Project

 

Leader: Valeri Peterson, Avisia Whitman

 

Recorder: Barb Schoenbeck

 

Vision without action is merely a dream.

Action without vision is just passing time.

Vision with action can change the world.

 

Joel Arthur Barker

 

TEACH Recommendations:

·          Start Small

·          Provide sufficient incentives

·          Do it well

·          Use data—track and publish results

·          Be clear—stay focused on goals

·          Target     education/compensation/retention

·          Be inclusive

·          Collaborate—partner dollars

·          Be political and strategic

·          Think system and not just program

·          Don’t be discouraged

 

TEACH Early Childhood Outcomes:

·          Participant satisfaction and impact

·          Penetration—where are we in the workforce

·          Education/compensation/retention

·          Effect on the system  (availability, flexibility, licensing)

 

Higher Education Sub-Group

We have:

 

·          A higher education in transition

·          No early childhood certification/licensure system

·          Articulation agreements not systematic

·          Moving toward statewide consistency—technical and community colleges

·          Many, many TEACH candidates at many levels

 

We need:

 

·          More articulation agreement

·          TEACH advisors/counselors to assist

·          Students with degree paths in various education systems to

·          Clarify paths to degree

·          CDA—credit or non-credit

·          Entrance requirements—portfolio rather than testing

·          Early education—teacher licensure separate from Elem Ed licensure to retain teachers with BA/BS degree

·          Student support including for alternative learners (ESL)

·          TEACH entrance that I.D.’s who want/are appropriate for accredited education

Action Steps:

 

·          GET INFORMATION

·          Investigate and determine current articulate agreements in MN higher education

·          Investigate TEACH agreements/systems with other states

·          CREATE STUDENT SUPPORTS

·          Advisors, handbook, community resources, college liaisons, tools for success including assistance to non-traditional learners, coordinate financial services

·          PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES

·          Stay actively involved in credentialing issues and systems, including legislation

IN ADDITION:

·          Address and include rural MN/greater MN/ mid-rural MN

·          Immigrant providers and E.L.L.

·          Non-credit options for training CDA, Project Exceptional, PIP, ITTI, Cultural Dynamics, Second step, etc.

·          Consider TEACH paying for prior learning credits

·          Advocate for maintaining college level programs

 

 

 

 

Public Relations Sub-Group

We have:

 

·          A simple, fundamental message

·          To communicate to 2 related audiences

·          Parents/public

·          Child care providers/educators

·          More p.r. expertise within the early childhood field (or to utilize existing expertise more effectively)

·          A webpage—a marketing plan

·          To incorporate directors into program

·          Director’s email/contact information—a mailing

We have:

 

·          75 people at this conference

·          Association/organizations at state and local levels—ex. MnAEYC, Directors, associations, R and R agencies, MCCAm etc,

·          A good video, success stories

 

Action Steps:

 

·          Develop a statewide comprehensive marketing plan behind a simple fundamental message with emphasis on center directors and family child care providers from a source they trust.

·          Address the “scary out” of going to college

 

 

 

 

Men in Early Childhood Education--Birth to Age Eight

 

Leader: Bryan Nelson

 

Recorder: Dan Gartrell

 

 

History

1.  During 19th century, women more frequently became teachers, due to changing demographics.

2.  That trend reinforced image of field that it is women’s field.

3.  Presently 16 percent male teachers at elementary level; 4% in prekindergarten.  The challenge is to move from an image of “counter culture” guys to mainstream guys as acceptable teachers of young children.

 

Obstacles and Progress

Obstacles:

1.  Stereotypes--on part of women--will take over profession;  society--

early ed is women’s work; “real men” aren’t early ed teachers

2.  Fear of accusation of abuse

3.  Low status

4.  Low pay

 

Progress:

1.  Effective materials: books, reports, articles, videos--

including materials for recruiting, supporting men as teachers

2.      Growing acceptance of importance of men in early childhood education--at least within the profession

3.      Growing understanding of importance of fathering--cultural carryover possibility to work in early childhood education.

 

 

Recommendations/Talking Points for Further Progress

1.  Challenge and eliminate stereotypes

Key Action: Develop workshops for men and women staff challenging gender stereotypes about men in early childhood education

2.  Improve the status of early childhood education by educating public

Key Action: Use media figures as spokespersons; Public service announcements; identical bulletins appearing in many journals, newsletters etc; articles and theme issues in publications such as the new VIEWS

3.  Develop a position statement to be adopted by MnAEYC and other groups and organizations within and outside of Minnesota

Key Action: Committee is being convened and will draft document

4.  Develop legislation to balance gender disparities--in early childhood & other fields

Key Action:  Work with key legislators on legislation to recruit and support members of the gender-minority group to improve equity in profession

5.  Actively recruit and support men to teach young children

Key Action:

Recruitment:  career days, senior citizen events, church events, dislocated worker programs.  Scholarship development.  Early and frequent field experiences with children in early childhood settings.

Support: Resources to programs for sustaining men in field; develop and promote policies for family childcare programs, centers, and schools that support men and women staff.  Mentoring programs, other peer support methods

6.  Improve wages and benefits for all staff

Key Action:  Support early childhood initiatives, such as TEACH, Ready for K; systems/comprehensive legislative efforts

7.  Evaluate progress at establishing gender equity in early childhood education

Key Action: Review trends to be vigilant about: possible stratification within field by gender; regular surveying of memberships of groups as to changing attitudes, values, demographics relative to the gender equity issue.

 

Follow-up Actions

1.   Initiate the development and approval of the position statement, starting with MnAEYC:  SPRING of 2003

2.  Compile and disseminate materials and resources around the position statement and gender equity issues: SPRING of 2003

3.  Do theme issue of VIEWS, applying Male Teacher YC issue specific to Minnesota:  FALL OF 2003

4.  Establish a State Gender Equity Task Force focusing on improving gender equity in Minnesota vocations:  LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2004.

5.  Contribute to the development of an NAEYC position statement.

 

Vision statement:  Our goal is for early childhood classrooms to mirror the best of our democratic society in terms of there being gender equity in early childhood teachers.