Because All Children Are Our Children

Because All Children Are Our Children

School Readiness in Miami-Dade County

Key Findings to Convey

•Keep Perspective – service area is large, diverse, disparate

•Many local initiatives involved – Coordination an issue but conversion not needed

•Challenges re lack of sufficient lead poisoning and develop-mental screenings and of child welfare agency integration

•Glaring disparities reveal need to target/reallocate resources

•How to best share data in a responsible manner

•Miami-Dade County is leading way in Florida

Because All Children Are Our Children

School Readiness in Miami-Dade County

Strategies for Extending Work Locally

•Build relationships with ECE providers/membership groups

•Coordinate existing initiatives to achieve integration of services

•Focus on sharing data and maps – it is eye-opening

•Engage in discussions with policy-makers to expand supply

•Bring data and potential solutions to neighborhoods

•Publish school readiness brief highlighting disparities/successes

•Work with KIDS COUNT and CSCs to identify/track consistent ECE indicators within Florida

•Advocate to preserve funding for children

Because All Children Are Our Children

School Readiness in Miami-Dade County

Suggestions for NNIP National Work• Inventory other national efforts and determine how

NNIP’s work differs or complements – what is our value added?

•Build upon new political landscape; leverage internet network

•Promote Early Childcare and Education as an education policy not simply workforce support

•Envision a national comprehensive school readiness system that can be built in pieces to acknowledge economic constraints

•Ensure cohesion not competition among systems/stakeholders by engaging all in consultation and support

•Require common key indicators to measure and compare from the start