early childhood educationlbece.org/.../uploads/2013/10/ece-report-card-2011.pdf · 2018-11-30 ·...

Preparing Long Beach Children for the Future

Report To The Community: A Community Plan for Shaping the Early Childhood Education System

2009-2014

Status Report 2009-2011

Prepared by theLong Beach Early Childhood Education Committee

June 2011Produced and Printed With Support FromThe California Community Foundation

Early Childhood EducationLong Beach Children Will Be Healthy, Safe and Educated

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What this RepoRt CoveRs

This report documents accomplishments during 2009-2011 in implementing Preparing Long Beach Children for The Future: A Community Plan for Shaping the Early Childhood Education System 2009-2014. The Community Plan represents an update to the original plan that covered the period 2003-2008.

In 2008, the Long Beach Early Childhood Education (ECE) Committee underwent an extensive strategic planning process which resulted in the publication of the updated Community Plan in June 2010. During this process, the original vision and mission of the Committee were examined, as were the strategies and objectives of the original Community Plan. A new vision and mission emerged, as did a restatement of values and guiding principles. Evolutionary strategies and objectives also emerged that better aligned ECE strategies with the new mission statement, more clearly defined our strategic goals, ensured that families were included,

ensured focus on children 0-5 and included coordination and collaboration within the stated goals and objectives. In 2009, the new vision and mission, the restatement of values and guiding principles, and the new strategies and objectives were formally adopted by the Committee.

table of Contents

What This Report Covers........................ 2

The 2009-2014 Community Plan........... 3

Strategic Directions and Objectives........ 4

Status Report 2009-2011....................... 5

Selected Accomplishments..................... 6

The Status of Child Care In Long Beach:A Report Card........................................ 10

Long Beach at a Glance: City Profile forChild Care and Development Services.... 11

ECE report card.indd 2 11/14/11 10:27 AM

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the 2009-2014 Community plan

eaRly Childhood eduCation vision statement:All children in Long Beach will be healthy, safe and educated.

eaRly Childhood eduCation mission statement:To ensure that all children in Long Beach grown up healthy, safe and educated by:

• Enhancing the quality of and accessibility to affordable ECE services;• Expanding the base of ECE resources to meet the needs of families; and• Increasing public awareness of the current and future economic, social, and educational impacts of ECE

through advocacy and education.

values:All children in Long Beach will be cared for and educated in environments that:

• Are stable, safe, healthy, enriching and nurturing;• Promote life-long learning, emotional security and family empowerment and support;• Enable children to learn and reach their full potential;• Embrace diversity; and • Are fostered actively and supported collaboratively as a priority by all sectors of the community.

GuidinG pRinCiples:The original Community Plan adopted six guiding principles as core to the implementation of the Plan. These Guiding Principles were reaffirmed:

• Ensure that children experience safe and enriching environments that encourage their language, social, emotional, cognitive and physical development;

• Provide access to all children – regardless of economic, social, emotional, physical, geographic, ethnic or linguistic status – needing early childhood education.

• Regard and support parents/guardians/extended family members as their children’s first teachers and partners in their children’s early learning and development of lifelong skills

• Embrace the cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of children, their families and the communities in which they live

• Enhance the EE community’s capacity to provide quality programs that are demonstrated by professional development activities and staff compensation commensurate with education, credentials and experience

• Support the Long Beach economy through partnerships between the ECE community, local business and development communities, employers, labor unions, media and local, State and Federal government.


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stRateGiC diReCtions and objeCtives

The updated Community Plan is organized around three strategic directions and supporting objectives reflecting the new vision and mission as well as growth from the original plan’s objectives:

Enhancing Quality and Increasing Accessibility: To improve the quality of early childhood education programs and services, and to increase accessibility to these programs and services for all children (with a focus on ages birth to five) and their families.

Categories of Objectives:• Programs and Services• Access and Affordability• Professional and Workforce Development

Developing Resources: to expand the base of quality early childhood education resources to meet the needs of children (with a focus on ages birth to five) and their families by developing and leveraging resources from the public and private sectors.

Categories of Objectives:• Financial Resources• Human Resources• Technology Resources• Collaboration with the Business Community• Collaboration with Youth Programs

Increasing Public Awareness: To increase public awareness of the current and future economic social and educational impact of quality early childhood education.

Categories of Objectives:• Marketing and Public Information• Media• Public Policy and Advocacy• Implementation and Evaluation


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status RepoRt 2009-2011

Budget Cuts Take Their Toll: In 2010 the ECE Committee was dealt a blow with the elimination of the city’s Child Care Program Coordinator position due to city budget cuts. As one of only three cities in Southern California that had a Child Care Program Coordinator, this action ran counter to a more than two-decade long history of Long Beach’s leadership in the early childhood education industry. In addition to the elimination of this position, the Committee was “divested” from its status as an ad hoc committee of the Board of Health and Human Services, effectively removing the Committee from any official standing within the city.

Despite this significant setback, the Committee remained intact and focused on its vision and mission. The Committee continued to function as an independent entity comprised entirely of volunteers without staff support or official recognition from the City of Long Beach. This report details the Committee’s accomplishments and challenges during this very difficult transition period.

Transition and Capacity Building: As a short-term interim measure, Comprehensive Child Development (CCD) agreed to be the fiscal agent for the Committee to ensure uninterrupted financial management and operations. An orderly transition between Long Beach Cares, the Committee’s fiscal agent while it was part of the Department of Health and Human Services, and CCD took place in 2010. The Committee also completed a Sustainability Plan with financial support from the California Community Foundation, which identified key challenges, issues and strategies to ensure the Committee’s long term viability and sustainability. Finally, the Committee applied for and was awarded a three-year (2010-2013) capacity building grant by First 5 LA in a highly competitive process that provided resources and support for the Committee to begin implementation of the Sustainability Plan and to examine its next steps strategically and analytically. Key challenges to be examined include but are not limited to staffing, leadership development, succession planning, and building institutional memory and infrastructure.

The Committee also continued to receive funding support from the California Community Foundation to continue and expand its policy and advocacy work, from the Verizon Foundation to continue the Kindergarten Festivals, and from the Josephine S. Gumbiner Foundation, the office of Supervisor Don Knabe, Miller Children’s Hospital and numerous other community supporters for the continuation of the annual Symposium.


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seleCted aCComplishments:

Strategic Direction #1: Enhancing Quality and Increasing Accessibility: To improve the quality of early childhood education programs and services, and to increase accessibility to these programs and services for all children (with a focus on ages birth to five) and their families.

• Committee members actively participated in various work groups across southern California of the Early Learning Quality Improvement System (ELQIS), which was established in 2008 by the passing of SB 1629. ELQIS was formed to work with stakeholders to improve the quality of early learning and care programs for children from birth to five years old.

• Over the period of this report, approximately 50 ECE teachers completed the Family Development Credential offered by Cornell University via Long Beach City College (LBCC). This credential utilizes a human services model that builds upon family strengths and includes training on communication skills, home visiting strategies, goal setting, collaboration, family partnership building, and community resources.

• LBCC received renewed funding from Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) to continue its highly successful Project RISE (Recruit, Inspire, Support, Educate) to address academic and process requirements for individuals seeking employment/careers in the ECE field. Project RISE has become an integral partner in the Los Angeles County Early Care and Education Workforce Consortium. This project has worked to increase student awareness and understanding of educational requirements for work in the ECE field, as well as provided stipends to support their education; increased the numbers of students applying for scholarships and stipends; and informed high school students pursuing careers in ECE as options. Academic advisors 100% dedicated to ECE are now available at LBCC to ensure relevant and accurate counseling for degree requirements and articulation to the CSU system.

• Children Today: The Play House West received accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). NAEYC currently has more than 400 rigorous criteria for accreditation to ensure the highest quality of ECE services. Children Today’s focus is on children experiencing homelessness; The Play House West provides parents with a safe and nurturing place to leave their children while they rebuild their lives, accessing needed services such as housing and employment assistance, medical care, life skills training, transportation and more. The Play House West is one of only three programs nationwide serving children experiencing homelessness.

• Three successful Symposia were held during the period of this report in partnership with A Voice for Long Beach Children. The seventh annual Symposium was held in March 2009 and focused on children with behavior challenges, featuring noted author and educator Linda Brault. Copies of Ms. Brault’s book, Children with Challenging Behavior: Strategies for Reflective Thinking, were made available to participants. In 2010, the Symposium focused on the impact of trauma on young children with remarks by Dr. Reggie Melrose, nationally recognized educator, clinician and trauma expert. In 2011, Back to Nature: The Power of Outdoor Play was the theme, and featured Eric Nelson, director of the Outdoor Classroom Project at the Child Educational Center. More than 350 childcare providers, teachers, parents, and community members have attended the Symposia each year. Financial and in-kind support were received from the Josephine S. Gumbiner Foundation, the office of Supervisor Don Knabe, Miller Children’s Hospital, the Earl B. and Loraine H. Miller Foundation, and numerous community supporters.


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Strategic Direction #2: Developing Resources: to expand the base of quality early childhood education resources to meet the needs of children (with a focus on ages birth to five) and their families by developing and leveraging resources from the public and private sectors.

• During the two year period of this report, eight Kindergarten Festivals were held throughout Long Beach, reaching a total of 1,578 families. Backpacks filled with school supplies and books were distributed to all entering kindergarteners, and books were provided to all children. Workshops included Transitional Kindergarten (new for 2011), Meet a Kindergarten Teacher, How to Help Your Child with Reading, How to Help Your Child with Math, and District Information. The Kindergarten Festivals represent the work of a collaborative partnership including the Long Beach ECE Committee, Long Beach Unified School District, Verizon Foundation, the National Council of Jewish Women, Rotary Club of Long Beach, Molina Health Care and many other contributors and supporters.

• The Long Beach Public Library and the Long Beach Public Library Foundation partnered with more than 45 community sites to continue to implement Raising a Reader, a nationally recognized early literacy program. Since 2005, this partnership has provided programs that connect families with preschool children to a school readiness program that is a 12-week in-home early reading program. During the period of this report, more than 5,000 parents and preschool children graduated from Raising A Reader in Long Beach, checking out 110,310 books and materials. More than 200 new preschool library cards were issued.

• ECE Committee members continued to actively participate in other collaboratives throughout the city to both ensure an ECE voice and leverage existing resources, including but not limited to the Youth Services Network, the Long Beach Alliance for Food and Fitness, and Building Healthy Communities. More recently, ECE Committee members have been active participants with Best Start, a place-based program of First 5 LA, to create a partnership where parents, business owners, child and health care providers, community service agencies, faith-based leaders, government officials and other community leaders work together to transform their community into a place where young children can thrive.


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• Young Horizons, Comprehensive Child Development, and Long Beach Day Nursery, three of the larger ECE organizations providing state subsidized assistance to low income working families, brought in more than $900,000 in state funds to their facilities for repairs, renovations, playground improvements, instructional materials, and resources over the period of this report. These monies translated directly into improved facilities and resources to ensure quality environments in Long Beach.

• The ECE Committee applied for and was awarded a three-year (2010-2013) capacity building grant by First 5 LA in a highly competitive process that provided resources and support for the Committee to begin implementation of its Sustainability Plan and to examine its next steps strategically and analytically. This will ensure the continued viability of the Committee to be able to serve the children and families of Long Beach.

• Through a grant provided by the California Community Foundation, the Parents as Leaders (PALS) Project was piloted in 2011. This project worked with more than 20 parents of young children and 11 ECE providers. PALS brought the participants a diverse and resource-rich curriculum featuring local community experts. The hoped-for end result is a cadre of empowered parents who can serve as peer leaders to help deploy culturally appropriate information related to: school readiness, parents’ role as their child’s primary teacher and advocate, children’s overall health and development, community resources, and local issues impacting families with young children. Pending receipt of renewed funding, this project will be repeated each year.

Strategic Direction #3: Increasing Public Awareness: To increase public awareness of the current and future economic social and educational impact of quality early childhood education.

• The ECE Committee has ensured continuous representation on the LA County Childcare Planning Committee. The 4th District appointee is a member of the Committee.

• Long Beach is actively represented on the Committee for Legislation, a joint committee of the County Childcare Planning Committee and the Policy Roundtable for Childcare. Since 2006, one of the co-chairs of this committee has been a member of the ECE Committee.


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• The ECE Committee established a presence on Facebook and provides regular status update to all its fans. In addition to the already established ECE listserv, this ensures that information is disseminated community-wide in a timely and efficient manner.

• Through support from the California Community Foundation (CCF), the ECE Committee was an active participant of the Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative (LAPAI), a partnership between CCF and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. LAPAI connects key community stakeholders in pursuit of quality early care and education for all children in Los Angeles County.

• The ECE committee worked with colleagues on the ongoing challenges in Sacramento, most recently working with a small group convened by the Child Development Consortium of Los Angeles in developing a “consumer-friendly” flier in English and Spanish about the impacts of the then-proposed Standard Reimbursement Rate cuts.

• The ECE Committee wrote a letter of support to Senator Curren Price regarding Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 in support of quality ECE.

• The Long Beach Chief of Police has been a very vocal supporter of early childhood education. He has been a speaker at one of our meetings, and has also written a very eloquent letter to the editor of the Press Telegram regarding the role and importance of quality ECE in crime prevention, workforce development, and education.

• Committee members have made regular visits to elected officials and policy makers at all levels – city, county, state and federal – to ensure that the ECE voice is heard and that legislation and policy is inclusive of children and their families.


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the status of Child CaRe in lonG beaCh: a RepoRt CaRd

Based on data from the Los Angeles County Office of Child Care, Long Beach is not adequately meeting the needs of children ages 0-5.

Infants and toddlers (ages 0-3) in particular are woefully underserved. The estimated demand for infant/toddler care is 10,848 spaces. This number represents children ages 0-3 with both parents in the workforce, and includes all income levels. There are, however, only 1,670 licensed full time infant/toddler spaces available, leaving a gap of 9,178 children ages 0-3 not being served. Put another way, 84.6% of all the infants and toddlers in the city with working parents are not in licensed child care settings. They are more than likely in the care of license-exempt providers who may not have access to the resources and technical assistance that licensed providers do. As a result, it is more difficult to monitor quality as well as accountability for developmentally appropriate curricula or school readiness.

The picture for infants and toddlers with working parents who are low-income (and therefore eligible for subsidized care) is marginally brighter, but not by much. The estimated demand is 4,590 spaces; the estimated supply is 989 subsidized and licensed spaces – leaving 3,601 unserved children or 78.5%.

Preschool aged children (ages 3-5) fare a bit better than our younger children. There are 11,885 preschool children with both parents in the workforce, including all income levels. There are 7,845 licensed full time spaces available, leaving a gap of 4,040 children (34%) not being served. There are many part-day spaces available (4,026), which might offer working parents some relief but do not fully meet the need.

The only bright spot is for preschoolers in need of subsidized care. There are 3,386 preschoolers with working parents who are low income and qualify for subsidized care; 3,601 subsidized full time spaces are available.

What has been the city’s progress in the past five years in meeting the needs of children and their families? Unfortunately, while the total population of young children ages 0-5 with working parents has decreased slightly (7.6%), the overall supply of licensed full time spaces has decreased at almost twice the rate (14.6%).

It is clear that the work of the ECE Committee must continue in order to ensure that every child in Long Beach grows up healthy, safe and educated.


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LONG BEACH AT A GLANCE: CITY PROFILE FOR CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

POPULATION Infants/Toddlers

0-3 Preschool-age

3-5 School-age

6-12 TOTALS

Number of Children

22,301

22,899

51,182

96,382

Number of Children with all parents in the workforce

10,848

11,885

27,072

49,805

Number of preschool-age children with one or more parents at home

11,004 11,004

CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY

Infants/Toddlers 0-2

Preschool-age 3-5

School-age 6-12

TOTALS

Spaces available: Licensed Center

608

5,761

636

6,985

Licensed Family Child Care Home

1,062 2,084 1,105 4,251

After-school (on campus) 4,887 * 4,887 *

Number of subsidized half-day spaces

84

4,026

NA

4,110: 37% of all licensed center

spaces * These are primarily After School Education and Safety (ASES) spaces and are not considered child care since they do not operate during school vacation periods; however many families use these programs as child care during the school year.

ACCESSIBILITY Infants/Toddlers Preschool-age School-age TOTALS Children eligible for subsidized child care 4

4,590

42% of children with working parents

3,386

28% of children with working

parents

5,937

54% of children with at least one parent at home

12,077

45% of children with working

parents

25,990

27% of all children

Subsidized spaces / services (full-time; before and after school for school-age children )

989

3,601

4,887*

9,477

47% of eligible children

Subsidized half-day preschool spaces

4,026

4,026 68% of eligible

children Source: Los Angeles County Office of Child Care, 2011 Needs Assessment


Early Childhood EducationLong Beach Children Will Be Healthy, Safe and Educated

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