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NEW Report!
PoP in Santa Clara County: Making the First Five Years Count
Read the Report (pdf)
5 Years of Learning
A Report on the First Five Years of Santa Clara CARES 2002-2006.
Read the Report (pdf)
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The concept of providing quality early education services in underserved areas has deep roots in Santa Clara County (SCC). Early childhood educators have long understood that a child’s very early years influence all subsequent development and that cognitive and linguistic achievement set the stage for social, emotional, and moral development.
The passage of Proposition 10 and the creation of the California Children and Families Act in 1998 authorized the establishment of county commissions to provide children 0-5 years of age with a comprehensive, integrated system of early childhood development services. The establishment of FIRST 5 Santa Clara County provided the needed resources and set in motion focused community involvement and planning to make this concept a reality. Initially FIRST 5 funded a series of initiatives that have incrementally led our county toward the goal of providing quality early education services to underserved families.
In December 2001, FIRST 5 SCC funded the Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development-WestEd (now E3 Institute: Advancing Excellence in Early Education) in recognition of the need for a highly qualified child development workforce. The CARES (Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards) Initiative was launched to implement and administer CARES. In March 2002 the Early Learning Initiative (ELI) was launched to incorporate quality early learning opportunities for school readiness. The following year the QELO (Quality Early Learning Opportunities) Initiative brought together a planning team composed of the E3 Institute, the International Child Resource Institute, and local early childhood educators and policy makers. QELO served as one of the major stepping-stones toward the current Power of Preschool implementation model. QELO was followed by the High-Risk Design Research and Design Initiative, which convened a group of service providers and policy makers to study best practices and recommend an appropriate service delivery model for the highest risk children and families. Work of the High-Risk Design Initiative was combined with the Social Services Agency Differential Response analysis in which child abuse center hotline calls were analyzed and recommendations made for alternative responses to those calls. In 2004, risk-factor data was geographically depicted by zip code showing the areas of highest cumulative risk to children and families in SCC and their relationship to the supply of early childhood programs.
The Power of Preschool Initiative in SCC was then launched and a civic engagement planning process was put into play. During this process 150 leaders and experts from throughout the county were brought together to participate in a 15-month process that blended community input, innovation, and evidence-based research. Objectives of the planning process were:
- To develop a common understanding among all those involved in developing the master plan about key issues and environmental factors that will affect the design and implementation of the plan
- To develop a common language about preschool in Santa Clara County
- To understand and utilize the business framework to position SCC Power of Preschool for long-term success
- To use the ecological approach to define systems for the primary, secondary and tertiary ecologies of 0-5 children for the long-term in Santa Clara County
- To lay the foundation for durable impact with coordinated systems
- To ensure what is implemented is research driven
The Power of Preschool planning process involved the input and checks and balances of three main groups: The Council on Excellence in Early Education, the Content Committees consisting of four sub-group content areas—civic engagement, facilities, operations, and quality standards, and the Steering Committee consisting of consultants, FIRST 5 directors, and E3 Institute managers.
The Council on Excellence in Early Education and each of the four sub-group content committees created an overarching mission statement as well as well-defined goals and mission statements in the areas of civic engagement, facilities, quality standards, and operations. The E3 Institute was chosen by the FIRST 5 Commission to implement the initiative, based on its unique position in the community and longevity of experience of its staff.
The E3 Institute convened an Implementation Leadership Team (ILT) composed of a diverse group of community partners representing community-based organizations, higher education, school districts, elected officials, and other community partners. Meetings were held in November 2005 and January, March, and May 2006.
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