Parent Support Advisory Group

1
Parent Support Advisory Group

• Preliminary Recommendations to Early Learning
  Council
• June 2006

2
Participants

• Alaric Bien, Chinese Information Service Center
• Carmen Bowser, Catholic Family Child Service
  (CFCS)
• Bridgett Chandler, Consultant
• Rene Doran, United Way Thurston County
• Bernie Dorsey, Conscious Fathering
• Ginny English, Within Reach
• Denise Farrand, CHILD Profile
• Nick Federici, United Way of King County
• Blanca Fernandez, Big Bend Community College
• Kate Frew, Children's Trust Foundation
• Alia Griffing, United Way of King County
• Laura Hitchcock, United Way of King County
• Karen Howell-Clark, United Way of King County
• Jean Kelly, University of Washington Center on
  Infant Mental Health
• Garrison Kurtz, Foundation for Early Learning
• Laurie Lippold, Children's Home Society
• Paola Maranan, Children's Alliance
• Yaffa Maritz, Listening Mothers

• Linda McDaniels, Parent Trust for Washington
  Children
• David Okimoto, United Way of King County
• Estela Ortega, El Centro de la Raza
• Sally Pritchard, United Way Spokane County
• Margie Reeves, Statewide Community Network
  Coalition
• Kristi Reardon, United Way Snohomish County
• Mary Helen Roberts, 21st District State
  Representative
• Jennifer Sass-Walton, Skagit County Health
  Department
• Jill Sells, Docs for Tots
• Joan Sharp, Washington Council for the Prevention
  of Child Abuse and Neglect
• Kip Tokuda, Seattle Family Youth Services
• Harla Tumbleson, SOAR, helping kids reach for the
  sky
• Kristin Wiggins, Early Care Education Coalition
• Sherry Wong, Talaris Research Institute
• Chair
• Facilitator

3
Why Parent Support is Important to Early Learning

• Parents are childrens first teachers
• Children not ready for school are in formal,
  informal child care or home with parents
• All children have parent(s), whether or not in
  formal or informal child care
• THEREFORE We view focus on parents regardless
  of where their children spend the day as
  critical

4
Findings Conclusions

• FOUNDATIONS
• Every parenting family needs critical foundations
  to help them succeed
• Health care access
• Economic and housing stability
• Time for bonding

5
Findings Conclusions (continued)

• All parents need support.
• AND
• Vulnerable populations will need extra assistance.

6
Findings Conclusions (continued)

• Parents Need Access to a Continuum of Support
• State does have a critical role to play
• Ensuring opportunities are there for parents
• Accessibility and relevance
• Voluntary (usually)
• Mandatory (justice or child protective system)

7
Findings Conclusions (continued)

• Pillars of Parent Support

• Individualized, personal support,
• Informal research and self-education,
• Group, personal support,
• Formalized education, and
• Information, referral and advice.

8
Recommendations

• Institutionalize Parent Support as Necessary for
  Early Learning
• Develop a permanent Parent Support Advisory
  Committee
• Fund and expand effective current programs

9
Recommendations (continued)

• Better Understand Parent Support Needs Tie to
  Child Outcomes
• Statewide Needs Assessment
• Assessment of Current Services, Delivery Models

10
Recommendations (continued)

• (Better Understand Parent Support Needs Tie to
  Child Outcomes)
• I.d. and remove barriers
• Create R D and child outcome feedback
  mechanisms
• Strengthen infrastructure to ensure access to
  services

11
Recommendations (continued)

• Drive Innovation and Leverage Support
• Encourage private sector support
• Promote innovative, evidence-based programs

12
Recommended Next Steps

• Formalize Parent Support Advisory Group as a
  Technical Advisory Committee
• to work with ELC to
• Develop specific policy recommendations and
  priorities related to parent support and
• Guide the necessary financing research work on
  those recommendations.

13
(No Transcript)