Educare Maine

1
Educare Maine

• Maine and New Englands First Comprehensive,
  High-quality Early Childhood Learning Center

2
A National Network

• Doris Buffetts Sunshine Lady Foundation
  contributed 3 million to Maine as seed money to
  inspire a Maine anchor donor.
• The Sunshine Lady Foundation partners with other
  philanthropists involved with Educare centers
  nationally to support the Bounce Learning
  Network, which provides an additional 1 million
  to new Educare centers once agreements are
  signed.
• Educare Maine will now join the Bounce Learning
  Network.

3
Educare Maines Goal

• To measurably increase the school-readiness of
  children served and significantly reduce
  unnecessary special education costs.

4
Educare is.

• A Place
• where 160 to 200 mostly low-income,
  high-stressed children from before they are born
  to age 5 are served, during this most critical
  brain development stage
• where the children will find a warm, caring and
  developmentally-appropriate environment that
  fosters learning

5
Greater Waterville Alliance on Early Care and
Learning

• The Local Partnership to Implement
• Educare Maines First Center

6
Capacity and Vacancy Information
Note Effective August 1st, 2008 providers will
be required to count their own children ages 6
weeks 5 years in their numbers. This may
reduce current available slots.
Data Provided by Child Care Options Resource
Development Center
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Low-Income Childcare Status

• Only 17.5 of infants/toddlers and 59 of all
  preschool children in the greater Waterville area
  who qualify for subsidized care receive service.
  
• 94 of the Early/Head Start Grantee (KVCAP)
  2007/08 clientele had household incomes at or
  below federal poverty level (FPL) the remaining
  6 were below 135 of the FPL.

8
Employee Childcare Survey
2006/2007

• Age of child/ren in need of care
• (Rates include more than one child served in some
  families)
• 92.4 0-18 months
• 88.1 18 months to age 3
• 79.4 3-5
• 65.9 Concerned about Quality
• (The survey included 424 respondents from twenty
  (20) small, medium and large employers in the
  greater Waterville Area.)
• AND
• Waterville Public Schools Reports Only 25 (32
  children of the 128) kindergarteners have the
  opportunity to attend quality care and education
  preschool programming.

9
George Mitchell Elementary School School-Readiness

• 64 of the 625 students enrolled at GJMS receive
  free or reduced lunch.
• 67 of the kindergarten students come from low
  income families.
• 48 of 128 students recently screened for
  kindergarten scored below the norms that lead to
  successful transition into public school.
• 45 of the class was at risk of reading failure.
  
• Language skills for all populations have
  decreased by 22 over the past 3 years.
• The 2007/08 Maine Education Assessments in Grade
  3 revealed that 48 of all students (60 of
  students from low income families) did not meet
  reading standards and 34 of all students (45 of
  students from low income families) did not meet
  math standards.

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The Place

• A 45,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art, green
  facility located next to George Mitchell
  Elementary School
• Five Acres (DEP approved)
• Facility will be designed by national architect
  firm experienced in early childhood facilities
  and space development with a local Maine
  contractor
• Estimated cost of facility is 8-10 million

11
Waterville Educare Site LocationGeorge J.
Mitchell School LandBuilding directly next door
to the George J. Mitchell Elementary School
providing a seamless transition between
educational homes to better transition the young
learners and their parents.
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Educare is

• A Partnership
• between the school district, Head Start,
  community-based agencies, and private
  philanthropy
• bound by contract committing to joint governance
  and long-term support
• with a vision to better prepare disadvantaged
  children to succeed in school and in life.

13
The Partnership Anchor philanthropist

• Bill and Joan Alfond Foundation
• Provided 2 million challenge to Maines private
  sector for a 4 million match
• leads the capital campaign to build the Center
• engages the private sector to invest in the
  Educare project
• help ensure its success over time
• shares governance with other partners.

14
Public Partners

• Waterville Public School Superintendent
  provides operating dollars and support with
  existing education dollars, shares governance
• Eric Haley, Waterville Superintendent of School
• Head Start/KVCAP Provides Head Start/Early Head
  Start slots to Educare and applies for new slots
  if available works to implement the core quality
  components of the Educare model and shares
  governance
• Kathy Colfer, Tracye Fortin, Pat Kosma, KVCAP

15
Educare Governance

• KVCAP Fiscal Management and employer for center
  staff
• Maximizes Existing 501 (c) 3 status rather than
  create a new organization
• Strengthen Community/School Fiscal oversight and
  planning through Educare Board and Advisory
  Committee

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Governance Role

• Monitoring program implementation and financial
  status
• Review and oversee evaluation/outcome/accountabili
  ty for reporting assisting in securing
  resources
• Reviewing staff, parent and community
  recommendations
• Garnering community input and broad
  parent/community participation and voice
• Reviewing policies and procedures
• Developing strategic planning and position
  statements
• Providing State of Maine with feedback/information
  to inform State policy
• Attending community forums upon request and
• Establish function/impasse procedures with the
  WPS and KVCAP boards and staff
• Hire staff and manage human resources
• Mentor new and emerging Educare partnerships
  statewide.

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Educare Advisory CommitteeGreater Waterville
Alliance on Early Care and Learning

• Mike Roy, Waterville City Administrator State
  and federal grants for capital and
  land-use/development process
• Martha Naber, Kennebec Valley Community College
  Early Childhood Faculty/Teaching Lab lead
• Ray Nagel, Dick Farnsworth, Woodfords Family
  Services Serving children with Autism
• Liz Keach, Project Peds/CDS Provides
  funding/expertise for special needs children
• Tina Chapman, United Way of Mid-Maine Community
  leadership
• Kathleen Kenney, Waterville Public Library
  Family Literacy Partner
• Greater Waterville Communities for Children/Youth
  Coalition Partner for resource development and
  outreach
• John Salvato, M.D. for Inside Out Playground
  Providing expertise on developmental play

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Educare is

• A Program
• for children to experience, learn and grow in a
  nurturing, research-based educational environment
  with highly-qualified staff
• preparing children to enter kindergarten
  engaged, healthy, and socially and emotionally
  ready to succeed
• where families are valued and given the
  information and support they need to help their
  children succeed in education and life.

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The Program

• will serve as a state-of-the-art professional
  development and resource center for child care
  professionals across the state, as well as a
  teaching lab for students seeking an early
  childhood degree in Maine
• supporting parents and caregivers are essential
  partners in preparing children for school
• will support parents and caregivers with
  education and comprehensive supports to improve
  health, self-sufficiency and long-term parent and
  child well-being and success.

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Quality Staffing

• Three supervisors with master's degrees
• Twelve lead teachers with bachelor's degrees in
  early-childhood development
• Two-dozen assistant teachers with either
  bachelor's or associate's degrees in the same
  discipline
• 2-3 Family Support Workers

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The ProgramCore Features

• Ingredients
• Core Feature 1 Use Research-Based Practices and
  Strategies
• Core Feature 2 Implement Reflective Supervision
  and Practice
• Core Feature 3 Maintain Small Class Size and
  High Staff/Child Ratios

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Core Features contd

• Ingredients
• Core Feature 4 Maintain High Staff
  Qualifications and Provide Intensive Professional
  Development
• Core Feature 5 Offer Family Support Services
  On-Site to Support Parents in Promoting Healthy
  Child Development
• Core Feature 6 Implement an Interdisciplinary
  Approach

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Core Features Contd

• Ingredients
• Core Feature 7 Emphasize Childrens
  Social-Emotional Development
• Core Feature 8 Provide an Enhanced Focus on
  Language and Literacy
• Core Feature 9 Integrate the Arts into the Early
  Childhood Program
• Core Feature 10 Emphasize Prenatal Services

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Educare will

• using existing resources creatively to better
  serve families in need of multiple supports that
  lead to self-sufficiency and family strengthening

25
Educare Income Streams are

• income streams for programming that come from
  existing funding sources (local, state, and
  federal)
• reorganized and maximized to allow for seamless
  services to children and their families while
  ensuring critical transitions into kindergarten
• NOT impacting local or state taxpayers

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Revenue Streams

• Early/Head Start (state/federal)
• Waterville Public School Title I Earmark
  (state/federal)
• Maine Dept of Educations Child Development
  Services fund
• USDA Food (To off-set staff expense)
• Medicaid
• Maine Dept of Health and Human Services Childcare
  funds
• Parent Co-Pay based on income levels
• Private Pay
• Space Rentals (Teaching Lab with KVCC)
• Other Grants through foundations and Development
  Block Grants

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Educare Maine WatervilleBudget to Serve
166-200 Children and their Families

• Revenue 2,514,092
• Expenses 2,827,436
• 11 Quality Gap 313,343
• (Seeking Endowment to off-set Quality Gap)

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Educare is

• an Opportunity
• to make significant impact on the lives of the
  most vulnerable in our community
• to mentor other communities on advancing
  quality, research-based early childhood education
  through rigorous evaluation
• to serve as a PLATFORM for policy change in
  Maine and nationally.

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The Opportunity for community partners to
contribute towards shared goals in education

• Waterville Public Schools will provide staffing
  for child nutrition/meals at no cost and existing
  Title I support
• KVCAP will provide staff support for
  disabilities, education, health/nutrition, and
  family/parent support at no cost
• Woodfords will provide a one-on-one aid for
  children with Autism
• Kennebec Valley Community College and the
  Resource Development Center will provide
  professional development onsite training at no
  cost
• Greater Watervilles C4CY Coalition will provide
  resource development support through
  grant-writing and outreach
• The City to be a statewide leader in economic
  development by supporting Educare partnership to
  reduce taxpayer costs towards special education

30
Ribbon-Cutting 2010 Plan

• Secure 2-4 million to match Alfond contribution
  
• (depending on grants and final building costs)
• Build an Early Childhood Endowment
• endowment to support the first Educare centers
  quality gap
• Support other unmet early childhood systems needs
  that emerge from the Childrens Growth Council
  and Business Round Tables recommendations to
  include replicating Educare

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Research and the Educare Model
31
Ounce of Prevention Fund www.ounceofprevention.org
May 2008
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The Challenge
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• Children from low-income, multi-stressed
  environments start school far behind their more
  advantaged peers.
• They are
• Typically between 15 -18 points behind their
  peers in early reading and math skills,
  specifically less likely to know their letters,
  numbers, and other pre-academic concepts
• More likely to have smaller vocabularies
• More likely to have social-emotional difficulties

Ounce of Prevention Fund www.ounceofprevention.org
May 2008
33
Important Connections are Made Prior to
School-Entry
90 of brain growth occurs before kindergarten
Newborn brain size compared to that of a
6-year-old brain
Newborn neural networks compared to networks of a
6-year-old
Source Paul Lombroso, Development of the
cerebral cortex. VI. Growth Factors I. Journal
of the American Academy of child and Adolescent
Psychiatry 37(6) 674-675, 1998.
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Striking Differences in Early
Language Experience
Scientific evidence confirms that how much
parents and caregivers talk to their children is
critically important to language development.
Children who hear fewer words in the first three
years of life have dramatically smaller
vocabularies than children who have richer early
language experiences.
11 Million Number of words a high-income child
hears in a year
6 Million Number of words a working-class child
hears in a year
3 Million Number of words a very low-income
child hears in a year
From Meaningful Differences Hart Risley
Ounce of Prevention Fund www.ounceofprevention.org
May 2008
35
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When low-income children begin
kindergarten, they are already far behind
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten
Cohort (ECLS-K) SES Differences Effect sizes
(compared to middle class)
Focus on the 0 line running across the middle of
the box. If a child lands above that line, her
math and reading skills are average or higher.
If she is below, she is average or below. This
illustrates the achievement gap Those on top of
the line - the green and grey - are higher
income those below the line are lower income.
And the poorer a child is, the further she is
from average math and reading skills. The richer
she is, the higher above average she is. Theres
the gap at kindergarten entry.
35
Ounce of Prevention Fund www.ounceofprevention.org
May 2008
36
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Disparities in Exposure to Words
Words per hour to the child (ages 10-36 months)

• Professional class parents directed more than 3
  times as many words per hour to their children
  than did very low income parents

From Meaningful Differences Hart Risley
Ounce of Prevention Fund www.ounceofprevention.org
May 2008
37
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The Good News The Predictive Power
of Early Language Experience Meaningful
Differences, Hart Risley
This study demonstrated that the quantity and
quality of a childs early language experiences
(from age 10 months to 3 years) actually are more
predictive of his or her language-related
achievement through 3rd grade than is their
parents socioeconomic status.
Ounce of Prevention Fund www.ounceofprevention.org
May 2008
38
Social-Emotional Competence and
Later School Life Success
38

• Children are best able to succeed in kindergarten
  and elementary school if they enter school with
  social-emotional-behavioral competence
• Able to attach to others
• To relate to, trust and join their attention with
  adults and peers
• Able to self-regulate
• To manage and regulate negative emotions in
  appropriate ways
• Able to take the initiative in their environments
• Perceiving of themselves as competent learners
• Healthy social-emotional development often makes
  the difference between a child who is able to
  make significant academic progress in grades K-3,
  and a child who continues to struggle.
• Kindergarten teachers point to social-emotional
  competence as being the most important part of
  school readiness and the number one reason for
  recommending kindergarten grade retention.

Ounce of Prevention Fund www.ounceofprevention.org
May 2008
39
What Matters in the Early
Social-Emotional Experience?
39

• Up to 50 of families living in poverty have
  children with less than secure attachments (vs.
  30 of all families)
• Stressors may lead to less secure attachments
• Stress interferes with healthy child development
  in all domains and thus, a childs ability to
  learn
• High quality child care is an effective
  intervention for distressed and/or disorganized
  families

Ounce of Prevention Fund www.ounceofprevention.org
May 2008
40
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Syracuse Univ. Family
Development Research Program

• Longitudinal study of full-time care, beginning
  in infancy, which included parent involvement
  weekly home visits
• The curriculum was socially-focused not much
  emphasis on cognitive and language development
• Positive outcomes for social functioning
• Dramatic reduction in juvenile offenses
• Improved family functioning through the teen years

Lally, Ron. et al "The Syracuse University Family
Development Research Program Long-Range Impact
on an Early Intervention with Low-Income Children
and Their Families," in D. R. Powell and I. E.
Sigel, 1988. 
Ounce of Prevention Fund www.ounceofprevention.org
May 2008
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Failure to Invest in High Quality Early
Care and Education Results in

• Increased Special Education Costs in Maine
• 300 million annually
• Increased Substance Abuse Costs in Maine
• 800 million annually
• Increased Domestic Violence Costs in Maine
• 1.2 billion annually
• Increased Criminal Justice System Costs in Maine
• Keeping one teen out of prison saves 1.7--2.3
  million over a lifetime

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Perry Preschool Study
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• Two years of very high-quality preschool and
  weekly home visits for disadvantaged children in
  Michigan mid 60s
• Children followed through age 27
• Benefits found
• Higher achievement through age 14 and improved
  literacy at 19
• At 14, only 15 of program group scored below the
  10th percentile in achievement tests, compared to
  49 of control
• Less grade retention and special education
  placement

Schweinhart, L.J., Montie, J., Xiang, Z.,
Barnett, W.S., Belfield, C.R. Nores, M.  (2005)
Lifetime Effects The High/Scope Perry Preschool
study through age 40. http//www.highscope.org
Ounce of Prevention Fund www.ounceofprevention.org
May 2008
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Early Educare Successes

• Early evaluation of
• Educare
• programs provide inspiration for investment

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Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test PPVT
Vocabulary Preschool children begin the year
with vocabulary scores in the low-average range.
By the end of the year, on average, children have
vocabulary scores in the average range, with
kindergarten bound children achieving the highest
average mean score.
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Promising Early Returns PALS

• Early Literacy Kindergarten bound children leave
  Educare with specific early literacy skills that
  meet or exceed expected developmental ranges
  including the more difficult skill areas
  dependent on good auditory processing capacity of
  letter sounds, beginning sounds and rhyme
  awareness.

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Promising Early Returns Bracken
School Readiness Nearly 100 of
kindergarten-bound children leave Educare with
school readiness cluster scores that meet or
exceed expected levels, especially in the areas
of letters, colors, and numbers.