I think I can, I think I can

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Yavapai Communities for Young Children

• I think I can, I think I can!
• The Little Engine That Could is a classic symbol
  of inspiration to children and adults everywhere.
  
• The words I think I can are as carved into our
  collective memory as I have a dream and One
  small step for man.
• Get a ticket to ride on the YCYC Community
  Assessment train!

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AZ Early Childhood Development Health Board
(ECDHB)

• Background
• In November 2006, voters passed the
• First Things First Initiative and dedicated a
• funding stream for early childhood programs
• in Arizona for possibly the next 10 years.
• Governance
• State Board (with 9 voting members)
• 11 member Regional Partnership Councils
• To ensure strong local community involvement
• in both the planning and delivery of services
• for children birth through age five and
• their families.

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AZ Early Childhood Development Health Board
(ECDHB)

• First Things First The AzECDHB will
  increase the quality of and access to
• Early childhood development and health programs
• Preventative health care and health screenings
  for children birth to five
• Parent and family support and education
  concerning early childhood development and
  literacy
• Professional development and training for early
  childhood providers
• Coordination of early childhood development and
• health programs
• Public information and awareness about the
  importance of early childhood development and
  health

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AZ Early Childhood Development Health Board
(ECDHB)
AZ Early Childhood Development Health Board
Board Secretary
Executive Director
Legal Council
Exec Assistant
Deputy Director
Policy Research
Regional Admin
Programs
Communi-cations Division
Finance Division
Info Technology Division
Admin Services Division
Prog-rams
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AZ Early Childhood Development Health Board
(ECDHB)
Updates on AzECDH Board decisions as of
Dec. 1, 2007
The Regional Manager interviews have been
completed. The expected start date is Jan. 7,
2008. Yavapai County will be included with the
three Phoenix (Central Maricopa) regions under
one Regional Manager. The Regional Partnership
Council applications will be posted on the
website on Dec. 12th. The next Board meeting
will be in Phoenix on Dec. 12th. Governor
Napolitano is also scheduled to attend.
http//www.azecdh.gov/
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AZ Early Childhood Development Health Board
(ECDHB)

• Regional Partnership Councils
• By April 1, 2008 the Regional Partnership
  Councils will be appointed throughout the state.
• Applications for 11-member Regional Councils are
  currently being finalized by the Board to include
  a Parent, a Childcare Provider, a Health Service
  Provider, a Public School Administrator, an Early
  Childhood Educator, both a Faith-based and
  Philanthropic representative, and a Tribal
  Member.
• Councils will be tasked with building a system of
  accessible and quality early childhood
  development and health services within their
  region.
• The first responsibility of each Regional Council
  will be to complete a local needs and assets
  assessment and a funding plan for achieving
  better outcomes for children from birth to five
  in their region.

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AZ Early Childhood Development Health Board
(ECDHB)

• Key Action Dates
• 2007
• Dec. 1, 2007 Regional Designations
  Boundaries Due
• Dec. 15, 2007 Statewide Needs/Assets
  Assessment Due
• 2008
• March 1, 2008 Tribal Region Decision Due
• April 1, 2008 Regional Council Members
  Appointed
• Sept. 1, 2008 Regional Needs and Assets
  Report Due
• Oct. 1, 2008 Board Approves/Rejects Needs
  Assets Report
• Nov. 1, 2008 Board Adopts Budget for
  Grants/Operations
• 2009
• Jan. 1, 2009 Regional Plan for Expenditures
  Due

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Yavapai Communities for Young Children (YCYC)

• Our Mission
• Yavapai Communities for Young Children is a
  collaborative
• partnership working to improve the early care,
  health and
• education of all children birth to age six in
  Yavapai County,
• through advocacy and community action.
• Our Vision
• Children in Yavapai County, birth to age six,
  achieve optimal
• growth and learning through cognitive, physical,
  social and
• emotional opportunities.
• We Do
• Identify opportunities Advocate Network
  Inform
• Promote awareness Identify strengths and needs
• Engage in outreach Maintain nonpartisan
  participation
• Seek information Engage diversity Develop
  relationships
• Strategically address gaps, issues and
  opportunities

• We Dont
• Manage programs
• Develop products
• Monitor/evaluate
• programs

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Yavapai Communities for Young Children

• What YCYC is working on
• Enhance the quality, accessibility and
  affordability of the early care and education of
  all children.
• Promote the training and educational
  opportunities for early childhood educations,
  child care providers, parents and families.
• Promote the health and well-being of all
  children, prenatal to age six.
• Educate community leaders and advocate for the
  needs of all young children in Yavapai County.

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Yavapai Communities for Young Children (YCYC)

• YCYC 2007 Key Accomplishments to Date
• Community partners grew from 47 to 94 from June
  to October 2007.
• Yavapai College Family Enrichment Center models
  some of YCYCs goals.
• Ten partners attended Governor's Summit on EC
  issues in Jan. 2007.
• YCYC co-hosted Early Childhood Conference in
  February at Yavapai College, Clarkdale.
• Hosted Yavapai County Community Forum in May with
  45 participants from Black Canyon City, Bagdad,
  Rimrock, Camp Verde, Mohave County, Cottonwood,
  and the quad-city area.
• Hosted a Verde Valley Luncheon in May, with 17
  new people, including two parents of young
  children.
• Hosted a Parent Forum in August with eight
  parents in attendance.
• YCYC Coordinator attended last five AzECDH Board
  meetings.
• YCYC attended 12 of last 13 AEEF Statewide
  Partnership meetings.
• Hosted five Spotlights from Mar. to Oct. 2007
  AzEIP, AzECDH Board (2), Head Start and Healthy
  Families.
• Newspaper coverage about Community Forum Group
  promotes early childhood education published on
  Wed. July 25th and Childhood Board plans public
  forum published on Fri. July 27th.
• AEEF awarded YCYC 25,000 and 35,000 since Oct.
  2006.
• Yavapai College Foundation serves as fiscal agent
  and in-kind provider.

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Yavapai Communities for Young Children (YCYC)

• AEEF Grant Funded Community Assessment
• Over the next seven months (from December to
  June), YCYC will be gathering information on the
  strengths, concerns and conditions of young
  children and their families in Yavapai County.
• This community assessment will provide the YCYC
  Partnership with critical knowledge, information
  and data to turn our overall vision into
  strategies for action and to make informed
  decisions that will create change for our
  countys children and their families.
• The assessment will also inform the Yavapai
  County First Things First Regional Partnership
  Council by identifying gaps, issues and
  opportunities.

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YCYC Community Assessment

• Proposed Objectives
• Create a snapshot of early care and education in
  the community and the issues impacting young
  children and their families (based on a set of
  measurable indicators that can be tracked
  regularly over time).
• Reveal community strengths, assets, needs and
  concerns regarding early care and education (to
  understand how families experience conditions in
  the community).
• Identify gaps and opportunities for community
  improvements and changes in early care and
  education (to stimulate policy, program and other
  actions to improve the ability of all children to
  succeed).
• Encourage community involvement in activities
  that benefit young children and their families
  (to engage stakeholders in the assessment,
  offering proposed strategies and activities).

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YCYC Community Assessment

• Proposed
• Agency Staff/Service Providers
• Behavioral health providers
• Child care providers
• Community colleges
• Early childhood educators
• Family literacy providers
• Head Start providers
• Health care providers
• Kindergarten teachers
• Public school administrators
• WIC providers
• Others?

• Stakeholders
• Government
• Local elected officials
• City/County policymakers
• County Health Department
• Recreation Department
• Libraries
• Departments of Economic Security Education
• Others?
• Community Members
• Parents of children ages 0-5
• Relatives raising children 0-5
• Neighborhood leaders
• Faith-based leaders
• Business leaders
• Hispanic/Latino parents and leaders
• Others?

• Legend
• Non-italicized - Stakeholders represented in
  YCYC Partnership
• Italicized Stakeholders not represented in
  YCYC Partnership

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YCYC Community Assessment

• Geographic Scope of Yavapai County

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YCYC Community Assessment

• Core Indicators
• Ready Children
• Ready Families
• Ready Communities
• Ready Health Services
• Ready Early Care and Education
• Ready Schools

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YCYC Community Assessment

• ASSESSMENT LENS
• Quality
• Affordability
• Accessibility
• of the health, early care and education of
  children birth to six in Yavapai County.

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Yavapai Communities for Young Children
List of Participating Agencies and Organizations

• NACOG Head Start
• Nurse-Family Partnership (YCCHS)
• Parenting Arizona
• Ponderosa Pediatrics
• Prescott College, ADP Faculty
• Prescott YMCA
• Prescott Public Library, Youth Services
• Prevent Child Abuse Arizona
• Red Rock Pediatrics
• Tri-City Partnership for Special Children and
  their Families
• University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
  Services
• Valley Learning Centers
• Verde Valley Guidance Clinic
• Yavapai College Early Childhood Education Dept.
• Yavapai County Community Health Services
• Youth Count
• and growing!

ACTION Partnership Arizona Childrens
Association Association for Supportive Child
Care AzEIP (Arizona Early Intervention) Bagdad
Youth Center for the Arts Beaver Creek Elementary
School Buena Vista Childrens Services Chino
Valley Head Start Christian Family Care
Agency Cottonwood Public Library, Youth
Services Discovery Gardens Preschool
(PUSD) Family Enrichment Center, Yavapai
College Family Learning Center Family Resource
Center, YRMC Healthy Families Arizona Heritage
Park Zoological Sanctuary High Country Early
Intervention Humboldt Unified School District,
Special Services