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Overview

The Early Childhood Parent Leadership Initiative currently involves two phases. Both phases of the initiative support the overall goal oflinking state, university, and community resources together to provide training, materials and policies for parents, early childhood professionals, and state and regional agency personnel.

PHASE 1 GOALS

The initial phase of the project was supported through grants from the W. K. Kellogg foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and was designed to complete the following planning activities.

Identify current structures and supports for reaching and engaging parents. These programs include, but are not limited to, Family Resource Centers, Parent Training and Information Centers, Child Care Resource and Referral agencies, the HANDS program (a voluntary, intensive home visitation program), and regional training and technical assistance centers. Using these programs as information sources, specific information will be gathered related to current training opportunities provided at both the state and local level. What’s happening now? What is being offered? How?
Conduct a review of the literature and focus group sessions that will identify key components of parent/professional collaboration that can support family involvement in early care and education programs. Based on this information, guiding principles for parent involvement across the state will be developed.
Conduct focus group sessions and interviews to determine the specific needs of parents and professionals related to helping parents advocate for effective early learning and in preparing their children for school. Specific attention will be paid to identifying demographic factors that influence parent involvement across the state (i.e., parent education, SES, child characteristics, geography). This research will identify barriers and ways to overcome them. It will show what we need to put in place. It will also help us know where parents are now going for information, and help them understand outcomes they should see.

Based on the information learned through these activities, the Prichard Committee’s Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership was revised and refined to reflect the needs of parents with children in early care and education settings and to reach early childhood professionals.

PHASE 2

Phase 2 of the Parent Leadership Initiative is being funded through the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Through this project, the training program developed through Phase 1, Starting Strong: An Institute for Early Childhood Partnerships will be piloted in the Fayette County area with 70 teams of early care and education providers and family members. This phase of the project involves the following activities:

Training: The Starting Strong Institute will include 18 hours of training (spread over 5 weeks). The training is designed to emphasize four critical components: 1) effective parent involvement in early care and education, 2) quality family-professional partnership, 3) enhanced early care and education quality, and 4) improved child outcomes.

Participants for the training will be selected through an application process and will include families with children enrolled in Fayette County early childhood programs and early childhood program directors. The first Institute will begin in April/May of 2005 and will include 10 teams. Additional Institutes will be offered for 12 teams each in the Fall 2005, Spring 2006, Fall 2006, Spring 2007 and Fall 2007.

As part of the Institute, teams will design and implement a project, for which mini-grant support will be provided. Projects will be designed to increase family involvement and improve child outcomes and program quality.

Training at the Institute will be provided by Nicki Patton (Trainer Credential # 70160) and Lutricia Woods, from the Prichard Committee.

Technical Assistance: In order to help teams implement project activities, each team will receive on-going technical support from project staff.

Mini-grant: Teams will receive up to $500 to be used to support implementation of their partnership project.

Click here for more information about the Starting Strong Institute