Florida Children and Youth Cabinet: State Advisory Council on Early Education and Care
Over the last decade Florida has brought serious focus to improving child well-being through enhancing investments in young children, developing systems that support children and families, and developing innovative strategies to improve opportunities for our youngest citizens. The State Advisory Council on Early Education and Care (State Advisory Council) and the proposed work under its auspices, represent a tremendous opportunity for Florida to take the next steps to create cross-departmental strategies to better integrate services so they are more responsive to the needs of children and families. Through the State Advisory Council, Florida proposes specific strategies to create and streamline consistent needs assessments; improve the quality and responsiveness of screening, assessment and treatment of children with special needs; develop new data systems to better support quality improvement work within early learning programs; increase the capacity of higher education institutions to deliver consistent, high quality educational opportunities statewide; and develop new professional development opportunities for providers serving vulnerable populations.
The state of Florida will utilize the State Advisory Council on Early Education and Care three-year grant funds to improve coordination and collaboration between state agencies, local organizations, and other stakeholder groups of the child well-being system in the state. By direction of the state’s Executive Office of the Governor, the State Advisory Council serves as a coordinating council to the established Florida Children and Youth Cabinet. With leadership from the Executive Office of the Governor, the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the Department of Education, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health, the Head Start Collaboration Office, and numerous local organizations, the state looks forward to improvements in the infrastructure and quality of services provided to families and children. Proposed projects directly impact children, families, child care teachers, in addition to positively impacting efforts involving state policy development, collaboration, and system infrastructure.
Excerpt from the Reauthorized Head Start Act of 2007
PURPOSE
The State Advisory Council will lead the development of a high quality, comprehensive system of early childhood education and care that ensures statewide coordination and collaboration among the wide array of early childhood programs and services in the State, including Head Start, child care and pre-kindergarten programs and services.
GOAL
Through partnership with across agencies and organizations that work on behalf of young children and their families, the goal of the State Advisory Council is that at the end of three years, Florida will have a stronger, more responsive, and more integrated early childhood system. Children and families will receive more coordinated, responsive services and funding will support these priorities.
For Webinar login and call-in information as well as meeting materials for the State Advisory Council on Early Education and Care, please email Amy Mathis at Amy.Mathis@oel.myflorida.com. The public is invited to listen in on meetings, but their role is observational.
