|
The Child Care Partnership Project Down East Partnership for Children |
|
|
"The success of the Down East Partnership is a testament to the power of the community's collective vision."—Hennrietta Zalkind Description To have a fighting chance in life, children must have a good start. The Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) in North Carolina works to make sure every child born in Nash and Edgecombe counties has the best start in life. Located about 60 miles northeast of the state capital of Raleigh, the program serves children in two mostly rural counties. The program's goal is to ensure that children and their families receive the health, education, and social services needed to raise healthy children. To achieve this goal, the DEPC provides services ranging from screening children for lead poisoning to providing money to improve child care facilities. Partners The DEPC has a variety of state and community partners, including the state of North Carolina through the North Carolina Partnership for Children, the parent organization for the statewide Smart Start. The Surdna and Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation are also partners in the program. Additionally, parents, community leaders, and service providers are an integral part of the leadership of the initiative through their service on a governance panel. History and Development For years, the statistics on health and well-being in Nash and Edgecombe counties were cause for concern. Infant mortality and the percentage of low birthweight babies were among the highest in the state. The number of children suffering from lead poisoning was dramatically increasing and good child care centers were hard to find. People who were caring for children in their homes were often unqualified or ill-equipped. Only 22% of teachers and 16% of home providers in the counties had an associates or higher educational degree. Community leaders and government officials in both counties were seeking solutions. As a result, the Down East Partnership was created in 1993. At about the same time, the North Carolina Partnership for Children (Smart Start) was started to create funding and support for services to children and families through local efforts. DEPC applied for a Smart Start grant but was not funded in the first year. Despite the lack of funding, the Partnership planned and started serving the community. In 1994, the program set up a child care resource and referral (CCR&R) program. The following year, when the Partnership did receive Smart Start funds from the state, it dramatically expanded services in the counties. Throughout 1994 and 1995, DEPC continued to apply for additional grant funding to support its growing efforts. With the receipt of a federal Family Preservation and Support grant, DEPC developed a set of family resource centers and set up a leadership development program for community based family support providers. Current Activities The DEPC serves children across two counties and concentrates its efforts in the following four areas:
DEPC’s efforts to improve child care centers focus on a variety of activities. These include budgeting and finance training for child care workers, and additional professional development through the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) program. DEPC also established a lending library for child care providers. However, the education and training does not stop with child care workers: parents, too, are taught to be better consumers of child care. DEPC also organizes parent education activities and materials, runs an information exchange, and provides resource and referral services. Other DEPC activities include a Community Fellows Program which provides leadership training at the grassroots level, and a mobile health unit that provides services to rural areas and screens children for lead poisoning. Resources The DEPC budget totals about $4 million per year. Approximately half of that amount is subcontracted to other local agencies that report back to Down East. Funding is provided by a variety of sources.
The funds are administered through a governance panel of executive directors of community organizations, local initiatives, parents, and service providers. The Partnership is currently attempting to raise unrestricted funds from private donations for a "sustainability fund." This money will allow the initiative to continue working on important issues and goals without depending on funding that must be provided annually by the legislature and that is restricted to certain uses. Results Every year DEPC evaluates each activity according to a predetermined set of outcomes, such as how many children will receive scholarships and how many centers are to be accredited. Each program must make sure to collect data to support results, which are reviewed quarterly. This evaluation is done with the assistance of an outside evaluator, who looks at the cumulative outcomes from the various groups funded by DEPC. Each fiscal year, the DEPC Evaluation Committee reviews progress toward goals. Action plans are designed to address any issues that arise at these meetings. Starting this year, in addition to the programmatic reviews, each program will be required to complete PRISM, an internal management self-review process. The PRISM system looks not only at programmatic results, but also infrastructure. PRISM covers:
Sustaining and Replicating The DEPC governing board is very concerned that the Partnership is too dependent on funding that must be provided annually by the legislature and that is restricted to certain uses. The board would like to see the organization operate more like a business with a reserve of operating capital to cover temporary gaps in funding and to plan new activities. To reach this goal, the Down East Partnership for Children is currently working to create a "sustainability fund" that can provide funding during transitions between funding sources, and can be used to cover expenses that are not allowed by current funding sources. In addition, the "sustainability fund" will provide resources for planning new program activities and for additional fundraising activities. The goal of the fundraising campaign is to generate at least three months of operating capital or approximately $1 million. Lessons Learned Involve child care providers. The most important lesson learned by the Down East Partnership for Children is that a partnership must be just that—a partnership. It is important not only to work with the communities, businesses and parents, but also with providers. Without the support and involvement of child care providers, the programs will not be successful. Providers must be involved early in all aspects of the process. Since the providers have different levels of expertise, it is important to move at a pace with which they are comfortable. A broad support network makes a sustainable and successful partnership. Have rules and order. DEPC also found it helpful to have formal governing policies and processes, such as Robert’s Rules of Order. For the most part, decisions of the governing body are supported by all partners, but on the rare occasion that the group cannot come to consensus, having a formal process for moving forward is critical. Start small. Move slowly. If they had it to do all over again, DEPC staff said they would start smaller and move more slowly. Henrietta Zalkind, DEPC's Executive Director, said the Partnership tried to do too much too soon. As a consequence, DEPC had to scale back some of its plans and focus its energy and resources on a few core activities. DEPC staff also learned that it is important to learn to say no, even in the face of political pressure to move quickly. Plan, plan, plan. In retrospect, DEPC staff felt that it was a good thing that they did not receive their major funding the first year of the Partnership. The delay allowed them more time to plan for the programming, organization, and management of the funds. Be innovative and diversify the funding base. Because of the restrictions on the group’s funding, DEPC has had to be innovative. It’s important to have funding from a variety of sources so the Partnership is not unduly restricted. Contact Information Henrietta Zalkind |
||
|
||
