An early childhood program matrix: pulling the pieces together for Illinois

Early Childhood Research & Practice, Spring, 2009 by Sallee Beneke, Gina Ruther, Susan Fowler

Introduction

Identifying and understanding the many components of early care and education in a state can be like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. A decade ago, Gina Ruther first designed a matrix to begin to differentiate between programs in Illinois along a variety of dimensions, such as services provided, funding sources and levels, screening and eligibility requirements, and parent co-payments. The matrix was an effort to begin to describe both the similarities and differences among programs that received federal and/or state funding. As part of the Who's Caring for the Kids? The Status of the Early Childhood Workforce in Illinois--2008, a revised matrix of early childhood programs in Illinois was compiled (Fowler, Bloom, Talan, Beneke, & Kelton, 2008). The matrix, which follows, provides descriptions of nine programs currently funded and operating in Illinois. These include the federally funded Head Start and Early Head Start programs, as well as seven state-managed programs, funded through a mix of federal flow-through dollars and state funds. Three state agencies are involved with the state programs--Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (IDCFS), Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Each federal and state program must respond to its agency's regulations, funding, and monitoring requirements. At the local level, some of the programs are identifiable by their funding sources and origins and others are not, because funds have been used to establish a broader umbrella of services for young children. In order to ensure that all children in need of services are able to receive them, local communities may work to create partnerships across agencies and funding sources. For example, in Champaign, Illinois, classrooms funded by Head Start, ISBE Preschool for All (PFA), and ISBE Early Childhood Special Education are co-located in the same early childhood center, built by the local education agency. In Rockford, Illinois, 33 half-day PFA classes are embedded in 13 child care centers and one family child care network. The children attend their programs full day, but within the day, they also receive 2.5 hours of PFA services, provided by a certified teacher.

The purpose of this matrix is to assist policy makers, early care and education professionals, and consumers to better understand the requirements and practices associated with these nine programs. The first section of the matrix addresses the design of each program and logistics, such as funding, payment, eligibility, and amount of services. The design includes such factors as (1) description of core services and purposes; (2) funding sources; (3) fiscal year 07 or 08 funding levels; (4) payment process to programs, providers, agencies, or districts; (5) eligibility requirements for children and/or parents; (6) parent co-payments, if required; (7) age range of children served; (8) child-staff ratio; (9) group size; and (10) hours of services per day or week and number of days per year. This section also includes a description of screenings required or provided, services available for children with disabilities or developmental delays, curriculum requirements, and procedures and policies for the transition of children from the program to their next level of services, if applicable.

The second section of the matrix addresses the ways in which the local community is involved with services and the extent to which the programs are required or encouraged to form collaborations or partnerships with other programs. As is evident, some programs require interagency agreements and others do not. Collaborations typically are encouraged. The extent to which referrals and information are provided by various programs also is documented

Human resource or personnel requirements are identified in the third section, in terms of expectations for minimum staff qualifications and for professional development. Requirements differ significantly across programs in this section.

The final section addresses elements of quality assurance--expected program outcomes and/or assessment requirements--as well as child outcomes. The monitoring process for evaluating outcomes and/or services is also described.

Our intention in sharing this matrix is to encourage other states and entities to develop similar charts to delineate the various requirements of different and distinct programs that provide services to young children and families. In doing so, policy makers and providers may be able to better identify points of intersection across programs and opportunities for collaboration or greater efficiencies. For instance, they may begin to ask questions such as "Can children receive expanded or enhanced services through a combination of funding streams?" "Can professional development efforts planned for programs funded from one agency be shared with programs providing similar services funded by another agency?" "What other economies of efforts can be made to improve outcomes for children?"