Mississippi State Early Childhood Advisory Council Meeting Highlights

Mississippi State Early Childhood Advisory Council Meeting March 3, 2022

Meeting Agreements Everyone contributes Only one person speaks at a time Listen to each other Respect each others opinions, even/especially if you don t agree with them Mobile phones on silent/vibrate to minimize disruptions Meeting livestreamed and recorded All members join Zoom with video, if possible, so people can see who is speaking All members welcome to use chat function; chat content will be included as part of the public meeting record. The public may comment in person or virtually during the public comment period. The past is not a veto of the future Have fun

Meeting Agenda I. Welcome II. Introductions/Roll Call & Approval of Meeting Minutes a. Updates on Continuing Topics III. SECAC Committee Updates IV. Regional Early Childhood Advisory Councils V. Asset Mapping Update VI. Public Comments VII.Closing Remarks and Adjournment

MS SECAC Website: mssecac.org Please share widely within your networks!

Introductions/Roll Call Please state your name, title, and the agency or organization where you work.

Approval of 1.6.22 Meeting Minutes The meeting minutes were distributed. Are there any proposed corrections?

Updates on Continuing Topics

SECAC Committee Updates

SECAC Committee Updates 1) Workforce Development and Retention 2) Early Intervention 3) Policy, Accountability, and Data 4) Family Support and Access 5) Bylaws What progress has each committee made since the January SECAC meeting? What are the next steps for each committee? What questions or topics of discussion does each committee have for the rest of the SECAC?

Regional Early Childhood Advisory Councils

Regional Early Childhood Advisory Councils Discuss: What would be the benefits of having Regional Early Childhood Advisory Councils? What would be the challenges? Is this an idea worth investigating?

Asset Mapping Update

Family & Provider Survey The family and provider surveys are live and ready to share! o Family survey: bit.ly/msfamsurvey o Provider survey: bit.ly/msecesurvey Target audience: families with children under age 8, direct service providers who work with children under age 8 and their families Materials to support dissemination of the survey are available, including flyers, email templates, etc. (have been emailed to SECAC members) Aiming for racial/ethnic representation, geographic distribution, and involvement in various EC programs/services in survey responses Especially want to hear from families who are eligible for EC programs/services but are not currently accessing them Survey open through March

Family & Provider Focus Groups & Interviews Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA) is leading this work Have already hosted their first provider focus group! Focus groups will represent various geographic areas, some of which have broad access to early childhood programs/services and some of which are early childhood deserts: o Hattiesburg/Gulf Coast o Tupelo o Natchez o Forest/Meridian o Jackson o The Delta and North MS MELA is looking to recruit participants who reflect the racial distribution of MS residents who are eligible for public services, recognizing that racial distribution who are eligible for services is different from racial distribution of those who use public services All participants will receive stipends

How SECAC Members Can Help with Asset Map Share the family and provider surveys far and wide! Help analyze and interpret survey, focus group, interview results and other data (through relevant committees) Share results of any other surveys, focus groups, etc., of Mississippi families and providers with Start Early o Send to kfisher@startearly.org, rklein@startearly.org, epowers@startearly.org Help fact-check and fill in gaps for Program Profiles: o Head Start & Early Head Start o Child Care Payment Program o Title I Preschool o Early Learning Collaboratives o Early Intervention (Part C) o Early Childhood Special Education (Part B 619) o Home Visiting (Healthy Families MS) o Child Protective Services o Elementary Ed (K-3) o Health Supports (Medicaid, CHIP) o Mental Health Supports o Nutrition Supports (SNAP, WIC) o Economic Supports (TANF)

Mini-Program Profiles Mississippi Thrive Excel by Five Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (operated by Children s Defense Fund Southern Regional Office) Mississippi Families for Kids (Help Me Grow) South Mississippi PreK4Ward Initiative Families as Allies Mississippi Parent Training and Information Center (project of Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities?) Mississippi Building Blocks Gilmore Early Learning Initiative Should these programs be featured as mini-profiles? Are there any we should add? Are any of these no longer active (e.g., Mississippi Building Blocks, Gilmore Early Learning Initiative? Are any of these more advocacy-focused, rather than programmatic (e.g., Families as Allies)?

Mississippi Thrive Resource Maps

Public Comments

Public Comment Guidance Members of the public may submit comments in writing on the advisory council website, in person at a meeting, and/or virtually at a meeting. If you are participating in person and would like to comment, please just raise your hand to signal the chair you would like to speak and wait for your turn to come to the microphone. If you are participating virtually and would like to comment, please put your name in the chat box and wait for your turn to be called on. If you decide to speak at a meeting, please identify yourself for the record prior to making your comment. Please keep your comments to 3 minutes or less to ensure everyone who wishes to comment has the opportunity.

Closing Remarks & Adjournment