Dear Community Partners,
On behalf of First 5 El Dorado Commission, I have exciting news to share. The Commission has been invited to submit an Action Plan as one of sixteen counties participating in a regional consortium for the Race to the Top, Early Learning Challenge Grant. El Dorado County was included in the grant application for it’s implementation of the High 5 for Quality Initiative. The potential award for our is $689,800 over a four year period, from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2016. (see below for additional information)
In developing an action plan, we will build upon the success of the CARES Program, the Preschool All Planning Task Force and the School Readiness Advisory Committee in reviewing the quality matrix used by High 5 for Quality. Key elements in the application are child development, school readiness, teachers, teaching and program assessment. The goal is to develop a draft action plan for the March 19, 2012 Commission Meeting.
Given the state’s spring deadline for an action plan (attached), First 5 El Dorado Commission is partnering with the Early Care and Education Planning Council in convening four planning meetings:
February 23, 2012 from 2-5 PM, Review Quality Matrix (pages 2, 8, 9, 10 of the application)
March 1, 2012 from 2-5 PM, Discuss Quality Improvement Process (pages 11, 12, 15)
March 8, 2012 from 2-5 PM, Develop Plan for Progress on Tier Level (pages 4, 5, 6, 7)
March 15, 2012 from 9-12 , Discuss local Implementation and Regional Collaboration (pages 3, 13, 14, 16, 17)
All meetings will be held at the First 5 El Dorado Commission Office, 2776 Ray Lawyer Drive, Placerville with Skype or phone conferencing available upon request. All interested early care and education providers, public and private agency members, parents and interested community members are invited to assist in the planning process. Planning materials will be available for review on the Commission’s website www.first5eldorado.com.
Looking forward to working in with you in building a comprehensive, integrated quality support system for early care and education providers. Please send an email to kwalker@pacbell.net if you would like to receive information or participate in application development.
Sincerely,
Kathi Walker
Executive Director
First 5 El Dorado Commission
2776 Ray Lawyer Drive
Placerville, CA 95667
kwalker@pacbell.net
Cell Phone: 530-320-7137
