Rapides Early Childhood Network 2024 Blueprint

Introduction

The Rapides Early Childhood Network (RECN) started as a Ready Start Network pilot program created by the Louisiana Department of Education and approved by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2013 to increase access to high-quality early childhood care and education at the local level. The program aims to create a culture of high-quality, comprehensive early childhood services through engagement and partnerships with families, educators, and community members. The program provides resources and training to teachers to improve classroom quality, implements fundraising strategies, and shares their findings with state leaders to inform future policymaking.

RECN is a united coalition of individuals committed to creating and implementing a local vision with engaged stockholders to enact real change for children in our Parish. RECN has worked hard to build a collaborative, supportive network that actively engages with various community partners and operates with the belief all children in Rapides Parish deserve access to high-quality early education and care so that more children are positioned for success in the early elementary grades and beyond. 

RECN understands that high quality, access, and community are critical to our children’s future. Since the onset, the top priorities for the community network have been to improve high-quality teaching and learning and access for our most vulnerable, high-risk children from birth to age four. The high quality is seen in the growth noted among all the program partners in our community network: child care, Head Start, and public Pre-K.  
 

Current State of Rapides Early Childhood Network

RECN works closely with program partners and community stakeholders to collaborate, plan, and implement goals and strategies to ensure families have increased access to birth through four education seats in quality early childhood programs. Many resources have been allocated to programs to help them provide appropriate high-quality childhood experiences. These resources include a Tier I curriculum, developmentally appropriate classroom materials, professional development, and mentoring/coaching.

RECN will expand its work to prepare the community for optimum outcomes so that more children will have access to quality early learning opportunities, and families will have the information they need to make the best decision for their children. The local community desires to leverage new dollars from foundations, corporations, and local, state, and federal government to support and sustain early childhood education in Rapides Parish.

Rapides Early Childhood Network consists of 69 program partners:

• 28 School Based Early Childhood sites

• 7 Head Start/Early Head Start Centers

• 34 Type III Community Based Early Learning Centers

Rapides Early Childhood Network serves:

• 1,115 children in Type III Centers

• 628 children in Head Start

• 222 children in Early Head Start

• 1,500 children in Public Pre-K

Funding Sources available within our Network included:

Rapides Parish families want their children to have access to high quality early child care and education but often lack the financial means to afford early child care services. Since 2019, the RECN has implemented strategies to increase access to high quality early learning opportunities. The greatest increases occurred beginning in 2022, when the RECN was awarded the LDOE Community Supply Building and Access Expansion Grant and the focus was building access for the infant to three-year-old age span.

According to the LDOE Rapides Fall 2023 Data Kit, infant seats have increased by 60, one-year-old seats by 98, and two-year-old seats by 64 from 2019 to 2023. In 2023, there were 2,147 total publicly funded children enrolled in Rapides Parish, as illustrated below.

Despite the pandemic, Rapides Parish remains committed to increasing early childhood classroom quality, expanding access for economically disadvantaged families, and providing support to ensure children of Rapides Parish continue to learn and thrive. Rapides Parish’s ultimate goal is to close the gap and have every child in Rapides Parish enter Kindergarten ready for success.

According to The Louisiana Department of Education 2022-2023 Early Childhood Performance Profiles, RECN has 27 early childhood sites that scored Excellent. The sites that scored excellent include ten school sites, one Head Start site, and sixteen early learning centers. Of the sixty-nine providers in Early Childhood, there are NO unsatisfactory or approaching basic sites. Only six sites are proficient with a score of 4.50-5.24 out of a possible seven, and the remaining 36 providers are High Proficient with a score of 5.25-5.99. This is not by accident but through hard work and a laser focus on improving student outcomes. The Rapides Parish district Performance Profile score is 5.84, up from 5.75 for 21-22. Rapides ranks 6th in Louisiana with the district performance score. It is a team effort in Rapides as we strive for excellence daily.

RECN is committed to creating and implementing a robust vision to improve early childhood opportunities at the local level. The blueprint continues to be updated to:

• guide RECN to address the early education needs of Rapides Parish;

• develop the coalition of community leaders to promote and support RECN’s goals and priorities;

• expand the governance to guide shared decision-making; and

• expand funding efforts to support the strategies outlined in the blueprint.

Strategic Plan

The 2024 Blueprint outlines RECN's goals and implementation strategies to increase and sustain the quality and quantity of early childhood education seats in Rapides Parish.

Goal 1: Develop and enhance the advisory board's work to promote, support, and provide guidance to the Rapides Early Childhood Network. 

Strategies:

• Strengthen the advisory board's resources by recruiting members that best support and assist in fundraising, stakeholder expansion, community engagement, and implementing the blueprint. 

• Support RECN community events where the advisory board and community stakeholders join to support and increase heightened awareness of the RECN’s work. 

• Host community events to support fundraising efforts.

Resources:

• Existing:

• Ready Start Network Bylaws.

• Guidelines organized by Louisiana Believes to support the Ready Start Network.

• Rapides Early Childhood Network Blueprint.

• Needed:

• Research and secure new advisory board members to advance the blueprint.

• Develop marketing campaigns to promote and celebrate the work of the RECN.

• Develop an ongoing review process of the approved bylaws to ensure the board’s work reflects the governing body's purpose, structure, organization, and general membership.

Performance Metrics: 

1. The RECN Advisory Board to assist in creating a community marketing campaign to heighten the awareness of the RECN sustainability initiatives. The campaign will be introduced by May 2024.

2. Host a community event to promote the work of RECN by May 2024.

Goal 2:  Increase birth to age three access to quality early childhood care and education through public and private funding opportunities.  

Strategies:

• Analyze currently shared and leveraged funding to maximize resources of programs across the community, state and national levels.

• Identify braiding and grant opportunities from local resources and options to increase seat allocations for birth to age three at-risk children.

• Create a scalable, sustainable model with a targeted need approach to allocate resources to meet gaps in services for economically disadvantaged children birth to age three.

Resources:

• Existing:

• Funds are braided for four-year-olds in the community network, including the use of LA 4, 8(g), Title I, and local funds.

• A risk model is already in place for four-year-olds that denotes high-quality teaching and learning and access for over 90 percent of families desiring a quality learning experience for their four-year-olds.

• Louisiana State Education Department Media Kit data report.

• Utilization of the LDOE ECE Matching Funds and the Louisiana Believes Grant.

• Needed:

• Research existing grant opportunities for implementing high-quality birth-to-three programs.

• Develop local community options and solutions for increasing access for economically disadvantaged families enrolling in a quality learning program for their children ages birth to age three.
   

Performance Metrics:

1. The number of at-risk births to age three slots for early care and education will increase as funding becomes available through local community endeavors. The measuring tool will be the LDOE Fall 2024 Data Kit. 

2. The quality of early care and education experiences for children birth to age three will improve, as seen through the results of the Louisiana Early Childhood accountability system. The measuring tool will be the Louisiana Media Kit data report.

3. Develop a strategic plan to address the early childcare workforce issues and the need for additional seats in Rapides Parish by May 2024.

Goal 3: Increase funding for early childhood educational experiences in Rapides Parish.

Strategies:

• Identify community stakeholders to become champions in promoting the Louisiana Early Childhood Education Match program, Louisiana School Readiness Tax Credit program, and the Early Childhood Tax Credit Program.

• Research and secure additional funding partners.

Resources:

• Existing:

• LDOE ECE Matching Fund.

• Community partners to include the Community Foundation of Central Louisiana, the Coughlin-Saunders Foundation, and the Rotary Club of Alexandria.

• State and Federal grants.

• Needed:

• New funding sources that provide sustained support.

• Community partners to assist in fundraising efforts and support.

Performance Metrics: Increased funding and funding sources.

Goal 4:  Increase and maintain quality programs by supporting the early learning centers with hiring, onboarding, retaining, and training to meet the staffing needs associated with increasing high-quality access.

  Strategies:

●  Develop a Marketing Campaign to recruit teachers.

●  Enhance the professional development training program on high-quality instruction.

• Provide intentional, job-embedded, classroom-based coaching for teachers.

• Develop a timeline utilizing program partners to implement a leadership program that includes best practices in improving business acumen and early care and education leadership.

• Partner with the Orchard Foundation partnership to build a leadership development program. 

Resources:

●  Existing: 

•  Mentoring and job-embedded coaching with program partners to improve the quality of classroom teaching and learning.

• Professional development opportunities focused on on-site and classroom high-quality growth related to teacher evaluation, student assessments, and a Tier I curriculum.

• The Early Childhood Ancillary Certificate Program is available for childcare staff to complete the CDA credentialing process. 

• Orchard Foundation

●  Needed: 

• Maintain and enhance professional development programs to increase teacher quality measured by CLASS scores as reflected on score reports.

• Provide professional development training to retain staff.

• Create a marketing campaign to recruit and promote teachers through all media sources.

Performance Metrics:

• Increase new hires to include lead teachers and assistant teachers at centers recorded by LDOE.

• Improve teacher participation in developmental programs as recorded in the Louisiana Teacher Verification System.

• Implemented hiring campaign by June 2024.
  Submitted: January 26, 2024