Priorities
As defined by the large stakeholder group July 26 and 27, 2007

From a large list of priorities, the stakeholder group determined that all of the priorities could be accomplished with the establishment of a coordinator for the Early Care, Health and Education Professional Development System.

The priority is to identify or establish a coordinator or “keeper” of the process, leadership and administration. This person/office will be a coordinator for what happens from this point forward. (The coordinator should be able to deploy work force and develop administration relationships across stakeholders. The model could be similar to Early ACCESS with one fiscal agent and MOUs.)

The coordinator responsibilities would include:

• Continue work on building consensus and obtaining buy-in from stakeholders.
• Develop a communication plan. (The plan to include those involved and those who have not been part of the conversations so all feel that they are connected.)
• Budget/funding plan (identify who has money and how it would fit into the plan/purpose.)
• Identify timeline for rolling this process out.
• Identify stakeholders and systems to ensure that everyone is at the table. This process helps identify work groups.
• Help all stakeholders understand/own that health is integrated and critical in all aspects of professional development.

The coordinator will provide oversight for Work Groups and Research in the area of Professional Development.

Work Groups to Support the Professional Development System

Groups to include:

• Health group
• Higher Education Task Force
• Family Support

Work Groups from stakeholders with differentiated roles and responsibilities to assist in the following areas:

• Articulation (after competencies are identified) between college and high school, non-credit and credit.
• Better definition of family support pathway.
• Clarify the integration of health into the ECHE profession (pathway, competencies, content.)
• Explore the option of contracting with people to do this work. (NM had a contracted person for every group.)
• Formulating a communication plan.
• Infant/toddler issues.
• Family support issues.
• Special populations.
• Identifying what Entry level course, Core 1 and Core 2 and what do they look like.
• Identifying competencies and outcomes at all different levels. Including alignment with NAEYC and more specialized competencies.
• Identifying State issued new certificates and licenses and who will issue.
• Establish evaluation and monitoring plan.

Research (May be addressed through contracted personnel.)

• Identify Professional Development training entities, survey and establish training qualifications.
• Inventory funding sources.