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“When you’re engaged with society and trying to make it a better society, you’re an optimist.” -George Takei
Community Systems Statewide Supports (CS3)
Our annual conference Equity from the Start: Reimagining the Early Childhood System took place June 8-10, 2021. We were joined by early childhood stakeholders all around the state to convene, learn, and grow. Thanks to everyone who participated and supported the event! Session evaluations and the overall conference evaluation link will remain open through Thursday, June 17, 2021. For each survey you complete, you will be entered into a raffle to win a copy of Glenn Singleton’s Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide to Achieving Equity in Schools.
During our annual conference, we launched a new suite of resources around engaging parents in early childhood collaborations. We created a handbook that helps collaborations develop a strategy for engaging parents in the work, a new on-demand learning course specifically designed for collaboration members on family engagement, and several videos capturing parent perspectives on their work in collaborations. You can find all of these through our Partner Plan Act website.
We have released the annual Training Needs Assessment. This is an opportunity to inform future content of our On-Demand Learning courses, Partner Plan Act conference sessions, and regional trainings. Share the needs assessment survey with other community collaborations. We want to hear from you! The survey closes on June 30, 2021.
The fourth cohort of the Partner Plan Act Collaboration Institute launches next month! There is still time to join this great training opportunity! Communities can apply as teams to receive coaching and training over the course of a year from our CS3 coaches and trainers. Deepen your collective and individual knowledge on community systems, systems building, and systems change by participating in this free and unique opportunity! To apply and learn more, visit the Partner Plan Act website. Applications are due June 21, 2021.
Our annual conference Equity from the Start: Reimagining the Early Childhood System took place June 8-10, 2021. We were joined by early childhood stakeholders all around the state to convene, learn, and grow. Thanks to everyone who participated and supported the event! Session evaluations and the overall conference evaluation link will remain open through Thursday, June 17, 2021. For each survey you complete, you will be entered into a raffle to win a copy of Glenn Singleton’s Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide to Achieving Equity in Schools.
During our annual conference, we launched a new suite of resources around engaging parents in early childhood collaborations. We created a handbook that helps collaborations develop a strategy for engaging parents in the work, a new on-demand learning course specifically designed for collaboration members on family engagement, and several videos capturing parent perspectives on their work in collaborations. You can find all of these through our Partner Plan Act website.
We have released the annual Training Needs Assessment. This is an opportunity to inform future content of our On-Demand Learning courses, Partner Plan Act conference sessions, and regional trainings. Share the needs assessment survey with other community collaborations. We want to hear from you! The survey closes on June 30, 2021.
The fourth cohort of the Partner Plan Act Collaboration Institute launches next month! There is still time to join this great training opportunity! Communities can apply as teams to receive coaching and training over the course of a year from our CS3 coaches and trainers. Deepen your collective and individual knowledge on community systems, systems building, and systems change by participating in this free and unique opportunity! To apply and learn more, visit the Partner Plan Act website. Applications are due June 21, 2021.
Collaboration Highlight
Early Childhood Alliance, An Interview with Francesa Pilati
CS3 Lead Trainer/Coach, Ruby Flores, talked with Francesca Pilati of the Early Childhood Alliance (ECA). Francesca was the lead team member of the ECA collaboration and participated in two cohorts of the Partner Plan Act Collaboration Institute (PPACI). She talked with us about their experiences in the Institute over the past two years.
When was the Early Childhood Alliance established and why? What areas does it serve?
Focusing on the villages of Skokie, Niles, Lincolnwood, and Morton Grove, the ECA was formally established with an endorsed charter in 2019. However, a group of people from various community organizations and agencies had been meeting informally for at least two years prior to 2019. The group came together because they noticed a lack of connections between early childhood organizations in the community. They saw a need for increased communication and cohesiveness between entities that serve the same children and families. This informal gathering paved the way for the development of the Early Childhood Alliance.
Why did the team decide to join the third cohort of the Partner Plan Act Collaboration Institute (PPACI)? What were your goals for the year?
Participating in the second cohort of the Institute had been so helpful, that it made sense for them to apply again for additional supports. In their first year, they participated in the Institute’s Coach-Guided learning pathway. As a result, they created a charter and put a governance structure in place. However, they needed additional support with establishing goals and understanding how to move forward with their work. The ECA collaboration decided to continue receiving additional support by applying to be a part of the Institute’s Process-Guided Track to strengthen their collaboration’s collective work. Coincidentally, in the second year of the Institute a second time, ECA created its first paid position for the collaboration. With Rosa Mendez as the new collaboration lead, it made sense to start putting words into action. Their learning goals for the Institute included developing what to work on as a collaboration, looking at community data to identify a targeted problem, building the parent engagement piece included in the charter.
What are some of the things that your team learned through the PPACI?
By participating in the Institute, the team learned both intangible ideas and concrete processes. They learned about the importance of building relationships and partnering with other organizations. They gained a better understanding of systems change and its challenges. This collective knowledge set the foundation for them to learn more about governance structures, conducting system scans and root cause analysis, skills in data collection and analysis, and skills in meeting facilitation.
What are some of the things that your team accomplished through the PPACI?
In the first year, ECA was able to accomplish the creation of a governance structure and a charter that was formally endorsed by 40 organizations from different sectors including government, school districts, libraries, in-home daycares, private childcare, and healthcare. Building from this success, in the second year through PPACI, they formed a steering committee to lead the local systems change process. With training from PPACI, the steering committee was able to lead the community in a process to identify a problem target, complete a system scan and root cause analysis of the early childhood issues, and collect and analyze data from these efforts. This process started an important conversation about partnership and collaboration to fill available spots in fully funded programs within the community.
What was the coaching experience like for the team?
The team’s coaching experience has been amazing. Their coach walked them through each step, sharing her own experience throughout. It has taken a lot of work to accomplish their goals, and their coach has provided both moral and practical support.
What were the most rewarding and most challenging aspects of your participation in the Institute?
Watching the ECA evolve and blossom, becoming a formal organization, being endorsed by other organizations that are passionate about the work, analyzing community data and problem-solving around it, and, most importantly, building strong relationships have all been rewarding. They now feel poised to address the issues that they have identified.
The most challenging aspect has been the inherently deliberate nature of successful collaboration work. Building a foundation of partnership and trust takes time, and sometimes things don’t move as quickly as you’d like. Because everyone comes into the collaboration with their own perceptions, it’s important to step back and make sure that everyone is on the same page.
What advice would you give to collaborations who are considering applying to participate in Cohort Four of the Institute?
Highly recommend it! The entire two years have been so helpful. The Partner Plan Act Collaboration Institute has taken the Early Childhood Alliance’s impact on the community to a whole new level.
If your community collaboration would like to be highlighted in a future e-newsletter, please email partnerplanact@actforchildren.org.
Resources
NonprofitAF
The Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership
Thriving, diverse, equitable communities are possible through deep participation, particularly by communities commonly excluded from democratic voice and power. Leaders across multiple sectors, such as community-based organizations and early childhood community collaborations can use the “Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership” to assess and revolutionize community engagement efforts to advance community-driven solutions. We need to shift from the left side of the spectrum to the right, changing our activities from merely informing families and community members to collaborating with and deferring to them.
Trainings and Events
Equity from the Start: Reimagining the Early Childhood System | June 8-10, 2021
The Partner Plan Act annual conference , designed to be a place for early childhood community systems stakeholders to convene, learn, and grow will take place virtually on June 8-10, 2021. The conference spans three days with presentations from opening keynote, Vu Le, award-winning Chicago storyteller, Lily Be and Professor john a. powell as the closing keynote. Attend one session or all three days! Registration is free and attendees will receive Gateways to Opportunity and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) credits.
Tamarack Institute – Small Group Coaching
Between January and March 2021, your team and you may have participated in a series of workshops provided by Tamarack Institute. The three workshops were interactive sessions with a focus on the following:
- Useful perspectives and examples about how communities are working differently.
- Practical tools you can use to advance your collaborative work.
- A network of partners you can reach out to for support and collaboration.
We are offering a chance to enhance your learning through small group coaching! One month after the completion of the workshop, your team and you will be invited to a small group coaching session. This session will focus on how you have implemented the tools and approaches. You can also use this time to ask questions and share your lessons learned.
- Workshop 3: Creating a Culture of Engagement
- Coaching Sessions: April 7 and 8, 2021 | 1 – 2 p.m.
Register today for this unique opportunity! Space for the coaching session is limited, so we encourage you to register early.