Shared Services in Early Care and Education

Transcription

1 Shared Services in Early Care and Education A New Management Approach for EHS/Child Care Partnerships Louise Stoney April 1, 2014

2 What is a Partnership? A type of business organization in which two or more entities pool money, skills, and other resources, and share profit and loss in accordance with terms of the partnership agreement. In absence of such agreement a partnership is assumed to exist where the participants in an enterprise agree to share the associated risks and rewards proportionately. Source: Business Dictionary: partnership.html#ixzz2uojk3xiq New Castle, DE February 18,

3 Successful Partnerships Partners have agreed-upon mission, values, goals and measurable outcomes for the partnership The relationship between partners is characterized by mutual trust, respect, genuineness, and commitment Power is balanced among partners and resources are shared New Castle, DE February 18,

4 HS/CC Partnership Challenges: Unequal strength and access to resources Typical Head Start: Part of larger organization with leadership team (finance, HR, PD, quality support, family support) Revenue fairly stable, via grants/contracts (maybe supplemented by vouchers and/or parent fees) Accustomed to higher perchild rates based on enrollment Typical Child Care: Stand-alone center/home with single leader responsible for business + pedagogical leadership Revenue unstable, based on enrollment, subsidy & fee collection (few grants/contracts) Per-child rates rarely cover cost and typically based on attendance New Castle, DE February 18,

5 Partnerships are hard why bother? Effective HS and CC partnerships can attain: Scale Cost-effectively maximize all available slots in a community Financial Sustainability Diversity revenues, tapping all available public and private funding streams Programmatic Sustainability Ensure that ALL sites are high-quality Cost-Efficiency Shared administration can strengthen efficiency and accuracy Cultural, Linguistic, Economic Diversity Support classrooms in a wide range of neighborhoods/settings for diverse children and families New Castle, DE February 18,

6 Core Principles of Shared Services Shared Leadership Shared Core Values Shared Risk and Reward More deeply engaged staff, who work in teams with a network of sites Central leadership focus on Power With vs Power Over To hear interviews with directors, teachers, administrators about how Shared Services supports quality, go to: New Castle, DE February 18,

7 Pedagogical Leadership High Quality ECE Business Leadership e

8 Shared Services Approach to Leadership Business Leadership for stronger fiscal management: Increase revenues fiscal staff focus closely on enrollment, fee collection, fundraising Better reporting admin staff focus on timely submission of required reports, data, Reduce costs maximize automation, joint purchasing, centralized administration Pedagogical Leadership for classrooms: Reflective practice Shared mentoring Learning communities across sites New models of leadership 8

9 How Shared Services Can Support EHS/Child Care Partnerships Economies of scale Application requires at least 75 slots Administrative costs are capped at 15% for entire grant Economies of specialization Quality Assurance accountability for EHS standards Professional Development communities of practice across sites, with shared leadership, staff, core values Comprehensive Services/Family Supports Sustainability Tap funds beyond just EHS/CC grant Build strong infrastructure to weather economic storms and build links with prek classrooms for effective transition New Castle, DE February 18,

10 Shared Services: Can Vary in Intensity Information Sharing Intensive Collaborative Efforts Mimi and Peter Haas Fund March 4,

11 Examples Intensive Alliances with solid results: Chambliss Center for Children, Chattanooga TN (HS Community Partner) Early Connections Learning Centers, Colorado Springs (EHS and HS Community Partner) Sound Child Care Solutions, Seattle WA The Community Group, Lawrence MA All Our Kin, New Haven CT (EHS Delegate) New Castle, DE February 18,

12 Chambliss Center for Children Chattanooga TN Large child care center (300 children) also provides to management 5 off-site centers and 5 off-site classrooms All sites high-quality: at top of TN QRIS; meeting HS performance standards; child assessment results positive Central services include: Enrollment/billing (dual enrollment of HS children) Financial (payroll, benefits), HR and staff recruitment, food program administration, fund development, professional development, child assessment, maintenance, volunteers. Staff in smaller sites now have better wages, health and retirement benefits, career ladder All sites stronger and more sustainable Mimi and Peter Haas Fund March 4,

13 Early Connections Learning Centers Colorado Springs CO Includes 5 full-day/year centers, 2 school-based preschool centers, 2 off-site school-age programs, a drop-in facility at the Courthouse and a network of family child care homes. Shared Services vary by site, but include: Billing/fee collection (including CACFP, subsidy, parent fees, etc.) Enrollment management and reporting, data, etc. Quality assurance (on-site TA, PD, classroom observations, curriculum support, cross-site learning communities, etc.) Child Outcome Assessment training and support Family involvement, medical support, literacy, bi-lingual staff Staff support, including HR, benefits, PD plans New Castle, DE February 18,

14 Sound Child Care Solutions Seattle WA Consortium of 7 center licenses (28 classrooms in multiple locations) with centralized administration Central functions (shared back-office): Financial payroll, benefits, some billing Bulk purchasing goods and services Professional development system Accreditation support Mentoring Staff recruitment Substitute pool Site Directors time freed up to focus on teacher supervision, family relationships, quality early learning 14

15 All Our Kin New Haven CT Supports several family child care networks, including an EHS-funded network 24 slots in homes). Centralized supports include: Financial support EHS funding for home-based providers Quality support on-site coaching, consultation, individualized PD; warm line; monthly peer meetings Classroom observations (ERS & CLASS) Child Assessment Nurse consultant Family Advocate; Bi-lingual services New Castle, DE February 18,

16 The Community Group Lawrence MA Serves over 1,000 children (infant - school-age) in 9 centers and 52 FCC homes. Also operates 3 charter schools (prek 8 th gr), CCR&R, and manages turn-around in a low-performing public elementary school. A shared-back office supports all sites with: Fiscal (billing/fee collection, USDA food program, accounting, planning/audit/control) HR, health and pension benefits PD, including learning teams across sites Data analysis, including real-time teacher review of child assessment Fundraising and strategic planning New Castle, DE February 18,

17 A Shared Services Center-Based Approach to EHS/Child Care Partnership Business Leadership Shared back office manages billing, fee collection, data, reporting, for ALL sites and all funding streams (efficiency + increased revenue) Financial support for slots; bulk purchasing of goods and services Pedagogical Leadership Site-based leadership (director or supervising teacher) focused on EHS standards and child outcomes If sites are small, a single director can oversee several classrooms in multiple locations Shared professional development staff focused on supporting teacher training/education, mentoring, learning communities, reflective practice Shared family support staff focused on engagement/outreach, comprehensive services, developmental screening, etc. New Castle, DE February 18,

18 A Shared Services FCC-Based Approach to EHS/Child Care Partnership Business Leadership Shared back office manages billing, fee collection, data, reporting, for ALL homes and all funding streams (Note: back office could also support center-based ECE.) Financial support for slots; bulk purchase of goods and services Pedagogical Leadership Shared PD staff to support FCC providers in obtaining CDA or AA Shared Child Development Specialist offers coaching/mentoring Shared family support staff focused on engagement/outreach, comprehensive services, developmental screening, etc. New Castle, DE February 18,

19 Shared Services is a Framework Shared Services is NOT Simply a cost reduction method Just a provider network A HS grantee that offers only TA or comprehensive services to child care centers/homes The same in every community; one size does not fit all Shared Services IS A fundamental shift in management and staff roles/responsibilities among the Hub agency and participants with a focus on both Business and Pedagogical leadership Focused on finding economies of scale AND economies of specialization Based on shared leadership, shared core values, shared risk and reward New Castle, DE February 18,

20 Shared Services Resources Opportunities Exchange: Profiles of current Alliances Peer networking Tools, such as examples of management agreements Articles and presentations Videos and multi-media And much more New Castle, DE February 18,