Notes: Trina Filan Snacks: Katy Bugni 3: 45 Introductions/Announcements/Updates

Early Childhood Coalition of the Greater Helena Area

September 12, 2016 Meeting Notes

3:45-5:00 p.m. at Ray Bjork Learning Center, Room 6 (1600 8^th Avenue)

ecchelena.org
Facilitator: Peggy Hollow-Phelps Notes: Trina Filan Snacks: Katy Bugni
3:45 Introductions/Announcements/Updates

• 
  East Helena School Board presentation is October 10, 6:00
  
• 
  Helena School Board presentation: Postponed until October 11, 5:30
  
• 
  Trina needs ECC membership input on items to post on website. Give your knowledge, please.
  
• 
  ECC Charter and updates: The Charter is on the website
  

4:00 Featured Focus I: Sarah Corbally, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Consultant – what’s up on the legislative front for the coming year?

• 
  In the past, HMHB had a robust coalition that was a resource to legislators. This is the goal going forward.
  
• 
  They’re working with Montana Advocates for Children and seeking to become part of MAC
  
  • 
    Gov Bullock is wanting to do something around Early Childhood again, but the November election will shape what happens for this subject in the state
    
• 
  They’re also seeking to be an information source
  
  • 
    They will be monitoring bills that come up – there isn’t anything specific yet
    
  • 
    Interim committees have worked on stuff since the last session
    
• 
  MAC (Mary Jane) is interested in having a fifth partner
  
  • 
    There are lots of priority areas
    
  • 
    Currently MT Head Start Ass’n, MT AEYC, MT Child Care Ass’n, MT CR&Rs (now there are seven).
    
• 
  Statewide ECCs approached about interest in a larger coalition, but fraught with bureaucracy
  
  • 
    Seeking now to make it less formal, more about information sharing
    
  • 
    Better for a bill if you can hear from people throughout the state, not just from Helena
    
  • 
    Perhaps the ECC’s can be extensions of smaller advocacy groups within MAC
    
• 
  Question/comment: Parental “responsibility” seems to be the beginning and end of early childhood conversations.
  
  • 
    Parents and kids need to be treated together. Can we build a system that deals with them together? From insurance to care provision and all in between
    
  • 
    Fiscal arguments are persuasive: Not investing is more expensive in the long run
    
  • 
    Wording is important: “Good parenting” can be discussed as a result of home visiting
    
• 
  We also need to look at what sold legislators in other states on the value of passing child-centric legislation.
  
• 
  There’s room for a stronger voice to lobby for these issues, and HMHB wants to help provide that voice.
  
• 
  Question: Is there anything you see on the horizon? Not yet.
  
• 
  We need a statewide voice, though. HMHB seems to be a good place for this role to reside.
  
  • 
    They will use an e-mail blast to keep people informed
    
  • 
    MAC did a weekly update and a big monthly update a while ago. It broke down what was happening in the session specific to early childhood. This is not the case now.
    
• 
  It would be great, too, to know the timeline for presenting a bill
  
  • 
    Some will be drafted long before the session starts
    
  • 
    There’s a cut-off for bills that require money that’s earlier than non-fiscal bills
    
  • 
    Feb 18 is the last day to introduce a bill
    
  • 
    Earlier preparation and presentation of bills is preferred
    
  • 
    Budget amendments are another way for agencies to get funding – this requires working closely with a legislator and getting the votes on committees lined up
    

Featured Focus II: ECC Legislative Forum: From the surveys, topics of interest:

1. 
   Expanding Medicaid services for mental health needs
   
2. 
   Increased family leave for the birth or adoption of a child
   
3. 
   State support for Head Start and early childhood preschool and child care
   
4. 
   Access to health care for expecting and new mothers
   

• 
  Are there legislators who are willing to sponsor this type of legislation?
  
• 
  Set-up for this Forum will be a little more interactive and educational than the last one.
  
• 
  Moffie Funk, Mary Caffero not coming but interested in what comes out of the forum.
  

4:50 Committee Updates

• 
  Peggy explains the Leadership Team structure and discusses the need to transition to new chair and vice-chair
  

• 
  Communication and Advocacy – Chelsea Segrest
  
  • 
    Thursday, September 15, 6:30-8:30, St. Paul’s
    
  • 
    Website – please give Trina information!
    
• 
  Early Care and Education – Brandi Thomas
  
  • 
    Wednesday, September 14, 3:30-5:00, 901 N Benton Ave.
    
  • 
    WOYC will be even more awesome this coming year, even more collaborative and far-reaching. It will rock.
    
• 
  Family Health and Support – Brie Oliver
  
  • 
    Home Visiting Task Force – meets monthly
    
    • 
      Second Friday of the month
      
    • 
      Hoping to get CASA, Head Start there
      
  • 
    Collaboration to build relationships and to improve referrals
    
  • 
    Creativity is expanding
    
    • 
      Care coordination , gap identification, coordinated parenting classes
      
  • 
    Elevate Montana Helena Affiliate
    
    • 
      So many great things happening!
      
    • 
      ACE Presenters and 10/27 Community Café are the next big things
      
  • 
    Community-wide Screenings
    
    • 
      Colleen Bosch, Early Head Start, visited the LT on 9/2
      
    • 
      Discussed coordination of screening efforts
      
    • 
      A task force will be formed to deal with this effort
      
    • 
      Allow for a variety of questions to be asked and parent needs to be welcomed
      
• 
  Fiscal Oversight/Coordinator Report – Trina Filan
  
  • 
    AFN – Emergency Preparedness Expo and Harvest Family Fun Day
    
  • 
    EMHA – Paper Tigers DVD for showing
    
  • 
    Kids Hunger Coalition
    
  • 
    Time to start measuring stuff!! We need to start talking about the stuff we’re measuring and the results we’re seeing.
    

Other – Project LAUNCH (Miranda)

• 
  Universal screening – what does this mean? All kids or streamlined screening efforts. Bozeman – who is doing it, who should be doing it…then moving to how and why and in what context. How to move to screening in the same way and for the same reasons?
  
• 
  Screening versus assessment – this conversation has been going on for a year.
  
• 
  The big question is “What’s the purpose?”
  
• 
  Preschool Development Grant – one goal is to develop a kindergarten assessment – it’s not an entry assessment; it’s to be used to help teachers know how to meet kids where they are. Kindergarten Information Transition Tool (KITT)
  

4:55 Next Meetings

• 
  September 14: AEYC/Early Care and Education Committee meeting, Child Care Connections (901 N Benton), 3:30-5:00 p.m.
  
• 
  September 15: ECC Legislative Forum, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
  
• 
  October 10: ECC General Meeting (no LT meeting in October) AND ECC Presentation to East Helena School Board, 6:15-ish
  
• 
  October 11: Helena School Board Presentation, 5:30 p.m. (not sure of where we are on the agenda; presentation will last 10-15 minutes)
  
• 
  October 27: ACEs Community Café II, stay tuned for more information
  

Facilitator: Chelsea Segrest

Snacks: Mary Pat Penley
5:10 Adjourn


With the focus on the whole child, we promote community collaboration

to network resources and streamline services in support of the health, safety, care and education

for children ages 0 – 8 and their families in the greater Helena area.