Franko Group Policy Blog

Shared Services in Early Childhood

A relatively new topic in early childhood is shared services or collective management. The idea behind this concept is for early care and education providers to capitalize on economies of scale by joining forces. There are typically several ways this might happen.

Under a “corportate merger” approach, a number of independent providers actually merge into one corporate entitity that then handles all human resources, purchasing, administrative and financial operations for the collective.

Another approach is for providers to come together as partners in a “program alliance” where an umbrella organization still manages many of the same business functions described above, but the individual providers maintain more programmatic independence.

Still another strategy allows involved providers to select financial, HR and administrative services from a menu of options provided by a third party set up for that purpose.

All of these ideas have been explored by national early childhood experts and are detailed on the local Merage Foundation website. They are worth checking out, particularly for communities and groups of providers who are looking for ways to make the business side of early care and education more efficient.

More Colorado Children Living in Poverty

According to a Denver Post article yesterday (June 10, 2008), 73% more children in Colorado are living in poverty today than in 2000. This is the largest increase in the nation.

And if you look at the graphic provided along with the story, you will see that children under five years and over 12 are experiencing the greatest poverty rates. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Families with school-age children 5-12 years old have the school days and some after-school care availability to rely on in order to work and earn money. However, the care of children under 5 years is considered a private family responsibility. With monthly child care costs exceeding what many spend to send children to college, many families either drop out of the workforce or spend a large percentage of their paycheck on child care.

Similarly, children over age twelve aren’t eligible for most after-school care. Their families must either reduce work hours to insure after-school supervision, or let their children be home or in the community without any supervision or appropriate activities after school hours (many of which end by 2:30pm!).

What is our role as a society and a government to turn this picture around? Child care and after-school policies need to be carefully examined to see where we might better serve our children and youth. Governor Ritter is proposing an emphasis on education initiatives for 3-4 year olds, among other things. This is a good start that will hopefully be followed by additional initiatives to serve the needs of working families with infants and toddlers, as well as those with young teens.

To read more about the study that the Denver Post article was based on, visit www.coloradokids.org. You can also read the Denver Post article at www.denverpost.com.

Free and Healthy Lunches for K-2nd Graders

Another bill that was recently sent to Governor Ritter for his signature would provide free AND healthy lunches to those Kindergarten-2nd Graders in Colorado who now just receive reduced priced lunches.

SB08-123 would increase the number of children receiving free lunches by including kids who would otherwise only qualify for reduced price lunches. One of the best parts of this bill, though, is its recognition that the free lunches we provide to kids from low-income families should be HEALTHY. What a novel idea!

The bill would:

INCREASE STUDENTS’ CONSUMPTION OF WHOLE GRAINS, FRUITS
AND VEGETABLES, VITAMINS, CALCIUM, PROTEIN, FIBER, AND IRON; AND
REDUCE THE CONSUMPTION OF SODIUM, CHOLESTEROL, SUGAR, AND
CALORIES

It also aims to lessen childhood obesity and type-2 diabetes, and decrease health costs associated with children’s unhealthy diets.

Hooray to the legislators who developed and passed this legislation. It’s also great to see it start with some of our youngest children in the K-12 system. Hopefully, it won’t be long before all low-income students can have access to free AND healthy school lunches.

Child Care Assistance Program

Two pieces of legislation adressing the Child Care Assistance Program passed out of the Colorado Legislature during the 2008 session. This is good news for young children in Colorado, as well as for the providers that care for them.

SB08-210, Concerning Colorado Child Care Assitance Program Provider Reimbursement Rates, requires a six month study be conducted to determine how the state and counties might work together to implement the 75th percentile as a floor for the Child Care Assistance Program provider reimbursement rates. In other words, the study will help to figure out how providers participating in the Child Care Assistance Program might earn at least 75% of market rates (or the provider’s rates — whichever is less).

That seems like the least we can do for the dedicated early care and education professionals who take care of some of our most at-risk children. Hopefully, this study will result in real solutions that will raise reimbursement rates for child care professionals across the state — and make them more consistent between counties — so that more providers will participate in caring for children under the program.

Why does this matter? Because when more providers participate in the program, families in this state (no matter what their income level) will have more child care options. And more options means the potential for more high quaility care for our most at-risk children and families. This bill was sent to the Governor on May 15th and is awaiting his signature.

HB 08-1265, Concerning Alignment of the Maximum Eligibility Guidelines for the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program County Option with the Federal Maximum Eligibility Guideline, was signed by Governor Ritter in April. This legislation not only aligns the maximum eligibility rates with those outlined in federal eligibility guidelines, but provides a safety net for families for at least six months should a county decide to reduce its eligibility rates. This is good news for families who rely on the Child Care Assistance Program to work or go to school. And it is good news for their children as well, because their care will be less likely to be disrupted.

Coaching in Nonprofits on the Rise

Coaching is a relatively new profession to the nonprofit and public sectors. Not so in the business world, where coaching has become a regular part of professional and leadership development.

Now, funders like the Kellogg Foundation are working to make coaching a more recognized and utilized tool to develop organizational and leadership capacity in the nonprofit sector. Why? Because coaching is an effective way for new and established nonprofits to develop strong, confident and effective leaders. Executive Directors, Board members and senior staff all benefit from the support and accountability that coaching offers.

In fact, the Kellogg Foundation has joined with Compass Point to create the Coaching and Philanthropy project, an effort to promote coaching in the nonprofit world. To find out more about this project, click here.

The Franko Group has added individual and group coaching services to its offerings this year because we, too, believe that the support and accountability that come from a strong coaching relationship can advance the effectiveness of both nonprofit and public sector organizations.

Have YOU ever used coaching as a nonprofit executive or board member. We’d love to hear your story!