Last year, much discussion centered on early childhood education, in part due to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's push for a universal preschool program called PreK for All. To build on this work, those leading the discussions recognized the need to provide a unified message to guide policy priorities.
Recognizing that need, the WK Kellogg Foundation helped establish the Early Education Community of Practice. It is a collaboration of early education leaders that brings together sector leaders and state partners to align policy priorities and advocacy opportunities.
First created by cognitive anthropologist Jean Rave and educational theorist Etienne Wenger, a community of practice (or CoP) is a group of people who share a common interest and come together regularly to improve their skills and knowledge. A term used to describe a group. CoPs are commonly used by professional communities such as doctors and lawyers, and are part of the fabric of early childhood education. Several CoPs focus on early childhood in Michigan.
Chana Edmund Varley.
“The community of practice is really looking at how we build early care and education systems that create opportunity for everyone. Providing opportunity for all lenses is how we get a seat at the table. “I think so,” said CEO Chana Edmund Burley. Vibrant Futures, a Grand Rapids-based nonprofit focused on quality care for children, is one of the organizations involved in the Early Education CoP.
Jennifer Headley Nordman is the president of First Step Kent, a Grand Rapids-based nonprofit working in the early childhood care field and another CoP member organization. She said the Early Education Collaborative has positive momentum and energy with leaders in the field of early childhood care and education, learning from each other and sharing resources as they consider how to align local policies in cities and counties. He said he was able to share. It's the equivalent of what's happening at the state or federal level.
Michigan's Early Education CoP has positive momentum and energy with leaders in the field of early childhood care and education.
Promoting employment support, economic development, and school readiness
It is well documented that 80% of a child's brain is formed by the age of three. However, many child care experts say that when it comes to early childhood care and education, the education discussion tends to focus on K-12. The 2020 coronavirus pandemic changed that as parents struggled to find quality child care so they could go to work.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Michigan received approximately $1.4 billion for child care and education through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. Given all that is happening because of this funding, we are working hard to ensure that funding from ARPA and CRRSAA supports early childhood opportunities that increase equitable access to early childhood education. The need to come together to help advocate and deliver solutions became clear. Jeffrey Capizzano, President and Founder of Policy Equity Group, said: “Providing quality learning to all children.”
In recognition of its efforts to promote equity and support the well-being of children and families by helping states, cities, and organizations design more effective systems, the Policy Equity Group was awarded the CoP to Build and Advance CoPs. Nominated to assist.
This focus began within the Kellogg Foundation's three primary focus areas in Michigan: Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Battle Creek. The CoP has since expanded to more than 30 organizations across the state. Capizzano points out that the CoP continues to expand and includes members from the early child care field in addition to community stakeholders.
Jeffrey Capizano.
“We will continue to demonstrate value to our nation on how we can support mutually agreed goals and educate policy makers on the importance of early childhood as a support for jobs, a driver of economic development, and a tool. “We continue to strive to promote school readiness,” Capizzano said.
Together, our members have access to a variety of resources and experts, allowing us to provide solutions and act quickly. These member organizations can have a seat at the table as experts to support the process.
“You can't underestimate the value of groups of individuals coming together and sharing experiences from a policy perspective,” Capizzano says. I find great value in attending and participating in community practices to understand what is happening on the ground and how I can do my job better. ”
The CoP has expanded to more than 30 organizations across the state.
The value of a correct name
The impact of the CoP is already being felt. In early March 2024, Lisa Brewer-Walraven, director of child care and development at Michigan Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), changed the name of the child development and child care grant program to “child care scholarships.” announced that the term “subsidy” would be deconceived. An effort to encourage more eligible families to apply. Maryland made these changes as part of a policy reform that saw an increase in child care scholarships.
“On the subsidy side, we're thinking boldly about how we change that,” Edmund Varley said. “We have funds in Michigan that we haven't even been able to completely withdraw until now. We were leaving money on the table, and some families didn't know that. .”
About 10% of children ages 0 to 11 in households with incomes below the new eligibility criteria will receive subsidies, according to the University of Michigan Poverty Solutions. If we focus on children aged 0 to 6, who typically require full-time care, that percentage rises to 12%.
“That was a barrier to access,” Edmund Varley says of applying for child care scholarships. She added that the process was extremely difficult because the state had a 60-year-old application for eligible families below 200% of the poverty level. A family of four would earn $62,400.
“I think one of the things we did was open up access,” she says.
University of Michigan Poverty Solutions, in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, has developed the updated Michigan Child Care Development Grant website to help child care providers complete the steps to accept the scholarship.
Edmund Varley noted that more work is needed as the organizations collaborating on the CoP focus on completing the pathway by connecting eligible residents to resources through intermediary organizations such as Vibrant Futures. are doing.
Expanding licenses and qualifications
Headley-Nordman added that another area the CoP is working on is building greater access to child care options by considering who is eligible for licensing. One area of focus is homeowner associations (HOAs), which often impose rules that restrict or prohibit day care operations. 
Jennifer Headley-Nordman.
“This is one of the ways that we can potentially make some real changes and open up more opportunities within our communities and neighborhoods for our neighbors to have safe home care. You can actually benefit from those additional childcare spaces,'' says Headley-Nordman.
The CoP also looked at the licensing process. During PreK for All listening sessions held last year, the challenges of obtaining a child care license were often at the center of discussion. Headley-Nordman said the group is looking at the licensing process and discussing what areas need to be updated and what are the barriers.
The recently released PreK for All Roadmap states that homeschooling is the key to achieving 75% preschool enrollment for 4-year-olds in Michigan. The roadmap recommended a home-based provider early learning pilot that would create a new path for existing home-based providers to participate in his PreK for All program.
“At the end of the day, we want to make sure that the environment is safe and of high quality. There are things that we could do more creatively and differently that don't impact those things, but really… It may help in terms of overall ability, or it may allow individuals with specialized knowledge to support children in other ways,” Headley-Nordman said.
She said the CoP is also considering how states have historically determined who is eligible for licensure and who should be certified to work in the field of early child care. he added.
“I think those types of activities have really helped this community of practice bring it to the forefront of the discussion in the state,” Headley-Nordman says. “We continue to be able to inch these things forward because of our collective voice.”
Joanne Bailey-Boorsma has more than 30 years of writing experience and has served as a reporter and editor for several West Michigan publications, covering a variety of topics from local news to arts and entertainment.
Photo: Stephen Smith.
Subject courtesy of Jeffrey Capizzano.
Jennifer Headley Nordman Photo by First Steps Kent/Isabel Media Services
