California's Approach
California’s RTT-ELC grant implements a unique approach that builds upon a California’s local and statewide successes to create sustainable capacity at the local level to meet the needs of our early learners, with a focus on those with the highest needs. It supports a locally driven quality improvement process that encourages regional assessment, goal setting, and monitoring of progress that leads to tangible change.
California’s application makes the case for a locally driven approach with three key arguments:
- California has many diverse regions, each with its own politics, economy, and labor market. A one-size-fits-all approach will not work.
- To be successful, local Consortia must maintain control over their own improvement process.
- California must be fiscally responsible and should not agree to any spending commitments beyond the grant period.
California's Award
California requested $100 million and was awarded $52.6 million, with $84 million originally intended for the Consortia. The lower award reduces the local funding to approximately 74 percent of the grant amount.
California's RTT-ELC Federal Application was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education on October 19, 2011.
- Governor's Letter to the U.S. Department of Education (PDF; 320KB; 2pp.)
- California's RTT-ELC Federal Application - Body (PDF; 9MB; 225pp.)
- California's RTT-ELC Federal Application - Appendices (PDF; 70MB; 313pp.)
- California's RTT-ELC Federal Application - Required Signature (PDF; 1MB; 5pp.)
California's Plan: Local Activities
Local Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)
Approximately 74 percent of California’s RTT-ELC grant funding will be spent at the local level to support a voluntary network of 17 Regional Leadership Consortia (Consortia), each led by an established organization that is already operating or developing a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). As part of this grant, the Consortia will bring together organizations in their region with the same goal of improving the quality of early learning and will expand their current areas of impact by inviting other programs to join their QRIS or reaching out to mentor other communities. Nearly 1.8 million children or 65 percent of children under five in California are potentially impacted by this grant.
By joining California’s Race to the Top effort, the Consortia voluntarily agree to align their local QRIS to a common “Quality Continuum Framework” based on research-based elements and related assessment and improvement tools. They also agree to implement in their QRIS two common tiers using the Framework in addition to locally determined tiers and to set local goals to improve the quality of early learning and development programs. The focus will be in three areas of program quality:
- Child development and readiness for school;
- Teachers and teaching; and
- Program and environment quality.
California's Plan: State Activities
In addition to an evaluation of the Consortia outcomes, California will use a portion of the RTT-ELC grant funds to make the following one-time investments in state capacity:
- Home Visiting
Provide training to local California Home Visiting Program staff on implementing the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) practices and on the “Three R’s of Early Childhood: Relationships, Resilience, and Readiness”. - Screening Tool Distribution
Distribute “Ages and Stages” screening tools and materials to California Department of Education contracted early learning and development programs and local Consortia.
- Curricula Development for Higher Education
Facilitate and coordinate unit-based course alignment for three additional child development unit-based courses: Infant/toddler; children with special needs; and program administration. - California Collaborative for the Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning (CSEFEL)
Provide regional support for implementation of the CSEFEL teaching pyramid in local Consortia. - California Department of Social Services (DSS), Community Care Licensing Division (CCL) Web site
Enhance the DSS, CCL Web site to include educational and training materials for consumers and providers. - Central Repository for Kindergarten Readiness Information
Update the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) to accommodate the Kindergarten entry assessment information (DRDP-SR). - Program Administration Scale (PAS)/ Business Administration Scale (BAS) Training for Mentors
Provide “Train-the-trainer” instruction on the PAS and the BAS tools to Director Mentors and Family Child Care Home Mentors to support administrative technical assistance to local Consortia, participating centers, and family child care homes. - Electronic Training Materials on Existing Content
Develop online training materials for existing content in order to diminish access barriers. - Comprehensive System of Personnel Development for Early Start
Provide coordinated training for early intervention program staff and support implementation of best practices in developmental and health screening at the local level in collaboration with the local Consortia.
