School Readiness: Bridging Ages and Worlds

Target Audience: County-level School Readiness Staff (School Readiness Coordinators, Program Staff, Lead Agency Partners)

We’ve all said that everything we do leads to school readiness, and increasingly, School Readiness programs are proving this is true, with expanded programs focused on every step of the 0-5 ladder. This year’s School Readiness Pre-Conference Institute will take a broad look at the range of school readiness efforts – from parent education for infants and toddlers to summer bridge programs for incoming kindergarteners. We will also look at a number of innovative School Readiness evaluation efforts that are providing information for program improvement in different areas. With a little something for everyone, this day seeks to help county staff and their partners think about School Readiness along the continuum. Planned topics include:

Issues in Evaluation: Local Challenges and How We’re Meeting Them
Target Audience: County Commission Executive Directors, Evaluation Staff, Program Staff, and Evaluation Contractors

As First 5 investments mature, commissions are under increasing pressure to identify and measure results. But evaluation is a complex process for First 5 commissions, one that often requires managing expectations of external stakeholders, community partners, and commissions themselves. It’s sometimes not easy to isolate the impact of specific First 5-funded interventions or to measure movement toward a county commission’s strategic plan goals. Even when evaluations can demonstrate and attribute results, research findings are often hard to present in a meaningful way to stakeholders. At a practical level, gathering data, while respecting the workload of providers and the language and cultural values of clients, can be a challenge. This session will feature panel presentations and group discussion that grapple with a range of local evaluation challenges and share successful strategies. Among the topics to be addressed:

End of the Year Fiscal Reporting – What’s New?
Target Audience: County Commission Executive Directors, Fiscal Management Staff

This half-day session will provide up-to-date information on the new reporting format and guidelines required by First 5 California. These new reports link fiscal reporting directly to result areas. Counties will have a chance to hear from First 5 California staff about the information that will be available to assist in the preparation of these reports and from experienced county staff about how the GFOA Financial Management Guide can be of assistance. This session will also provide ample opportunity for peers to share information about preparing for year-end reporting, particularly among similar sized counties and counties with similar types of program and/or fiscal data.

New Commissioner Orientation
Targeted Audience: County Commissioners (staff welcome on a space-available basis)
The New Commissioner Orientation will be an interactive session to help newer County Commissioners negotiate the many important responsibilities of serving on a Children and Families Commission. Valuable lessons will be shared by County Commissioners and staff with many years of First 5 experience on topics such as:

Commissioners will have an opportunity to pose questions to their peers from around the state and to learn about resources available to support County Commissions.