Minnesota Early Childhood Comprehensive System (MECCS)
Background
History of the Minnesota Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems grant
The State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Grant Program was launched in 2003 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Service Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. These federal grants to states and territories were provided to achieve collaborative partnerships that aligned early childhood service system priorities and integrated their funding streams in order to maximize health, mental health, early care and education, parenting education and family support benefits to the children, families, and communities served. Minnesota has participated in the ECCS Grant Program since the planning phase in July 2003. The Minnesota Department of Health, Title V is the lead agency for the project and the grant administrator.
The Minnesota Early Childhood Comprehensive System (MECCS) governance structure has evolved over the years moving from a focus on "screening," five work groups (screening, outreach, referral/follow-up, quality indicators, data accountability) and an Interagency Leadership Team (ILT), to only an expanded ILT. Because of the collaborative nature of this project, input from the ILT members is important to the success of this systems building work. The ILT members guide the work in Minnesota by contributing to the overall goals and objectives of the project.
Since 2007, through a collaborative relationship with the national Build Initiative, supporting Minnesota’s Build Initiative partner, Ready 4 K, Minnesota has adopted the 4-oval model (See Figure 1) for early childhood systems development. This model was originally developed by the Early Childhood Systems Working Group in order to provide guidance as to the essential elements of an early childhood system. In 2008, MECCS, along with key partners, created a document outlining indicators and strategies for Minnesota’s early childhood system addressing both the 4-oval model and the five critical components (see below).
Figure 1: State Early Childhood System
The purpose of the State ECCS Grant Program is to assist States and Territories in their efforts to build and implement statewide comprehensive and coordinated early childhood systems that support families and communities in their development of children that are healthy and ready to learn at school entry. These systems must be multi-agency and include key public and private agencies of services which are needed to support healthy physical, social and emotional development of children. Collaboration and partnerships are a strong focus. These systems should continue to address the five critical components and the seven core elements of early childhood systems development as follows. (See Figure 2) This figure was adapted from the 2007 Early Childhood Systems Working Group Graphic and Project THRIVE Early Childhood Comprehensive System State Profile.
Figure 2: Seven Core Elements
Five Critical Components:
- Access to Health Insurance and Medical Homes: Access to insurance support for medical homes providing comprehensive physical and child development services for all children, including children with special health care needs and assessment, intervention, and referral of children with developmental, behavioral, and psycho-social problems;
- Mental Health and Social-Emotional Development: Availability of services to address the needs of children at risk for the development of mental health problems and integration of the development of necessary pathways to facilitate entrance of at risk children into appropriate child development and mental health delivery systems;
- Early Care and Education/Child Care: The integration into the early childhood system of the development of early care and education services for children from birth through five years of age that support children’s early learning, health, and development of social competence;
- Parenting Education: Availability of comprehensive parenting educations services in the community;
- Family Support: Availability of comprehensive family support services that address the stressors impairing the ability of families to nurture and support the healthy development of their children.
Seven Core Elements:
1) Governance: Governance is the allocation of responsibility for decision-making and delivery across and throughout government departments and public and private sector partners.
2) Financing: Activities related to the planning/ development of state early childhood budgets, early childhood financial scans, blending and/or braiding early childhood funding streams and other related financing activities.
3) Standards: Develop and put in place standards that reflect effective practices, programs, and practitioners and that are aligned across the system.
4) Monitoring/Accountability: Develop State ECCS logic models, cross-sector objectives, performance/outcome indicators for early childhood systems and evaluation of ECCS programs.
5) Provider/Practitioner Support: Deliver training and technical assistance to early childhood providers and practitioners in support of their professional development.
6) Communication: Activities that develop communications to inform providers, practitioners and family members about effective strategies to support child development.
7) Family Leadership Development: Activities to supports parents and families by providing opportunities for parents and other family members to enhance their leadership skills and to exercise leadership within the state early childhood system.
Goals for MECCS:
- Minnesota has established an early childhood governance and leadership system that supports and evaluates policy decisions assuring that early childhood services are comprehensive and coordinated.
- Minnesota has a coordinated and comprehensive EC system that addresses the health and well-being of young children and their families.
- Minnesota children (0-5 years) will have access to early care and education opportunities in a safe and nurturing environment to ensure school readiness.
- Minnesota families are supported through programs and services that strengthen parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development.
To view selected MECCS activities for 2009-2012 click here.
Minnesota’s Interagency Leadership Team
In 2008, the State ECCS grants were no longer centered in the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Federal level staff of the agencies funding the respective child serving programs formed the Federal Partners’ Early Childhood Systems Work group (FPWG). The FPWG works to provide multi-agency support and guidance to the State ECCS grantees and their State Teams.
ECCS grantees are required to coordinate their systems building work through their State Multi-agency Early Childhood team. This team is comprised of a core membership including the State ECCS grant coordinator, and representatives from the Departments of Health, Human Services, and Education. This team may be expanded at the discretion of each State’s ECCS program.
Minnesota is moving forward with the multi-agency work of this initiative. MECCS currently has representation from many programs within state departments such as:
- Dept of Human Services - Minnesota's Children’s Trust Fund (Community-based Child Abuse Prevention [CBCAP])
- Dept of Human Services - Child Development Services
- Dept of Human Services - Children's Mental Health
- Dept of Human Services - Child and Teen Checkups (C & TC) (Early & Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, & Treatment [EPSDT])
- Dept of Health - MN Children with Special Health Needs (MCSHN)
- Dept of Health - Family Home Visiting
- Dept of Education - Early Learning Services
- Dept of Education - Part C & Part B Services
- Dept of Education - Head Start State Collaboration Director
MECCS also partners with the Build Initiative, national funder of the state Build Initiative housed at Ready 4 K, to assist in reaching community partners in the Metro and greater Minnesota areas. MECCS staff are members on both the MN Build State Advisory Committee as well as the Ready 4 K Core Team. The Build State Advisory Committee has representation from state and local agencies, local school districts, state legislators, local non-profits, foundations, faculty from universities, and the MN Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. MECCS collaborates with this committee in an effort to move early childhood systems work forward for Minnesota at the regional and local level.
In 2008, MECCS contracted with Wilder Research to produce a report outlining indicators to establish baseline evaluative measures for child and family health and well-being; as well as system quality and access in Minnesota. In addition, the report highlights evidence-based strategies to improve these outcomes.
Early Childhood Minnesota: Indicators and Strategies for Minnesota’s Early Childhood System, a joint report of Minnesota Build and Minnesota Early Childhood Comprehensive System, December 2008.
- Indicators and Strategies for MN's Early Childhood System: Full Report (PDF: 1.86MB/85 pages)
- Indicators and Strateties for MN's Early Childhood System: Executive Summary (PDF: 264KB/2 pages)
