Minnesota Early Childhood Comprehensive System (MECCS)
Early Childhood Systems Framework
The Early Childhood Systems Working Group has developed a systems framework that describes the different elements that need to be included – and integrated – into an early childhood system in order to provide young children and their families with services and supports needed to improve “what children know and can do” at the time of kindergarten entry and close the current gaps across class, race, language, and culture.
The Early Childhood Systems Working Group:
- Alliance for Early Childhood Finance
- The Build Initiative
- The Children’s Project
- Center for Law and Social Policy
- Council of Chief State School Officers
- National Center for Children in Poverty
- National Child Care Information Center
- National Conference of State Legislatures
- National Governors Association Center for Best Practice
- Smart Start’s National Technical Assistance Center
- State Early Childhood Policy Technical Assistance Network
- Zero to Three
This framework is visually depicted, with the intersections across the ovals a critical “system” component. While individual programs within any of the ovals may be able to demonstrate some positive impact upon children’s healthy development, they will not realize their full potential without support from the other ovals. There is no single programmatic intervention or focus on an aspect of children’s healthy development that can play more than a small role in closing existing gaps or improving the overall healthy development of children in US society. Serious consideration and implementation of this systems framework are necessary to significantly broaden the approach and scope of early childhood policy in Minnesota to increase the overall well-being and improved school readiness of our youngest citizens and future workforce – to close the achievement gap at its very roots.
The four ovals of a comprehensive early childhood system:
Early Learning
- Quality experiences for children birth - 5 have significant cost-benefits for low and middle income children
- High quality supports children’s development and mediocre or poor quality care potentially causing harm.
- With over 70% of mothers in the workforce, it’s imperative that child care providers have the best education and training at their disposal.
Health & Mental health
- Young children and their families benefit from primary, preventative, and comprehensive health services including:
- A broad focus on child health that includes physical, oral, behavioral, nutritional, and social emotional health;
- Strong mentoring of parents by medical professionals;
- Early and continuous developmental screening; and
- Follow-up services that respond to identified needs
Family Support
- Young children are most vulnerable when their families are under financial and other stress, or lack stability
- Safe and stable parent child relationships during the earliest years set a foundation for life which can ease the need for future remediation
Early Intervention/Special needs
- Early identification and treatment are critical for children experiencing any sort of developmental delay
- In addition to clinical responses, more systemic solutions are essential to fully address the complexity of a child and family’s special needs
