Versión en español a continuación. Early Childhood Council Meeting February 10, 2021 Early Childhood Council meeting to be held 2/10/2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (2/9/2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the Early Childhood Council Meeting, members of the public must: •Email or call the board liaison at Rachel.Farley@austintexas.gov or 512-663-2792 no later than noon, (the day before the meeting). The following information is required: speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). •Once a request to speak has been made to the board liaison, the information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided either by email or phone call. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start time in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to Rachel.Farley@austintexas.gov by noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If the meeting is broadcast live, it may be viewed here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live (Note, the Early Childhood Council meetings are not broadcast live.) Reunión del Early Childhood Council 10 de febrero del 2021 La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (9 de febrero antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Envíe un correo electrónico o llame al enlace de la junta en Rachel.Farley@austintexas.gov o al 512- 663-2792 a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). Se requiere la siguiente información: nombre del orador, número (s) de artículo sobre el que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutral, dirección de correo electrónico (opcional) y un número de teléfono (debe ser el número que se utilizará para llamar ). • …
REGULAR MEETING Wednesday, February 10, 2021 EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL MINUTES The Early Childhood Council (ECC) convened on Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Board Members in Attendance: Chair McHorse; Vice Chair Worthington; Members Hosking Pulido, Gordon, Alvarez, Wren, Huston, Paver, Bliss Lima, Cortés-Castillo, and Conlin Staff in attendance: Rachel Farley, Leila Lawson CALL TO ORDER – Chair McHorse called the meeting to order at 8:35 a.m. CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Dr. Choquette Hamilton provided citizen communication, saying that she is a member of Equity in Childcare and Education, a local grassroots coalition whose mission is to lift community voices and advocate for policies and actions that drive anti-racist child care and education in Central Texas. She asked the ECC to request that City Council members prioritize proposals for the St. John’s Redevelopment project and other redevelopment projects that include a high-quality child care center. She highlighted the lack of high-quality care options available for families in St. John’s in District 4, noting that there are 5 or less TRS child care seats per 100 children of working parents living 200% below the poverty line. She said Equity in Childcare and Education sees the St. John’s redevelopment as the optimal opportunity to increase child care access. Proposals are due February 18, 2021. ECC members noted that they could raise this topic could be individually with their appointing Council offices and also revisit it in the next meeting. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES from - Member Paver moved to approve the minutes of the November 17, 2020, and January 13, 2021 meetings, member Huston seconded the motion. The minutes for both meetings were approved unanimously by a vote of 11-0-0. 2. NEW BUSINESS AND POSSIBLE ACTIONS a. ECC 2021 Goal setting discussion Achieve- What do we want to do that we are not doing? • Consistent 2-way communication between Council offices and ECC • Have families and organizations participate and use ECC as a conduit to influence City Council • Working with Equity at the Center o Operationalize equity when considering policies- is data/impact broken down by race/ethnicity o Examine City plans to analyze to see the impact on racial equity in early childhood o Create avenues for community voices- Identify people active in the community on issues of equity and early childhood and invite them to ECC so we can hear from them; help people understand what role we have as a bridge between community …
City of Austin Early Childhood Council 2021 Context for Goal Setting ECC 2021 Foundations Document ECC Members shall be knowledgeable about and focused on our purpose: Purpose (ECC Bylaws) The Early Childhood Council shall, as stated in City Code § 2‐1‐123 (B): (l) Make recommendations to the city council for the creation, development, and implementation of programs that promote optimal development for young children; (2) Develop, for recommendation to city council, programs and activities that contribute to the continued development of a system of high‐quality early care and education and afterschool programs for Austin's children; (3) Explore and develop, for recommendation to city council, cooperative arrangements with area governments in the metropolitan region to support a system of quality early care and education; (4) Encourage volunteerism and philanthropic efforts in order to generate broad‐based community involvement and support for quality early care and education and promote the well‐being of families of young children; and (5) Develop, for recommendation to city council, strategies encouraging individuals and agencies to continually improve the quality of their services for young children; and (6) Support innovative approaches to quality early care and education and leadership development in fields relating to the optimal development of young children. ECC Council will articulate how actions /recommendations align with City of Austin Strategic Direction 2023 (SD23) City of Austin Strategic Outcomes: Economic Opportunity and Affordability: Having economic opportunities and resources that enable us to thrive in our community. Mobility: Getting us where we want to go, when we want to get there, safely and cost‐effectively. Safety: Being safe in our home, at work, and in our community. Health and Environment: Enjoying a sustainable environment and a healthy life, physically and Culture and Lifelong Learning: Being enriched by Austin's unique civic, cultural, ethnic, and learning mentally. opportunities. Government That Works for All: Believing that city government works effectively and collaboratively for all of us ‐ that it is equitable, ethical and innovative. City of Austin Early Childhood Council 2021 Context for Goal Setting ECC will articulate how actions/recommendations align with Community Strategic Plans Success By 6 Strategic Plan Pillars and Goals: Healthy Beginnings ‐ All children receive early and regular developmental screenings and immunizations, and are linked to accessible, coordinated, integrated, and responsive basic needs, physical, dental, and mental health services, including services for children with developmental delays. Supported Families ‐ Families …
Early Childhood Commission | Planning Achieve: What do we want to do that we are not doing? Preserve: What are we doing well that we want to continue Examples: • Consistent 2-way communication between Council offices and ECC • Have families and organizations participate, use ECC as a conduit to influence City Council Examples: • • Advocate for policy related to child care Influence City investments in ECE via APH Avoid: What do we want to prevent? Examples: • Conflicting with Community Strategic Plans Eliminate: What are we doing that is not effective? Examples: • Reacting to opportunities rather than being proactive
