CA ECE Network Mapping

The map taxonomy is a consistent set of classification standards that play a foundational role in how the maps are organized and how information can be sorted and viewed. For these maps, GPG developed a taxonomy that includes a set of fields (ex: type of organization, nature of organization’s work, organizational areas of focus, etc.) and a set of classifications within each field (ex: non-profit, advocacy organization, training and technical assistance provider, etc.) The taxonomy is presented below, along with a description of the specific classifications within each field.

Click on a taxonomy field below to view the options and definitions.

• Entity Type

  Option	Definition
  Public Agency / Government Entity	An official governmental body established by the State, legislature, or voter propositions; may be called commissions, boards, or departments
  Non-Profit	An entity with an IRS tax-exempt status

• Entity Subtype

  Option	Definition
  Foundation	A non-governmental entity with a principal purpose of making grants to organizations, institutions, or individuals
  Research Institute and/or Think Tank	An organization or subdivision of a bigger institution dedicated to conducting research and/or proving evidence informed policy guidance on particular issues, policies, etc.
  Association/Membership-based Organization	An organization composed of members, usually with dues, often due to same/similar professional occupations and/or interests
  Subdivision	A subsection of a larger organization. Could be called a department, division, program, etc.
  Other	An organization whose structure, function, or purpose is not captured by any of the identified organizational labels
  Collaborative	An organization with a primary function of coordinating, convening, and engaging partnering entities

• Collaborative Type

  Option	Definition
  Technical Assistance Collaborative	Works to provide, coordinate, or plan technical assistance and/or training efforts
  Advocacy Collaborative	Seeks to collaboratively advocate for policy change and/or investments related to the collaborative’s areas of focus
  Cross-Systems Coordination Effort	Works to plan, coordinate, align, integrate, and/or develop efficiencies across different systems (ex: Workforce preparation, Developmental Screens)
  Intra-System Coordination	Works to plan, coordinate, align, integrate, and/or develop efficiencies within a single system (ex: QRIS, Home visiting)
  Funders Collaborative	Coordination of funders, interested in a particular issue or region.

• Nature of Work

  Option	Definition
  Advocacy	Influences public policy, either broadly or by issue-area, without putting candidates up for election
  Professional Development or Technical Assistance	Provides professional development opportunities or technical assistance to direct service providers and/or other professional development or technical assistance providers
  Direct Services for Children and Families	Provides services directly to children and/or families
  Funding	Provides funding, grants, etc. for a particular purpose or program
  Community Organizing / Social Networking	Coordinates cooperative efforts, information sharing, and campaigning involving interest groups and individuals
  Media/Communications	Uses traditional and social media and communications to drive advocacy or change efforts
  Research	Conducts research and/or analysis in a field, deriving relevant information, guidance, and/or recommendations

• Area of Focus

  The items listed below are General Areas of Focus. Click on an item below to view the Specific Areas of Focus contained within each General Area of Focus.

  • Formal Early Education: Early learning opportunities for children from birth through age 5 in licensed ECE settings ranging from family child care homes (FCCH) to private and public center based settings including LEAs, California State Preschool Program, and Head Start.

    Option	Definition
    Access	Includes increasing overall funding for ECE programs to increase the number of slots available from children 0-5 to access early learning opportunities. This also includes revising eligibility requirements so more children are eligible for subsidized care.
    Child Observation and Assessment	Includes Kindergarten Entrance Data/Kindergarten Readiness Assessments and Developmental and Health Screenings (child health and CA-QRIS).
    Quality, Accountability, and Improvement	Includes: QRIS; Site/classroom/staff quality improvement plans; Classroom Ratios and Group Size; Staff Qualifications (teachers and directors); Effective Teacher/Adult-Child Interactions; Program Environment; and Facilities and Licensing.
    Curriculum	This includes Social-Emotional Development, Play-based models, STEM, arts education, etc.
    Birth through Third Grade Alignment	Includes work to align program standards, requirements, assessments, and/or teacher qualifications across systems serving children birth through age 8.
    Responsiveness to Diverse Student Needs	Includes Support for Dual Language and English Language Development, serving minority students, and is inclusive of special education and full inclusion settings.
    Leadership Development and Program Administration	Includes work to build the capacity of ECE program leaders, including elementary principles, center-based administrators, and owners of family childcare homes, and/or capacity building and professional development related to program operations.

  • ECE Workforce

    Option	Definition
    Educator Quality	Includes Effective Teacher/Adult-Child Interactions; Staff Qualifications (teachers and directors); Professional Development/Training; Credentialing/Permitting; and Practice-based Coaching and Reflective Supervision.
    Higher Education	Includes work related to higher education and its role in preparing the ECE Workforce.
    Compensation	Includes a focus on how educator compensation impacts the ECE workforce and field generally. Is inclusive of efforts to increase compensation through a number of forms/strategies.
    Teacher/Staff Retention	Includes examining teacher/staff retention, factors related to retention, strategies to increase retention, and the impact of retention on student outcomes.

  • Child Health

    Option	Definition
    Nutrition	The intersection of child nutrition with child development and ECE.
    Accessible Health Care	A focus on health care access as it relates to early childhood development, developmental screens/services/early intervention, mental health services, and improving child outcomes.
    Early Childhood Health	Includes Developmental Screens/Developmental Services (inclusive of childhood mental health, early intervention, special education, behavioral health, IDEA part B and C services).
    Prenatal and Reproductive Care	Includes access to reproductive healthcare, access to prenatal services and supports, information about healthy reproductive and prenatal practices, etc.
    Parental Mental Health	A focus on parental/caregiver mental health care, supports, and services as it relates to strengthening families and improving child outcomes.
    Environmental Health	A focus on the environment that affects child and family health, including the presence of lead, water quality, air quality, etc.

  • Family Engagement and Strengthening

    Option	Definition
    Family Engagement and Empowerment	Includes a focus on engaging, involving, and including families and caregivers in ECE (at ECE centers and sites, in policy and advocacy, through community services, in the home, etc.) and empowering families to serve as advocates for their children and the services they deserve.
    Home Visiting	Includes efforts related to home visiting programs and/or services.
    Child Welfare	Includes efforts related to preventing or studying childhood trauma, abuse, neglect, and foster care, and policy or systems work related to state and local child welfare systems including the foster care system.

  • Informal Care

    Option	Definition
    Family, Friend, and Neighbor Suport and Outreach	Includes License Exempt Care.

  • Funding

    Option	Definition
    Reimbursement Rates	Work related to administering or advocating for increases to the rates at which sites/centers/caregivers are reimbursed for providing subsidized child care or ECE services.
    Tiered Reimbursement	Issues related to programs receiving different levels of funding/reimbursements based on their quality rating (ex: programs receive higher reimbursements as they move up on the rating scale).
    Cost of Quality	Includes a focus on better understanding, defining, and/or communicating the costs associated with providing high-quality ECE.

  • Communities

    Option	Definition
    Program Hours	This is inclusive of flexible scheduling, expanded program hours, out-of-school time, expanding part day to full day care, and providing/increasing care options beyond the traditional school day or year.
    Alternative Payment	Alternative payment programs (APPs), funded with state and federal funds, offer an array of child care arrangements for parents such as in-home care, family child care, and center-based care. The APP helps families arrange child care services and makes payment for those services directly to the child care provider selected by the family. The APP is intended to increase parental choice and accommodate the individual needs of the family. This area of focus is inclusive of all work to administer, advocate for, or improve the APP.
    Coordination of Services	Includes community schools, co-location of services, case coordination, home visiting, and system efforts that seek to better coordinate and align services and eligibility requirements.
    Community-based Programs for Enrichment	Includes libraries, museums, community centers, family resource centers, and Boys and Girls Clubs.
    Private Sector/Business Community Engagement	Includes efforts to engage, inform, mobilize, and/or partner with the private sector/business community as an advocate for ECE.
    Civil Rights	Includes a focus on ECE as a civil rights issue, particularly for historically disenfranchised communities/groups.

• Organizations Map Introduction (click to show/hide)

  The Early Care and Education (ECE) Organizations Map seeks to facilitate an improved understanding of the landscape of organizations working to affect, influence, or inform ECE policy at the state level in California. The map includes ECE organizations working at the state systems/policy level, and provides the following information for each organization:

  • Mission/vision
  • Leadership
  • Website
  • General and Specific areas of focus (Formal early education, child health, ECE workforce, etc.)
  • Organization type (nonprofit, public-agency, etc.)
  • Organization subtype (foundation, research institute, etc.)
  • Budget Information

  This map is intended to serve as a resource for the field. This map is a good faith effort to identify organizations working at the state-level in the ECE field. Given the complexity of the landscape, it is unlikely that this map is wholly inclusive or exhaustive. Information on this map is sourced from publically available materials. Some organizations may have been unintentionally overlooked, while others may not be represented on the map because they did not fit the parameters for inclusion.

• By Type
• By Subtype
• By Nature of Work
• By General Focus
• By Specific Focus
• Playground

• Collaboratives Map Introduction (click to show/hide)

  The Collaboratives Map seeks to share information about groups or collaboratives, made up of organizations and/or organizational representatives, working to affect, influence, or inform ECE policy at the state level in California. This map includes groups that are not formal organizations in their own right. The map includes collaboratives working at the state systems/policy level, and provides the following information for each group:

  • Purpose
  • Collaborative type (Technical Assistance Collaborative, Advocacy Collaborative, Cross-Systems Coordination Effort, Intra-System Coordination, Funders Collaborative)
  • General areas of focus (Formal early education, child health, ECE workforce, etc.)
  • Member Organizations and Leadership
  • Website
  • Additional Information (Including funders, bylaws, meeting information, and other items of interest, as available)

  Information about these groups/efforts was collected through online information gathering, discussions with stakeholders in the field, and GPG’s internal organizational knowledge. Because the collaboratives found on this map are not stand-alone organization, information gathering posed some challenges. As such, it is unlikely that this list is wholly inclusive or exhaustive. Some groups/collaboratives may have been unintentionally overlooked, while others may not be represented on the map because they did not fit the parameters for inclusion.

• By Collaborative Type
• By Members
• By Focus Area

State Level Organizations Map

1. What subtypes of organizations are working in ECE in California?
   1. Which organization is both a Research Institute and/or Think Tank, and a Collaborative? Where is that organization located?
   2. How many organizations with the collaboratives subtype also work in the K-12 space?
2. What are the primary ways organizations achieve their goals (Nature of work)?
   1. Is there a lot of overlap between organizations that do research, and those that provide direct services to children and families?
   2. Associations/Member-based Organizations primarily fall into what nature of work category?
3. In what general and specific focus areas do organizations focus?
   1. Which general focus area has the fewest organizations that are working on it?
   2. What are some associations or member-based organizations that 1) work on Family Engagement and Strengthening, and 2) also work in K-12?
   3. The ACES Connection Network wants to find a research partner that also works on child welfare. What organization should they look to?

Collaboratives Map

4. What are collaboratives focused on, and how do they conduct their work?
   1. Which focus area has the greatest number of collaboratives?
   2. Which collaboratives have multiple types?
   3. Who are the lead members of the collaborative working on Transforming the Workforce Birth through Age 8, California Implementation Planning?
5. How can the map illustrate ways to better learn/partner/collaborate across collaboratives and/or organizations?
   1. The Curriculum Alignment Project wants to know what other collaboratives are represented by its members, what would this map tell them?
   2. Parent Voices wants to identify partner organizations to help them leverage their work and want to start with the organizations that participate in the collaboratives that Parent Voices is a member of. How can this map show them who to reach out to?
   3. LAPAI is interested in learning more about the strategies used by Rise Together Bay Area. Which organization might be best from them to reach out to first?
6. Where are potential gaps within and across collaboratives?
   1. Early EdU Alliance and the Curriculum Alignment Project are working on similar issues, what observations can you make based on this map that might be helpful to these two groups?