Pennsylvania blazes a trail in early childhood systems collaboration.

In May 2007, Speaker Nancy Pelosi convened the National Summit on America's Children on Capitol Hill to bring national focus to early developmental needs and issues among children from birth to age 5. A panel of experts drawn from diverse fields spoke about the intense need for responsive and multidisciplinary policy approaches to support the early care, development and school readiness of young children, particularly those in low-income families.

The attention this national spotlight brought to the range of services that might best meet the needs of infants through kindergarten-aged children and their families was timely. In 2006, Congress passed the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, increasing the number of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families who, through their participation in work activities, would need subsidized child care services funded by the Child Care and Development Block Grant. In addition, the state pre-kindergarten movement has gained national momentum in the past few years. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia currently operate pre-k programs. According to the national advocacy organization Pre-K Now, states spent about $4.3 billion on pre-k initiatives in 2007. In 2008, state spending on pre-k initiatives will increase by $258 million, and extend to 88,000 more children. Many states are working to develop comprehensive policy initiatives and service strategies to improve early childhood systems that encompass the needs of children up to elementary school entry level and across a variety of settings, including subsidized and private child care, Head Start, and pre-k. Pennsylvania is among states that have embraced change within state agency structure and cross-system collaboration in expanding their early care and education plan.

The last year has seen developments within Pennsylvania that continue the state's trend of policy innovation via a collaborative systemic approach to serving children from birth through age 5. Building on governance changes that begin in 2004, Gov. Ed Rendell established the Office of Child Development and Early Learning in 2007. Housed in the Departments of Public Welfare and Education, OCDEL oversees the child care subsidy program, certification processes for child care facilities, the state's quality improvement and rating system--Keystone Stars, pre-k and full-day kindergarten, as well as family support programs. This year has also seen the creation of a new $75 million state pre-k program, Pre-K Counts, which grew out of a public-private partnership involving the Office of Child Development and several philanthropic partners, such as the Heinz Endowment, Grable Foundation, William Penn Foundation and PNC Bank.

Harriet Dichter occupies a unique position as deputy secretary of OCDEL, overseeing a unified management team to plan and implement Pennsylvania's early learning programs. With involvement in both the Departments of Public Welfare and Education, OCDEL recognizes that the cross-system collaborative components of Pennsylvania's early childhood policy strategy can make a great contribution to its current success and continued evolution. The diverse providers included in the early childhood care and education continuum, from regulated family child care programs to full-day kindergarten in school settings, mean that community-level needs are met. The collaborative approach helps programs coordinate service planning and subsidy administration, and helps parents to meet their needs beyond individual program hours. The new Pre-K Counts initiative builds on this inclusiveness, allowing for participation by any child care program with a Keystone STAR rating of 2 or higher to participate along with school districts, Head Start, and nursery schools. Pre-K Counts also encourages cross-system collaboration by seeking partnerships between entities within the provider community that are applying to take part in the initiative. The Pre-K Counts program will allow 11,000 3- and 4-year-olds to attend high-quality pre-k programs, and serves children throughout Pennsylvania. Pre-K Counts embraces child care, Head Start and school districts as equally legitimate providers of quality pre-k services, with high standards and accountability.

Another strength of Pennsylvania's approach is its attention to high standards, accountability and professional development. The Keystone STARS quality improvement and rating system applies to all regulated child care programs and Head Start. It incorporates performance standards and staff qualifications with a series of financial and professional supports, including tiered reimbursement and ongoing technical assistance. This past year, the state has also extended its Early Learning Standards to children from birth through age 3, further integrating the early childhood service continuum and providing a common framework for programs to better serve all children as they develop.

Pennsylvania serves as a model for other states as they seek to expand and enrich their early childhood policy through cross-system collaboration and alternative structuring.

Rachel Demma is a senior legislative associate at the American Public Human Services Association