Exploring Innovative Early Programs: Insights from our Partnership with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood
This is our first blog in the “Exploring Innovative Early Programs” series focuses on our work with the Connectcut Office of Early Childhood.
At Third Sector, we believe in a future where all children, no matter their race, background, or circumstances, have guaranteed access to high-quality early education and care programs to support their learning, growth, and development. In a society where early child care and education have historically been undervalued, many government agencies have stepped up to create programs that truly make a difference for children and families.
Since 2017, we’ve had the privilege of working alongside the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) to support its capacity-building efforts to achieve meaningful outcomes for children and families. Through this partnership, we have had the unique opportunity to support the agency across multiple workstreams over multiple years to accomplish its mission of partnering with – and being responsive to – families to advance equitable programs, policies, and outcomes.
Connecticut established the OEC in 2014 to improve the delivery of early childhood services for children and families across the state. The agency is guided by key principles, including:
- Framing policies, practices, and resources through a lens of equity and anti-racism;
- Partnering with families and communities to create programs that are family-driven and honor diverse languages, values, strengths, and experiences; and
- Engaging in continuous quality assessment to improve outcomes for children, families, and early childhood providers.
These principles are at the heart of our work with OEC, guiding each workstream we’ve supported over the past eight years. This post is the first in a series of blogs in which we’ll dive deep into the lessons learned and share insights from our 2024 workstreams with OEC:
- Parent Cabinet– Learn how Connecticut parent advisory board is providing families with a direct voice in shaping early education policies
- Staffed Family Child Care Networks: Discover the agency’s network model focused on supporting family child care statewide and the steps it is taking to enhance their effectiveness and better support early childhood providers
- Federal Relief Management Understand the strategies OEC used to support the early childhood sector through the pandemic and how it is gearing up to learn from and navigate the federal funding cliff
- Workforce Registry: Gain insights on how the agency is strengthening access to professional development and improving support for the early childhood workforce, ensuring a more skilled and resilient workforce
Throughout each workstream, our approach to supporting and collaborating with the OEC has been rooted in a core principle: engaging those with lived expertise and elevating family voices through meaningful stakeholder engagement. The processes and practices we implemented alongside OEC were shaped by family and provider experiences, ensuring that their insights informed the work. We’re excited to share this journey with you and, importantly, highlight the best practices and capacity-building strategies emerging from OEC. Click the link below to follow along, stay connected with Third Sector, and share this post with your networks.
