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Finding Your Way 2009

Finding Your Way -- Full Working Day Services

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 · Heidel House Resort, Green Lake

As a follow-up event to the 2008 Finding Your Way: Building Community Approaches to HS/4K, WHSA, the Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSSCO), the Head Start State-Based Training & Technical Assistance office (SBTTAO), the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and the WI Early Childhood Association (WECA), developed a forum to engage leaders from the Head Start, childcare, and public school 4K communities in productive discussions about the current and future status of partnerships to provide full working-day services to the families they serve.  Like the need for guidance on establishing and maintaining successful HS/4K partnerships, the HSSCO Needs Assessment data outlined the need for partner communication, planning, and action to grow full working-day services in our State.

2009 Finding Your Way objectives included:

  • Creating better outcomes for children and families served through full working-day partnerships;
  • Networking with fellow HS/4K/childcare leaders to discuss how to produce successful partnership;
  • Promoting partnerships in rural areas where families face a lack of service options;
  • Sharing positive strategies to problem-solve collaborative challenges; and
  • Providing participants with materials, resources, and references to enhance existing and future partnerships.

To meet the above objective the event’s training design featured a panel presentation from HS program leaders and representatives from their childcare/4K partners currently involved in thriving collaborations to provide full working-day services.  Additionally, participants were able to engage in a question and answer session with the panelist to gain clarity and individualized guidance.  Small groups of leaders participated in Strategy Sessions to problem-solve for common collaborative barriers like: funding childcare options, parent programming/program scheduling conflicts, lack of transportation, staffing, adequately supporting working families, and childcare subsidies.  Based on feedback from the 2008 iteration of Finding Your Way, the training design also included an increased amount of time for local partners to process what they learned during the day’s events and to plan for action when returning to their programs.

Over 50 individuals from 26 HS/EHS programs, partner childcare agencies, school district 4K program, or state organizations/departments participated in the event.

Looking for ideas generated during  Finding Your Way: Focus on Full-Working Day Services?  Take a look at the 2009 Strategy Session notes.