newjerseynewsroom.com

State now complies with federal statute and qualifies for funding

Gov. Jon Corzine Wednesday signed an executive order creating the New Jersey Council for Young Children, a panel designed to ensure collaboration and coordination among early childhood programs in the state and to maintain compliance with federal guidelines.

"The foundation of New Jersey's future begins with early childhood education," Corzine said in Newark. "Without question, the work of the New Jersey Council for Young Children will help to ensure the educational needs of our young learners are met and exceeded by making quality early childhood programs available to all of our students."

Establishment of the council is required under the federal Head Start statute. Recently, the federal government announced the availability of funding for the council, allocating $1.6 million for its activities. In addition, the creation of the council is necessary for the state to apply for the Early Learning Challenge Fund, a pending federal funding opportunity designed to help states better coordinate and more comprehensively implement early childhood programs.

As a separate entity "in but not of" the state Department of Education, the council's key responsibilities include:

• Conducting a periodic statewide needs assessment concerning the quality and availability of early childhood education and development programs and services for children from birth to school entry;
• Identifying opportunities for, and barriers to, collaboration and coordination among federally-funded and state-funded child development, child care, and early childhood education programs and services;
• Developing recommendations for increasing the overall participation of children in existing federal, state, and local child care, as well as early childhood education programs, including outreach to underrepresented and special populations;
• Assessing the capacity and effectiveness of two- and four-year public and private institutions of higher education in the state to support the development of early childhood educators;
• And recommending improvements in State early learning standards and undertaking efforts to develop high-quality comprehensive early learning standards, as appropriate.

The 25-member council will be chaired by Ellen Wolock, director of the Department of Education's Office of Preschool Education. The diverse membership represents New Jersey's educational, child care, health, mental health, and disabled communities.

The council must submit a report to the governor the state director of Head Start Collaboration. In addition, it must hold at least four meetings each year to consider any changes to state and local needs.

— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM