Led by Commissioner Sherri Killins of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), the Massachusetts Birth to School Age Task Force held its first full meeting on March 23, 2009. Phase 1 of the Task Force will focus on pre-birth to three year olds. The Task Force is a collaborative inter-agency effort. The charge of the Task Force is to put forth recommendations for strengthening supports and services that effectively meet the needs of children birth to school-age and their families.
Specifically, the Task Force will:
- Develop achievable, actionable strategies and meaningful next steps for short-term and long-term implementation;
- Provide expert feedback and refinement on proposals developed by the Executive Office of Education (EOE), the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), or other state agencies;
- Identify areas for interagency collaboration and/or public/private partnership;
- Serve in an advisory capacity to EEC and EOE.
Task Force Structure
Four Co-Chairs serve as the “Steering Committee” that guides the work of the full Task Force. The Co-Chairs are:
- Sherri Killins, Commissioner, Department of Early Education and Care;
- Lynson Beaulieu, EEC Board member and Director of Programs and Strategic Leadership, the Schott Foundation for Public Education;
- Peg Sprague, Vice President, United Way MA Bay and Merrimack Valley; and
- Libby Zimmerman, Executive Director, Connected Beginnings Training Institute.
There are five Subcommittees (each with their own co-Chairs):
- Good Health
- Strong Families/ Communities
- Positive Learning Experiences
- System
- Diversity
Most of the work is done at the sub-committee level, with regular communication between the Task Force Steering Committee and the Sub-Committee Chairs, as well as occasional meetings of the full Task Force.
Each subcommittee will be developing a vision statement, articulating outcomes, reviewing data and identifying progress indicators. The first report will be issued May 27, 2009, followed by an assessment of systems strengths and gaps on July 22, 2009; and strategies for achieving outcomes, in the form of recommendations to the Governor, in November 2009.