"Preparing our youngest children to excel in school is an essential building block of a successful workforce. I thank the Early Childhood Advisory Council for their hard work and commitment to improving the quality of education for Mississippi's youth. We know improving the early learning and development systems within our state will help to ensure that our youngest citizens are prepared for success in school and beyond." Governor Haley Barbour
About SECAC
In 2008, Governor Haley Barbour established the State Early Childhood Advisory Council of Mississippi to develop a strategic plan to coordinate efforts, programs, and resources supporting children birth to five years and to identify opportunities for and barriers to collaboration and coordination among programs and agencies. The SECAC of MS is located in the Office of the Governor to ensure access to the Governor and other key policy makers.
The SECAC of MS consists of representatives from state agencies responsible for children's education and care, educational professionals, policy makers, and other important groups including:
The SECAC has five committees to facilitate the implementation of recommendations from the 2008 Report to the Governor:
Committees
Data Systems Committee
This committee is developing a data sharing system that will be inclusive of core data elements from the MS Department of Education, MS State Department of Health, MS Department of Mental Health, MS Department of Human Services, Institutions of Higher Learning, State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, and the Head Start Collaboration Office for the purpose of improving existing service delivery systems and planning for new ones that will more effectively deliver services to children birth through age 4 with special attention paid to those in critical need areas of the state by the conclusion of Year 3 of the grant, Sept. 30, 2013.
Coordinated Services Committee
This committee is sponsoring a work process study for MS Department of Human Services, MS Department of Health and MS Department of Education in order to determine a model for optimizing early childhood education, health and well-being services that will be piloted in four communities in Year 2 (2012) with additional communities in Year 3 (2013).
In-Home Child Care Provider Registry Committee
This committee is charged with developing and implementing a voluntary registration process for family child care providers in Year 1 (2011) with development of a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) to be completed at the end of Year 3 (2012) for family child care providers.
Workforce Development Committee
This committee is working to develop and implement a career ladder for early care and education teachers with a method of providing compensation for career advancements by Year 3 (2013) of the grant period; in addition, investigating and implementing a wage and compensation program to create stability within the field of early childhood education also by the end of Year 3.
Healthcare Access Committee
This committee is reviewing state health resources and practices for children 0-4 years of age for the dual purposes of making current practices more efficient and quantifying the need for health service providers in areas of the state identified as being in critical need.
Access the entire Council and the Committee membership here.
The SECAC meets regularly throughout the year. Notices of meetings are posted on this website. Meetings are open to the public. If you wish to make public comments at a meeting or to submit comments in writing to be shared during this time, please use the following Guidelines for Public Comments to SECAC.
Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge Grant
On May 25, 2011, the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Health and Human Services announced a new $500 million state-level grant competition, the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC). Mississippi is eligible to receive up to $50 million dollars for the four-year grant period.
States applying for these challenge grants are encouraged to increase access to quality early learning programs for low income and disadvantaged children, design integrated and transparent systems that align their early care and education programs, bolster training and support for the early learning workforce, create robust evaluation systems to document and share effective practices and successful programs, and help parents make informed decisions about care for their children.
Mississippi's The Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge grant application is due to the Depts. of Education and Health and Human Services on October 19, 2011, with awards to be announced before the end of the year. The public is invited to provide comments to alemons@governor.state.ms.us.
Executive Summary of the RTT Early Learning Challenge
Guidelines for Public Comments to the State Early Childhood Advisory Council
Purpose
The State Early Childhood Advisory Council encourages public attendance and comments at all meetings. A specified time for public comments will be provided on the agenda for every Council meeting. The following guidelines are intended to enable public participation in the Council proceedings while ensuring fair and orderly meetings. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in removal from the Council meetings [see Removal for Disruptive Conduct below].
Submissions
Written comments or presentations must be submitted to the Executive Director of the State Early Childhood Advisory Council at the following address:
Laurie J. Smith, Ph.D.
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 139
Jackson, MS 39205
Phone: (601) 576-2010
Fax: (601) 576-2791
Laurie J. Smith, Ph.D.
Format
Public comments may be made orally at the Council meeting or may be submitted to the Executive Director in writing one (1) week in advance of a scheduled meeting to enable them to be distributed to the Council members. Note: All requests for actions to be taken by the Council must be submitted in writing.
Order
at the specified time for public comments, the Chair will open the floor to the public for the time allotted.
Recognition
The Chair will recognize individuals wishing to speak to the Council in turn. Upon recognition, an individual wishing to speak will provide her or his name, affiliation (if any), and topic or agenda item on which he or she intends to comment. [Note: Individuals wishing to address the Council must sign the attendance roster to enable accurate record keeping.] Only one person at a time may address the Council. Groups wishing to speak to the Council should select one spokesperson to address the Council.
Time Limit
A minimum of thirty (30) minutes will be allotted for public comments at every Council meeting. Subject to the overall time limitations for public comments, each person addressing the Council will be allowed a maximum of five (5) minutes to speak. Individual who have addressed the Council will not be allowed to speak a second time until all individuals who wish to address the Council have been allowed to do so. In the event of remaining time for public comments, the Chair may extend the time for any speaker or close off public comments at her or his discretion.
If an individual or groups wishes to address the Council for a longer period of time, prior arrangement must be made at least one (1) week before the meeting. Presentations will be listed on the agenda as a separate item. Requests to speak are not automatically accepted; they will be allowed at the discretion of the Council Chair.
Content
All public comments and questions should be addressed to the Council as a whole and not to any particular member of the Council.
In addition, public comments should not be redundant. Statements or questions should be as brief and direct as possible. Speaker should summarize main points and present any new and other relevant information. Written comments submitted in a timely manner will be sent to the Council for review before the meeting and, therefore, will not be reread during the meeting.
Supporting Materials
After making an oral presentation, a speaker may wish to submit supporting written materials to the Council. The speaker may provide 20 copies for distribution to the Council at the meeting or may submit them in writing to the Executive Director for distribution at a later date.
Presentations Requiring Technology
Speakers wishing to make a presentation requiring technology to the Council must make arrangements with the Executive Director to secure equipment and/or technical support at least one (1) week prior to the meeting.
Follow-up Comments by Council
In most cases, Council members will not respond to public comments being submitted or made during the meeting. However, Council members may ask questions to clarify the comments and/or may respond to questions asked with a statement of fact or recitation of policy.
If a speaker makes a statement or asks about a topic not on the meeting agenda, the Council will not take any action on the topic during the meeting. Instead, the topic may be placed on the agenda of a future meeting.
Exception to Rules
The Chair has the right to modify these procedures in certain instances (e.g., a shortened or special Council Meeting) at his or her discretion. Any modifications in the procedures will be noted at the beginning of the meeting.
Disruptive Conduct
Meeting attendees shall refrain from private conversations and interrupting Council members and/or speakers while the Council meeting is in session. Unauthorized remarks from the audience, hand clapping, cheering, whistling, yelling, stamping of feet, and/or similar demonstrations shall not be permitted in the meeting room. No placards, commercial flags, banners or other signs will be permitted in the room in which the Council is meeting. [Note: Exhibits, displays, and visual aids which pertain to presented agenda items to the Board are permissible.]
Removal for Disruptive Conduct
Any person engaging in disruptive conduct as defined above or who makes profane or slanderous remarks or who engages in personal attacks during the Council meeting will be asked to leave or, if she or he refuses, will be removed from the meeting as directed by the Chair. Any person engaging in disruptive behavior on more than one occasion may be barred from attending future Council meetings.
Contact Us
State Early Childhood Advisory Council
Office of the Governor
Laurie J. Smith, Ph.D.
P.O. Box 139
Jackson, MS 39205
601-576-2010 (phone)
601-576-2791 (Fax)
Laurie J. Smith, Ph.D.