Najm Alsadat Madani

The document outlines recommendations for Governor Hochul for State Fiscal Year 2026-2027 planning, aiming to advance the ECAC's vision that every child in New York State will be healthy, learning, and thriving in a supported family. Key priorities include developing infrastructure for the early care and education workforce, expanding family-centered early childhood developmental screening initiatives, and strengthening New York's Early Intervention Program for children aged birth to three years.

The meeting included several key updates and discussions across various initiatives. Topics covered the Preschool Development Grant Birth-5 updates, including the CCF and Cornell Unique Child Identifier Feasibility Study, which explores implementing a statewide unique identifier for children ages 0-5 to enable better data linkage and coordination of services. Updates were also provided on the NYS County Data Book 2026, focusing on its key areas like birth-to-five outcomes and family engagement. Furthermore, there were updates on the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Gateway RFP, progress on the Impact Project defining quality child care, the Empire State Child Care Share Pilot Program, and the Child Care Construction Capital Funding Program (4CFP). Federal updates were also presented, detailing ECAC law highlights and recent actions impacting children regarding affordability, healthcare, and census readiness. Finally, the Office of Early Learning provided updates on UPK initiatives, regulations, and the State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report for IDEA, including specific indicator results for Preschool Inclusion and Timely Evaluations.

This document presents the 2023 Needs Assessment for the New York State Head Start Collaboration Project, conducted in accordance with the Head Start Act. It gathers insights from Head Start and Early Head Start programs across ten national priority areas: Health care, Early childhood systems development & education, School transitions & alignment with K-12, Services for children with disabilities, Professional development, Child care, Services for children experiencing homelessness, Welfare/child welfare, Family literacy, and Community services. The assessment identifies program strengths and challenges, which then inform a Strategic Plan outlining action steps for the Head Start Collaboration Office to support programs and address identified areas for improvement over the next three years.

The meeting included introductions of newly appointed ECAC members and updates on the Preschool Development Grant Birth-5 and Head Start. Federal updates covered executive power, free press, and congressional purse strings. The litigation tracker highlighted case statuses and topics, including injunctions halting federal actions and Supreme Court emergency docket decisions. Discussions also covered science and health care, censorship, attacks on free speech, and administration priorities for children and families, as well as the CDC. Updates were provided on NY Chapter Laws of 2025, NY Bills that passed both houses in 2025, and ECAC recommendations. State agency updates included the NYS Department of Health, NYS Education Department, and NYS Office of Children and Family Services. The P-3 Literacy Best Practices Guide and School District Literacy Attestation were reviewed. Additional topics included UPK 2025-2026, Office of Early Learning Newsletters, Science Everywhere/Cultural Connections, Prekindergarten to Kindergarten Transition Toolkit, New Regulations: Part 136.10, Positive Behavior Guidance, FFY 2026 Enacted Budget Overview, NYS Literacy Trail, Impact Project Update, Child Care Assistance Updates, Tribal-State Collaboration, 2025 Stakeholder Meetings, and the Parent's Guide to Special Education. The 2025 KIDS COUNT® Data Book and 2024 NYS County Data Book were presented, covering child population demographics, poverty rates, absenteeism, and 4th-grade reading proficiency. The meeting also addressed connecting poverty, absenteeism, and achievement, using data to inform ECAC recommendations, and upcoming ECAC meetings.

The meeting included discussions on early childhood mental health, focusing on the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants for the ECLC, and the Infancy Summit with Zero to Three. Strategic planning was a key focus, involving a review of the strategic planning process and ECAC membership input on the draft of the strategic plan, including activities and objective measures. The meeting also covered ECAC next steps and closing remarks.