Required Letter of Intent to Apply to Participate in the Early Learning Challenge Transformation Zone

Please use the template below to indicate your intent to submit a proposal to participate in the Early Learning Challenge Grant Transformation Zone. The final Transformation Zone will be created through a mutual selection process: counties must be interested in participating in a new, more “hands on” experience with the state and the state team must determine the level of commitment and motivation across the county’s partner agencies as well as its own capacity to adequately support the counties in the Transformation Zone. (Note: Available grant resources will limit the number of counties that can be selected to be a part of the Transformation Zone).

Please submit your Letter of Intent by June 15, 2012 to .

Anne Bryan

Early Childhood Advisory Council

20301 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-0301

County: ______

Submitted by: ______(name)

______(your organization)

______(phone)

______(email)

Please check the items that you agree with and feel free to add comments in the section below:

____ We understand that the Transformation Zone will be a small geographic area where state and local teams will work together to learn how to build high quality implementation practices and provide an intense array of effective early childhood services to improve children’s learning and development and ensure school readiness. We also understand that the focus of this work is to build capacity locally and statewide to sustain high-quality implementation, and that the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) will guide the process and provide expertise in the implementation of evidence-based and promising practices.

____ The Transformation Zone strategy is a good fit for our community’s needs, goals and desired outcomes.

____ Other stakeholders in our community are committed to working across service sectors (Health, Public Health, Education, Early Care and Education, Social Services, Family Strengthening, etc.).

____ We understand that the Transformation Zone requires a County Leadership Team as well as a County Implementation Team and that these groups will work with State Teams in a community of practice to share information about lessons learned.

____ We are committed to using data on implementation, progress and outcomes.

____ We are interested in implementing or expanding the following:

·  Triple P (Positive Parenting Program);

·  Northeast Connects – a newborn nurse home visiting program to connect families to services as needed;

·  Community-based literacy programs including Motheread/Fatheread and Reach Out and Read;

·  Technical assistance and training to early care and education programs serving children with challenging behaviors;

·  Technical assistance and training to center directors and teachers as well as family child care providers who are interested supporting the health and development of children;

·  Strategies to ensure that young children whose families need child care participate in a high-quality early learning and development program.

What are other early childhood initiatives in your county that could be aligned with this work?

______

PLEASE add additional comments to help us understand any factors that you think are important to the development of a Transformation Zone that would include your community.

______

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