| Action Plan |
A four-year plan that specifies how the community will achieve its community vision for young children and one or more of the Discovery objectives. |
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| Collaborating Group |
A broadly representative body of community stakeholders that assumes responsibility, on behalf of the community at large, to improve outcomes for young children. The collaborating group functions as a catalyst or change agent by creating and sustaining the political will necessary to change social conditions including community attitudes, institutional policies, professional practice, the allocation of resources, and the ways in which the community makes decisions and establishes priorities. Participants commit to a common vision, conduct joint planning, pool institutional resources and share the risks, results and rewards. |
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| Collaboration |
A process whereby multiple organizations, systems and community stakeholders work together to achieve outcomes beneficial to a community that could not be achieved individually. |
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| Collaborative Infrastructure |
The mechanisms or functions necessary to assess and sustain a community change agenda. These supports may include: management information systems to collect data across agencies to assess progress and impact; dedicated staff; parent leadership training opportunities; and public communication mechanisms. |
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| Community Capacity |
The overall ability of a community to engage in effective dialogue and collective action. The combined influence of a community’s commitment, resources and skills which are collectively deployed to solve a complex, multi-system issue and to sustain improvements overtime. |
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| Community Change |
A transformation in the organization of society, in institutions and in the distribution of power that entails structural or institutional changes in policies and organizational practices. |
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| Constituency Building |
Organizing individuals who support your issue or agenda to create a critical mass of voices for a common agenda. Organizing entails developing one-to-one relationships, meeting people where they are and listening to their perspectives and identifying informal leaders such as clergy, neighborhood watch and play group leaders, who represent a group of individuals who can mediate ongoing information exchange. |
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| Expected Outcome |
Short and long term outcomes to measure progress, results expressed in terms of changes in the lives of children. These should whenever possible be stated in quantitative terms. |
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| Goal |
A clearly articulated broad statement of intent that is timeless in nature and correlates to on or more of the Discovery objectives. |
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| Inclusion |
The proactive engagement of individuals from diverse racial, economic and cultural groups particularly those who comprise the majority of the elementary school populations including new immigrants, communities of color, particularly Latinos and non-English speaking residents. |
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| Individual Change |
A change in individual behavior, skills, knowledge and attitudes usually as a result of a specific intervention or program. |
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| Leverage |
Strategically applying one’s resources to influence how public and private resources are used. Effective leveraging strategies may include organizations “pooling” their influence and resources for programs, combining multiple state and federal grants to increase service capacity, jointly applying for grants with multiple entities and/or supporting the development of infrastructure components that benefit multiple organizations and can be sustained by other funding sources. |
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| Memorandum of Understanding |
A written document that codifies the partnerships and documents how organizations in the community are taking responsibility for implementing the community action plan. The agreement specifies what each party agrees to do, by when and how the partners will report and assess progress. |
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| Objective |
Specific measurable statements of what you plan to achieve in support of the goal. |
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| Parent Engagement |
The process of intentional and ongoing outreach to all parents with young children as equal partners in planning and decision making about programs, policies and practices that impact their children. |
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| Partnerships |
A formal relationship of one or more organizations based on a mutually agreed vision and direction formed to sustain and advance a common goal. The partners link specific facets of their organizations, share benefits of the alliance and control over the performance of assigned tasks. For example if ongoing data collection is a primary strategy, a strategic alliance could be formed with the city’s planning department, whereby the city expands the type of data they collect and the collaborating group agrees to compile and produce the reports. Another example would be the collaborating group is interested in doing ongoing outreach and parent leadership training. The school system could benefit from this effort as it helps them implement their parent involvement policies. A strategic alliance could be that Title I funds are used to fund a position that conducts outreach for both parent involvement in schools and parent leadership. |
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| Process Change Strategies |
Aim to expand who is involved in the civic process of defining the problem, researching issues, developing solutions and taking action; process change strategies find ways to include multiple perspectives, especially those of parents and other stakeholders often not engaged in the decision-making, in order to plan and implement more effective and sustainable solutions that are broadly owned by the community. Reflects the collaboration factors in Assessment and Planning Tool. |
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| Practice Change Strategies |
Refer to how individuals, organizations and groups do business; practice change strategies use fact-based decision-making to improve day-to-day internal operations, to strengthen the interactions and connections among all those involved, and to remove barriers that keep people from needed services. |
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| Policy Change Strategies |
Look at the actions of government or business that influence or determine decisions about how services are delivered and funded; policy change strategies aim to inform the debate around children’s issues and to engage the public in civic dialogue and actions that support early learning and the role of families in young children’s lives. |
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| Resources Needed |
Include local resources, resources leveraged from other initiatives or funders, and resources provided by this grant to carry out the plan actions. |
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| Responsible |
Indicate who will be responsible for accomplishment of specific strategies. |
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| Stakeholders |
All the members of a community who are invested in and benefit from improved child outcomes including: parents/guardians of infants and elementary school-age children, other parents/guardians, grandparents, teachers, early care providers, health professionals, community residents, faith community, chief elected officials, city council, law enforcement, school system, Board of education, corporate sector, small businesses, unions, social service providers, libraries, hospitals, legislators, and higher education. |
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