Early Childhood 2010: Innovation for the Next Generation, an historic summit co-convened by the Department of Health & Human Services and Department of Education, was held August 3-4, 2010, in Washington, DC. Over 1,500 people attended the summit, including a team of more than one dozen Wisconsin representatives from the Wisconsin Head Start Association (WHSA), the Wisconsin Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSSCO), and the state Department of Children and Families (DCF).
DHHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and ED Secretary Arne Duncan delivered the opening keynotes, followed by Dr. Jack Shonkoff of Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child.
The summit emphasized:
- Ongoing cross-departmental (HHS and ED) focus on a prenatal to age eight early childhood continuum and strengthening partnerships between early childhood programs and K-12 schools;
- The need to re-conceptualize the health dimension of early childhood policy and practice;
- Early Learning Communities–a “place-based” framework that encourages comprehensive and continuous early childhood services for pregnant women and children birth to age eight. Early Learning Communities are collaborative community /neighborhood sites with a governance structure, data and quality assurance systems and a school system with strong connections to early learning; and
- Data, quality assurance and professional development are all key elements of state and community-based early learning systems.
Video segments of presentations will soon by available at the Early Childhood 2010 website.
