A strategy for implementation that includes...
· System wide planning with targets and timetables
· Use of the best available knowledge regarding policy and practice
· Critical mass of knowledgeable policy makers
· Mandated involvement of experts and stakeholders in policy processes at all levels
· Local service planning
System-wide planning at the provincial/territorial level is critical for successful implementation of the conceptual framework. For system planning to be effective, it must be carried out by knowledgeable policy makers who have adequate resources to dedicate to good policy development. The involvement of ELCC experts and other stakeholders such as parents, early childhood educators and unions will both strengthen the planning and policy process and provide a broad range of support for ELCC; as the OECD proposed, it should be “given a legal and obligatory status. ”
A strategic plan should:
· articulate goals;
· establish targets and timelines for achieving each target;
· identify strategies for reaching targets;
· provide benchmarks and reference points for determining progress
toward meeting goals;
· define roles and responsibilities;
· and identify budget allocations and how they will be obtained
Regular monitoring and review of progress is critical and should be done on a regular schedule with mechanisms for modifying goals and strategies as indicated.
DOCUMENTATION
Toronto
2005-2009 child care service plan
SOURCE: City of Toronto. Department of Children's Services, 2005.
Investing
in child care: The Barcelona child care targets and the European social
model
by Plantenga, J.
SOURCE: Child Care in a Changing World European conference, CMK Foundation
for Child care, Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment in the Netherlands,
2004.
Quality
targets in services for young children: Proposals for a ten year action
programme
by European Commission Network on Childcare and Other Measures to Reconcile
the Employment Responsibilities of Men and Women, 1996
SOURCE: Reprinted with permission by the Childcare Resource and Research
Unit in 2004 as part of Quality in early learning and child care services:
Papers from the European Commission Childcare Network.
