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Mixed Delivery Systems for Early Childhood Care and Education

Intro

Children and families experience early care and education across a variety of programs, providers and settings. The state of Minnesota is working to help early care and education providers across this "mixed delivery" system coordinate services and share resources.

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Puzzle pieces representing schools, family child care, community-based organizations, special education, Head Start, and center-based child care

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What is mixed delivery?

Mixed delivery refers to the strategy of providing families with access to high-quality ECE programming through a variety of settings that meet state-established standards, including Head Start and school-, center-, and home-based options. This strategy supports choice and flexibility for families from the full range of local ECE providers.

A mixed delivery ECE system needs to be both child- and family-centered to succeed. Professionals from all community early learning programs — including center- and family-based options, Head Start, and schools — should collaborate with families and each other to inform and strengthen the ECE system.

Aligning programs and supporting communities

Minnesota's mixed delivery system recognizes that high quality care and education happens in a variety of settings, including family- and center-based child care, Head Start, public prekindergarten, early childhood special education, and community-based organizations. Quality is strengthened when further support is provided from home visiting, mental health, Early Childhood Family Education specialists and more.

Mixed delivery system work brings together programs and supports communities to recognize and align components that foster success for learners and their families by:

Ensuring children and families have access to high quality early care and education (ECE)
Increasing parent choice by expanding diverse program options in a variety of ECE settings to offer high-quality experiences that meet families’ needs, including language and cultural preferences
Providing comprehensive and supportive services including screenings, referrals for other interventions, and transportation through collaborative efforts and formalized agreements between a variety of ECE and community partners
Using existing facilities and resources to build community relationships and program capacity
Building a variety of partnerships between ECE programs and professionals known to improve alignment, program quality and family engagement
Increasing the supply and quality of care for young children and protecting program options

This work is supported by the Preschool Development Grant.

Coaching and technical assistance network

The state of Minnesota is creating a collaborative coaching network that strengthens early childhood professionals and programs through accessible, relationship-based, individualized coaching and technical assistance that fosters quality, enhances professional growth, and builds capacity to thrive across the mixed delivery system.

There are four main components to achieve this vision:

Supported workforce

High-quality coaching can significantly enhance the skill building and growth of the ECE workforce. Through a collaborative coaching network, professionals have access to coaching and technical assistance, regardless of setting, that can strengthen their practice through a combination of individualized goal setting, strength-based coaching with a knowledgeable coach, and reflective practice and feedback, as well as personalized career navigation, which can help professionals to better understand their opportunities for advancement and development within the field.

Effective coaching is tailored to the unique needs of each professional, focusing on topics such as individualized observations, goal-setting and action planning. A high-quality coaching approach not only builds specific skills and capacities but also helps identify targeted strategies for success, ensuring that professionals are empowered to reach their full potential. Through relationships built with a knowledgeable, experienced coach, professionals are encouraged to thoughtfully analyze their experiences, refine their approaches, and continuously improve their effectiveness in supporting children’s development and problem-solving through challenging scenarios.

Together, these strategies provide a robust framework for fostering long-term growth and success in the ECE workforce.

Supported coaches

Supporting the professional development of coaches as a part of the ECE workforce is important for the success of a cohesive coaching network across the mixed delivery system, as their success is directly tied to the outcomes of those they mentor. This support must be responsive to the specific needs of coaches across Minnesota and allow opportunities for reflective supervision, peer-to-peer support, affinity groups, mental health consultation and mentorship. By providing tailored resources and ongoing support, we help coaches navigate their roles effectively, ensuring they are well prepared to foster growth and development in the professionals they partner with.

Part of a responsive coaching network will be the development of recruitment and retention strategies for a diverse pool of coaches, with a focus on recruitment for specialty coaching services.

A connected network and resources allow coaches to continuously evolve in their roles, collaborate with others, and build relationships that ultimately strengthen the quality of care and education for children.

Supported programs

Early care and education program models in Minnesota are wide-ranging and diverse. and support will look different for each setting depending on the needs and goals of the program. Support for programs through a Coaching and Technical Assistance Network involves taking a comprehensive approach that addresses both the specific needs of children along with the broader operational needs of the program.

Program leaders and professionals work closely with knowledgeable coaching professionals, building strong relationships that facilitate ongoing support and the sharing of resources. The relationship built between a knowledgeable coach and an early childhood program helps to create a supportive environment, rooted in quality practices, that nurtures both children’s growth and the development of ECE professionals. Coaches support programs by helping to create targeted strategies for classrooms and individualized plans for the inclusion of all children, to ensure every child is supported appropriately.

At the same time, through coaching and technical assistance, health and safety regulations are prioritized to create a secure, nurturing environment for all. Coaches model best practices, provide guidance on individual or programmatic goals, and provide a focus on continuous quality building both in the professional and programmatic setting, from curriculum strengthening to business consulting that helps streamline operations or even launch a new program.

Supported systems

A well-supported system for Minnesota’s mixed delivery coaching and technical assistance network will require a unified implementation strategy, including an assessment of what changes are necessary within the system to meet our goals, such as fostering partnership building and collaboration across different funding streams, oversight agencies, learning management systems, and requirements, and facilitating resource-sharing within mixed-delivery partnerships.

We must also identify and strengthen the enabling conditions that allow for more cohesive work as a system. Enabling conditions, such as collaborative partnerships both at the state and local levels and clear communication and feedback loops, help to break down silos and facilitate a unified approach, allowing us to implement our goals more strategically.

Another step will be building the unifying framework into existing structures and regularly referencing it in our work. By doing this, we ensure that every action and decision is aligned with these objectives in mind, helping us stay focused and consistent in our approach to coaching and technical assistance across the mixed delivery system.

Through these efforts, we can create a better-connected network that improves quality within individual ECE programs and reduces the barriers to collaboration between programs at the local level, driving progress toward our shared vision of mixed-delivery coaching in Minnesota.

Tools and resources

Mixed Delivery in Minnesota: Lessons Learned from the Action Lab Project and Suggested Strategies for Future Success (PDF): This brief summarizes lessons learned from the Mixed Delivery Action Lab project and suggests strategies that DCYF and other state agencies can use to promote mixed delivery success.
Findings From the Action Lab Process Used to Inform and Transform Minnesota’s Mixed Delivery System (PDF): This report summarizes the Mixed Delivery Action Labs participants, approach, and findings and provides suggestions for the next steps in moving mixed delivery forward across the state.

Individuals and Families

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Mixed Delivery Systems for Early Childhood Care and Education

What is mixed delivery?

Aligning programs and supporting communities

Coaching and technical assistance network

Tools and resources

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