BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING August 14, 2014

4:00 P.M. until business is concluded 5735 Rio Vista Drive Clearwater, FL 33760

PROPOSED AGENDA

I. CALL TO ORDER

A. Approval of August 14, 2014 Agenda B. Approval of July 17, 2014 Minutes

II. DISCUSSION ITEMS

A. Board Member Recruitment B. Committee Assignments

III. C.E.O.’s REPORT

A. Report B. Enrollment Report

IV. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS

A. Communications Committee Report B. Public Meeting Notice

V. PUBLIC COMMENT

In accordance with the Florida Government in the Sunshine, all meetings of the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County, Inc. and its committees are open to the public. Those in attendance who wish to address the Coalition must submit a public comment card to the recorder prior to addressing the Coalition.

VI. RECOGNITION A. Julie Daniels

VII. ADJOURNMENT

Next meeting – Currently scheduled for Thursday, October 2, 2014 at 4:00 p.m.: 5735 Rio Vista Drive, Clearwater, FL 33760

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Board of Directors Meeting Minutes July 17, 2014 – Unapproved

BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING Minutes - Unapproved Thursday, July 17 2014

In attendance: Julie Daniels; Chair, Craig Phillips; Vice Chair, Yvonne Malague; Secretary, Cindy Seletos ; Treasurer, Jane Bambace, Lourdes Benedict, Patsy Buker, Shurrea Daniels, Sandra Downes, Joshua Drechsel, Maria Edmonds, Louis Finney, Harry Fogle, Jack Geller, Charles Harris, Jim Madden, Norm Roche, Anne Ryan, Elliott Stern Conference Call: Stuart Laake Absent: Ed Peachey Coalition Staff: Matt Bonner, Carrie Culbertson, Lindsay Carson, Nicole Gonzalez, Merita Kafexhiu Guests: Deb Ballinger, Beth Gettig, Sylvia Hubbard, Ray Long

I. CALL TO ORDER A quorum was present. Chair Daniels called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m.

A. Chair Daniels called for approval of the agenda for the July 17, 2014 Board of Directors’

Meeting.

A motion was made by Norm Roche and seconded by Elliott Stern to: Approve the July 17, 2014 Agenda.

The motion passed unanimously.

B. Chair Daniels called for approval of the Consent Agenda for the July 17, 2014 Board of

Directors’ Meeting.

A motion was made by Elliott Stern and seconded by Norm Roche to:

Approve the July 17, 2014 Consent Agenda.

The motion passed unanimously.

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Board of Directors Meeting Minutes July 17, 2014 – Unapproved

II. ACTION ITEMS A. Review and Approval of the Selected Audit Firm for Audit Services 14.07.02

Cindy Seletos presented the action item. The Finance/Audit Committee directed the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County, Inc. staff to request proposals for the selection of an independent certified public accounting firm to provide external auditing services for a term of one year, beginning with an audit of the Coalition’s financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014.

The following qualified firms submitted proposals:

• Barton, Gonzales & Myers, P.A. • Cherry Bekaert CPA & Advisors • Gregory, Sharer& Stuart, PA. • Mayer, Hoffman, McCann,P.C. • Moss, Krusick & Associates, LLC

The Finance/Audit Committee, the Chair, Coalition staff, and outside consultant evaluated the proposals. The proposals received were reviewed in accordance with the criteria listed in the RFP. The results ranked Moss, Krusick & Associates as the winning candidate. The winning respondent will be notified when the recommendation has been acted upon by the Coalition. Approved by Finance and Executive Committee.

A motion was made by Cindy Seletos and seconded by Jack Geller to: Review and Approval of the Selected Audit Firm for Audit Services

Discussion: Cindy Seletos stated that Moss, Krusick & Associates had the lowest bid compared to 5 other audit firms that submitted bids. The chosen firm has a lot of experience with ELC’s. Mr. Moss, owner, will be directly overseeing the audits. Elliott Stern asked if the there was a clause in the RFP requiring the managing director to sign off on the audit. Cindy Seletos stated that she was not sure but would check on it. Julie Daniels asked why the clause is needed. Elliott Stern stated that in the event of future difficulties or litigation, ELC needs to confirm that the managing director signed off on the audit. Patsy Buker requested that the audit be presented to full board as an Action Item to accept the audit. Cindy Seletos stated that this condition was part of the RFP. The Finance Committee previously approved the action. Norm Roche confirmed motion passes pending sign off by the managing director.

The motion passed unanimously.

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Board of Directors Meeting Minutes July 17, 2014 – Unapproved

B. Bylaws Amendment 14.07.03

Lindsay Carson explained the clarification of the revisions. The Early Learning Coalition Bylaws were amended in May 2014 to separate the Finance and Audit Committees. Additional references to the Finance/Audit Committee were identified. Proposed revisions define the roles of each committee, clarifying the two independent committees.

Julie Daniels stated that there were no actual changes to the bylaws, just wording revisions.

Approved by Executive Committee A motion was made by Craig Phillips and seconded by Elliott Stern to:

Approve the revised Bylaws as presented.

The motion passed unanimously.

III. DISCUSSION ITEMS Board Meeting Schedule A revised Board meeting schedule was presented to the Board members.

Julie Daniels presented the reason for the date changes. The rescheduling of the Executive & Finance Committee meetings and the Board meetings will assist in current report information for all meetings. Julie Daniels confirmed Board Meetings will be bi-monthly moving forward (actual meeting date 10/4/14 due to the holiday in the last week of September). The Annual Meeting which is held in September each year will be moved to October due to the holiday conflict. The Board members agreed with the new schedule and to move the annual board meeting to October.

Lindsay Carson stated that the August Board date is on the current schedule.

IV. CEO’s Report A. Report

Lindsay Carson reported we are projecting a balanced budget for FY2013-2014. Final utilization will be determined after the 13th month billing cycle.

As of July 15, 2014, 5,657 children were enrolled in the School Readiness program. We are continuing to enroll economically disadvantaged children ages birth - 5 from the waiting list. We are experiencing lower than usual placement rates for families invited off of the waiting list. We will continue enrolling children until reach an average of 6,000. We will also resume the priority of VPK participants to receive SR wrap care. Discussion: Norm Roche asked how confident ELC is that VPK wrap can be re-established. Lindsay Carson stated that ELC just received the new grant award and she is confident the wrap care will continue.

Lourdes Benedict asked is there is an explanation for the slow return of SR wait list enrollment.

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Board of Directors Meeting Minutes July 17, 2014 – Unapproved

Lindsay Carson stated that the SR clients are on the wait list as self report and are responsible for reporting status changes to ELC. Once clients respond to the letter received for care, they may not qualify after all. Previously, ELC experienced a 40/60 return; currently it is approximately a 30/70 return.

Homeless Agency Partnerships HB7165 expanded the definition of at-risk in the School Readiness program to include children of families defined as homeless by the “DCF lead agency”. In August 2013, three homeless agencies were identified and partnered with the Coalition to refer eligible families. We have recently identified 11 additional qualifying agencies serving this population. We have met with these partners and are in the process of expanding access to services for this mandatory population. Discussion: Julie Daniels asked what the definition is to a huge spike in children needing care through the Homeless Agency Partnerships. Lindsay Carson responded that this additional enrollment would not be more than 100 children. These clients would bypass the wait list. Patsy Buker asked if there would be duplication in the 11 entities list and the three shelters involved. Lindsay Carson stated that duplication was not anticipated and staff would check to see of the clients were already in the system prior to processing the referrals. Norm Roche asked what original 3 shelters were involved in the Homeless Agency Partnerships. Lindsay Carson reported the shelters were RCS Grace House, Salvation Army of St. Petersburg and Homeless Emergency Project. ELC also serves 2 domestic violence shelters.

Performance Funding Pilot A statewide workgroup was convened to develop a proposed model for the Performance Funding Pilot. This program is designed to enhance existing quality improvement activities. As proposed, OEL will be inviting providers to apply and then working with each Coalition to select participants. Selection will be contingent on licensing history. Priority will be given to providers who are already participating in our Quality Rating System and those with a Child

Development Associate credential. Providers would be required to attend specific training and be assessed using the CLASS. Quarterly performance pay will be based on enrollment of School Readiness children with additional funds for providers in designated high need areas. Participating providers could receive an average of $16,000. The Coalition would receive some funding to support the CLASS assessments but no administrative funding is provided. Success of this pilot will be determined through evaluation by the Lastinger Center at the University of Florida. The key measurement will be pre/post CLASS assessment scores.

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Board of Directors Meeting Minutes July 17, 2014 – Unapproved

Discussion:

Julie Daniels asked if OEL is balancing the Performance Funding Pilot between home based providers and centers. Lindsay Carson responded yes, that is the proposal and that there is a higher payment for providers in high need areas which are defined by census tracks. Providers will apply directly to OEL and OEL with work with ELC to identify the pilots. Patsy Buker asked how much of a workload addition will the Performance Funding Pilot be with no additional funding for administration. Lindsay Carson stated that ELC does not know at this time and that ELC will use the pilot study to documents increases in administrative workload. Yvonne Malague reported that her center is in the pilot program for the CLASS assessment. The staff received the training and it’s a great program because it is really showing teachers how to interact with children more, not just concentrating on the standard. The teacher from her center that took the training at ELC is very excited as she learned so much. Julie Daniels asked what determines how much funding providers receive. Lindsay Carson stated it depends on how many SR children are enrolled and that the site would receive 15% of the average two year old reimbursement rate as a bonus. If the provider is in a high need track, they would receive 20% in addition to their regular SR reimbursement. This is a point of time bonus, not an ongoing reimbursement.

Staff Introductions Matt Bonner has joined our team as the Director of Program Operations. Matt comes to us with 14 years experience at the ELC of Northwest Florida. Carrie Culbertson has been appointed the Director of Quality Initiatives. Carrie has been with the Coalition since 2007 and has a wealth of experience in quality programing, professional development and special needs. Also, Connie Beck has joined the ELC team as our Human Resources Generalist who brings over 20 years of experience in the HR field. OEL Accountability Review OEL will be conducting their bi-annual Accountability Review beginning July 28. The review will consist of SR Child Files, VPK Child Files, VPK Provider Files, SR Provider Files, SR Payment Validations, VPK Payment Validations, Data Edit and Exception Reports, and Wait List Management. Final reports will be provided at the conclusion of the audit. Child Care Purchasing Pool The Coalition has participated in the Child Care Purchasing Pool for many years. In May, we submitted our application for the 14-15 award year for $1,070,000 in match funding. We have received contribution commitments from: Pinellas Core Management Services ($1,040,000), R'Club Child Care ($25,000), and YMCA ($5,000). The Child Care Executive Partnership board is appointed by the Governor and tasked determining the allocation of these funds statewide. The CCEP board sunset in 2013 and currently has no members. In the absence of the board, no funds can be awarded. Currently, OPPAGA is doing a study to review this program. Once completed, the Governor is expected to appoint a new board. The program is not expected to be eliminated, however grant awards are on hold for the foreseeable future. Children previously funded through CCPP have been rolled to the

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Board of Directors Meeting Minutes July 17, 2014 – Unapproved

economically disadvantaged category to ensure continuity of care.

Discussion: Julie Daniels asked if a current ELC Board member could participate on the CCEP Board. Lindsay Carson responded that she did not believe ELC Board members could sit on the CCEP Board.

Discussion: Lindsay Carson referred to the items distributed with the Board packet. ELC will volunteer at the Ray’s Game in September. The invitation was extended to the Board members. ELC will participate at the Community Table offering outreach to families attending the game. Lindsay Carson presented a brochure highlighted a summary of ELC’s services. Lindsay Carson presented the Good Living magazine, noting that ELC is featured in the publication. B. Enrollment Report

V. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS

A. Thank You Letter from RCS Grace House B. Letter from Governor

C. Board Member Resignations

D. Public Meeting Notice

Elliott Stern asked for clarification on the proposed budget narrative, referring to “uncontrollable cost increase” on items such as rent, property insurance, etc., and asked if ELC has a lease.

Merita Kafexhiu responded that ELC does have a lease but that rent is subject to increases due to CAM (Common Area Maintenance) and tenant’s prorated share of expenses.

Elliott Stern stated that he read the Personnel Policies Manual and asked for clarification as to whether the staff works for ELC or Alpha Staff.

Lindsay Carson responded that Alpha Staff is ELC’s HR company. ELC staff are leased employees; Alpha Staff processes the payroll.

Elliott Stern asked about unemployment compensation, specifically if a staff member leaves ELC, who is responsible for incurring the unemployment costs.

Lindsay Carson responded that ELC is responsible for the payment.

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Board of Directors Meeting Minutes July 17, 2014 – Unapproved

VI. Chair’s Comments

Julie Daniels commended Lindsay Carson, Merita Kafexhiu and the staff for doing a great job and that she will be resigning as Chairman of the Board. She will have 30 days to transition and will chair the August Board meeting. She stated she cannot dedicate the time that is needed to chair the board. Her company responsibilities have increased due to growth in construction. Craig Phillips will serve as the acting chair until a replacement is appointed by the governor. Louis Finney commended the leadership of Julie Daniels and Lindsay Carson and commended the board. Norm Roche stated that he will be meeting with the governor next week and will “push him” on the appointment. He complimented Lindsay Carson on her leadership and thanked Julie Daniels for her service.

VII. Public Comment

Lindsay Carson informed board members about the article in the Tampa Bay Times regarding a “watch dog group” checking agencies on public records requests. This can include requests made to board members. ELC complies with all public records requests. The group may send an email appearing to be spam requesting random documents be sent to generic email addresses. If they don’t receive a reply, they file a lawsuit. They may also visit the ELC offices and request to see documentation. If staff refuse the request, they file a lawsuit. A memo will be sent to staff reminding them of our public records policies. Parent and child information must be redacted before providing client records. Any requests received by board members should be forwarded to Lindsay Carson, who will respond to the request. Craig Phillips commented that he and Jack Geller spent a couple days last month visiting providers. He recommended that all board members visit some providers as this experience clarifies the need for requested changes to policies and budget.

Lutheran Services Florida:

Sylvia Hubbard, LSF/Head Start, gave an update on the Early Head Start Partnership Grant. Lindsay Carson and Patsy Buker have provided child care provider names and attending the meetings. They anticipate having 10 family child care providers and 2 children’s centers come on board. Sylvia Hubbard thanked Lindsay Carson for her dedication to the task. Norm Roche asked if the providers were through ELC. Patsy Buker responded that a list of licensed providers was submitted. Lindsay Carson stated that the providers must be licensed SR providers.

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Board of Directors Meeting Minutes July 17, 2014 – Unapproved

VIII. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 4:57 p.m.

Next Meeting: Thursday, August 14, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. at the Early Learning Coalition, 5735 Rio Vista Drive, Clearwater FL 33760

_______________________________ _______________________________ Julie Daniels, Chair Date Yvonne Malague, Secretary Date

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CEO Report Submitted by Lindsay Carson August 14, 2014

As a result of HB7165, OEL has been promulgating several rules for both School Readiness and VPK. The following proposed rules will be presented to the State Board of Education on September 30th. Statewide School Readiness Contract (6M 4.610) and Statewide VPK Provider Contract (6M-8.301) These contracts outline requirements for school readiness and VPK providers according to statute and due process for corrective action and termination. Coalitions are prohibited from making any amendments or attachments. In the coming months, we will be revising our Grievance and Dispute Resolution Policy along with our enforcement policies to align with the new contract.

If a provider disputes any action taken by the Coalition pursuant to the terms of the Statewide School Readiness Provider Contract or VPK Provider Agreement, the provider may request a review hearing. Staff will coordinate the review hearing however, the Review Hearing Committee must be composed of at least three mandatory members of the Coalition Board. One member must be a provider representative.

Fraud Plan (6M 9.400) Coalitions may terminate a client for suspected fraud. These cases are referred to the Department of Financial Services, Division of Public Assistance Fraud (DPAF) and the State Attorney’s Office. However, this rule allows clients to appeal the suspected fraud determination to a Review Committee comprised of at least 3 members of the board of directors. The committee could choose to reinstate the scholarship if they did not agree with staff determination. However, DPAF and the State Attorney’s Office may still prosecute the case. If the client were convicted, they would still ultimately lose care.

VPK Pre-Post Assessments (6M-8.620) VPK providers are required to conduct pre and post assessments for participating students and enter the data in an online system. This includes a progress monitoring tool (currently in use) which evaluates pre-academic skills, and an observation based tool. OEL will be adopting a required, observation based tool to measure growth in the remaining domains. Providers who do not comply with these requirements may be prohibited from offering VPK for 5 years.

VPK Child Registration Procedures; Application; Parent Orientation Session (6M-8.201) This rule outlines the child registration process. The previous rules outlining child eligibility and registration requirements will be repealed. This includes the VPK Child Registration Pilot Project (6M-8.2015) which allows providers to determine eligibility for VPK children.

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ENROLLMENT REPORT July 2014

Children Served

We are currently enrolling children in

Priorities 1 & 2 to receive School Readiness

services.

Priority 1: TANF Recipients younger

than 13 years old

Priority 2: At-risk children younger

than 9 years old

Priority 3: Economically

disadvantaged birth to 5 years old

Children currently in care in Priorities 3 - 9

remain in care as long as eligibility

requirements are met.

Total Children Served

SR Children Served

519 0

6,478

Data as of

July 31, 2014

Sponsorship by the Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County, Florida’s Office of Early Learning and the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County. 64 % Federal Funds

SR Enrollment Priorities

1,552

2,417

801

559

198

1,475

1,123

597

563

371

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000

School Age

Preschool

2 Years Olds

Toddlers

Infants

Waitlist

EnrolledTotal Children Paid

for in July

5,959

SR Enrollment by Age 7.31.14

Total 4,129

Total 5,527

6,130

5,959

5,850

5,900

5,950

6,000

6,050

6,100

6,150

June July

Enrollment

Goal6,000

Children Served

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Communications Report: FY 13/14 Quarter 4

Communications Report

Quarter 4 Public Service Announcement The Coalition has received two Air Time Grants from Bright House Networks to air the School Doesn’t Start in Kindergarten VPK commercial in both English and Spanish. The English version of the commercial ran during the month of May throughout Pinellas County. A Spanish version of the commercial was developed with the translation assistance from Board member Maria Edmonds. Coalition staff member Ana Cotto-Pizarro volunteered to do the voiceover work. Diamond Views Studios produced the voiceover recording. The Spanish version of the commercial will run during the month of July 2014. Media Mentions Article on 5/9/14 Tampa Bay Times Former leader of Pinellas Early Learning Coalition sues agency over her firing Article on 5/22/14 Tampa Bay Times North Pinellas Community New Briefs Education agency has a new leader Article on 7/2/14 Tampa Bay Newspapers (Beacon, Leader, Bee) Early Learning Coalition gets grant from Rays Article on 7/9/14 Tampa Bay News (Beacon, Leader, Bee) Pre-kindergarten registration underway Article in Summer 2014 Good Living Magazine Special Early Childhood Issue Lindsay Carson Appointed Head of Early Learning Coalition (Page 8) Presentations Clearwater Chamber of Commerce: Connect & Care breakfast 6/25/14 Resource Development & Match Funds

Grant Submissions: Rays Baseball Foundation Fund Community Grant

o Proposal: School Readiness Match Funds o Submitted: 3/1/14 o Status: Approved o Amount Received: $5,000

Tampa Bay Times Fund

o Amount Requested: $25,000 o Proposal: School Readiness Match Funds o Submitted 5/9/14 o Status: Denied

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Communications Report: FY 13/14 Quarter 4

Donations:

Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) o Status: Approved o Campaign Kick Off Begins: August 2014

Social Media Engagement & Website Analytics

Facebook /ELCPinellas o Total Likes to Page: 336 o Total Posts: 31 o Total Users that Viewed Posts: 3,375 o Total Unique Clicks on Posts: 202 o Total Number of Likes/Comments/Shares: 146

Twitter @ELCPinellas

o Total Followers: 228

Website Traffic o Visits: 35,324 o Unique Visitors: 17,443 o Page Views: 119,095 o Average Page Views: 3.37 o Average Time on Site: 00:03:54 o New Visitors: 42.80% o Returning Visitors: 57.2%

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For specific questions or requests for ADA accommodations, please contact Nicole Gonzalez at 727-400-4442 at least 10 business days prior to the meeting date.

Revised and Updated 4-3-14

Public Notice

August-September-October 2014

The Early Learning Coalition announces the following public meetings to which all interested parties are invited: Communications Committee (occurs the last Tuesday of each month) Next Scheduled Meeting: Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. Location: Early Learning Coalition, 5735 Rio Vista Drive, Clearwater, Small West Wing Conference Room Executive Committee (typically occurs the first Thursday of every other month) Next Scheduled Meeting: Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. Location: Early Learning Coalition, 5735 Rio Vista Drive, Clearwater, Training Room Board of Directors (typically occurs the second Thursday of every other month; now scheduled monthly through September 2014) Currently Scheduled Meeting: October 2, 2014 @ 4:00 p.m. (Annual Meeting) Location: Early Learning Coalition, 5735 Rio Vista Drive, Clearwater, Training Room Service Delivery Advisory Council (typically occurs the third Thursday of every other month) Next Scheduled Meeting: TBD Location: Early Learning Coalition, 5735 Rio Vista Drive, Clearwater, Training Room Program Development Committee (occurs the last Monday of every other month) Next Scheduled Meeting: Monday, August 25, 2014 at 1:00pm Location: Early Learning Coalition, 5735 Rio Vista Drive, Clearwater, Small West Wing Conference Room Finance Committee (occurs the first Thursday of every other month) Next Scheduled Meeting: Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. Location: Early Learning Coalition, 5735 Rio Vista Drive, Clearwater, Training Room Provider Outreach Meetings (meetings for contracted providers - typically occurs quarterly in North, South and Mid Pinellas County) TBD All Early Learning Coalition board and committee meetings are publically noticed and the public has the right to comment. Those wishing to comment must fill out a public comment card and provide it to the recorder prior to the agenda item segment of the meeting.

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