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Top Takeaways is a series of recaps from important conversations, town halls, webinars and virtual events about early learning.

On April 19, the (LPI) and the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) cohosted a webinar exploring the findings of the recent report, .

Setting the stage for the discussion, LPI鈥檚 Hanna Melnick and NIEER鈥檚 Karin Garver explained that 鈥渕ixed delivery鈥� simply means that states recognize and support the early education that is happening in a variety of settings. Whether administered by local education agencies (LEAs, which generally coincide with K-12 school districts) or non-LEA settings (which can include Head Start agencies, community-based child care centers, private schools and family child care homes), the variety gives families a range of options and supports small businesses.

At the same time, Melnick and Garver noted, the offerings in any given community can be uneven and uncoordinated. States all have their own governance and administrative approaches for supporting the diverse needs of families and educators. Even without the hoped-for Build Back Better funding, many states are embracing mixed delivery models, with all eyes on California鈥檚 to implement the country鈥檚 largest and most complex pre-K system.

Here are our top takeaways from the conversation:

1.聽 Alabama. reaches 34% of 4-year-olds in a full-day program and has no income eligibility requirements. Allison Muhlendorf of the endorsed gradual expansion of the program, in order to maintain quality. Of the five states highlighted, the government of Alabama is the most directly involved in early education, rather than working through intermediaries or subcontracting with ELAs to reach non-ELA providers.

Pamela Truelove-Walker of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education said the approach allows her agency to better target resources such as coaching and apprenticeships. She emphasized credentials and pay parity as necessary provisions for maintaining quality in mixed-delivery systems. A few days after this webinar, department head Barbara Cooper was forced out over the distribution of . (.)

2. Michigan. Designed primarily for children in families with financial challenges, serves about a third of the state鈥檚 4-year-olds. State dollars go to 56 intermediate school districts, which distribute funds and provide professional development to LEA and non-LEA sites. (.)

3. New Jersey. Known as Abbott Pre-K (because of a 1980s ), this state鈥檚 program serves 29% of 4-year-olds and 16% of 3-year-olds in the state. Though state funding flows through LEAs, more than 4 in 10 of Jersey鈥檚 preschool students are enrolled in non-LEA settings. Although it still goes by the name Abbott, the state has been expanding beyond the 31 Abbott districts since 2017 and is now gearing up for the , according to Robin Wilkins, education program development specialist, New Jersey Department of Education and current president of the .

To help LEA and non-LEA preschool educators achieve parity with K-12 teachers, the state invests scholarships and supports for BA and certification. Joselyn Estevez-Vargas of underscored the need for ongoing, frequent, open and respectful communication around pay, benefits and other issues that matter to providers. ()

4. New York. Two complementary streams (the grant and ) fund preschool for 46% of 4-year-olds in New York. Similar to the New Jersey arrangement, LEAs contract directly with the state, then subcontract with participating non-LEA providers. More than 4 in 10 state-funded slots are in ()

5. West Virginia. Legislation for this state鈥檚 passed in 2002, mandating it to be up and running by by 2012. 鈥淲e had 10 years to build it,鈥� recalled Janet Bock-Hager, WV Department of Education, Office of Teaching & Learning. The program is dually governed by state departments of Education and Health and Human Services, with funds flowing to county boards of education. It now serves more than half of the state鈥檚 four-year-olds, and 82% of classrooms are 鈥渃ollaborative鈥� (that is, LEAs offer services in collaboration with non-LEAs).

Bock-Hager stressed the importance of joint decision-making and county participation in enrollment and other processes, to maximize resources available to families. At least every three years, a Pre-K Review Process takes place, where the stakeholders explore quality data and analyze trends, to make big decisions together. Nicholas County Schools鈥� Sarah Keiper described school readiness events showing families what鈥檚 available as well as preschool-to-kindergarten days to ensure smooth transitions. ()

The webinar concluded with remarks by Libby Doggett, who served as deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy and Early Learning from 2013 to 2017, and Barbara Chow of the Heising-Simons Foundation. Doggett praised the 鈥渁wesome young leaders moving us forward,鈥� while Chow offered nuggets of wisdom and encouragement, including 鈥淧olicy is a blunt tool that must be wielded with precision,鈥� and reminded viewers that the rollout of universal pre-K can be disruptive 鈥� but it鈥檚 worth it.

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 麻豆精品. Learn more here.