Engage and Collaborate with Key Stakeholders for Collective Impact

Engage in statewide partnerships to ensure alignment of partners’ efforts, duplication reduction and maximization of impact

Example
Act Early Ambassador and members of the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN), a New Jersey organization whose goal is to empower families to serve as advocates in the improvement of education and health outcomes of children, actively engaged in partnerships to maximize impact in several ways:

• Participation in committees and workgroups provides the opportunity to introduce “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” materials to multiple audiences at once. For example, SPAN participated in a cross-sector early childhood stakeholder group and in the “Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge” that engaged 21 parent-led councils.
• Grants can be an avenue to promote “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” materials. For example, as part of the Integrated Systems Grants funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration, the statewide Community of Care Consortium was created to ensure cohesiveness between the many childhood programs and services that span four state-level departments. The Consortium was composed of stakeholders from state departments, community agencies, the Act Early state team, healthcare providers, parents, youth, educators, and other interested community members. This grant provided opportunities to integrate “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” into different organizations and share them with the families they reach.
• Partnering with the early care and education Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) provided an opportunity to disseminate “Learn the Signs. Act Early”. materials through on-site and online trainings, webinars and workshops.

Project Lead:
Deepa Srinivasavaradan, Family Resource Specialist, Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of New Jersey.