(a) The EC COAC shall provide policy recommendations on strategies, processes, and services to meet the Department’s goals and priorities consistent with the EC COAC’s purpose described in Section 5.13-2. In collaboration with the First Five Commission, the EC COAC shall develop policy recommendations regarding the Department’s coordination of services, policies, and planning strategies for early care and education, including:
(1) Addressing the continuous quality improvement of programs and capacity-building of providers 1
(2) Developing recommendations for equitable, inclusive, culturally and linguistically appropriate services and innovations responsive to emerging early childhood needs.
(3) Developing recommendations for processes to ensure data and data systems are used for greater accountability of program outcomes, enhance learning internally, across investments, and across service sectors, and address persistent racial, diversity, equity, and inclusion gaps.
(4) Promoting public interest and awareness around issues facing young children and their families.
(5) Developing processes and structures that support organizations, communities, and public agencies to work together to advance the well-being of young children and their families.
(b) The EC COAC shall work with Department to develop and maintain the Department Strategic Plan, as described in Administrative Code Section 2A.310.
(c) The EC COAC shall advise the Department on the development of funding guidelines.
(d) The EC COAC shall review and advise the Department regarding its needs assessments, plans, funding allocations, evaluation of services, common data systems, processes for making funding decisions, program improvement and capacity-building of service providers, community engagement in planning and evaluating services, and any changes in expenditure plans during the fiscal year, but shall not have any approval authority over these matters.
(e) The EC COAC shall promote transparency for the Department’s budget, including, in particular, expenditures from the Babies and Families Fund, by holding a joint annual public hearing with the First Five Commission regarding the Department’s budget no later than February 14 of each year. The EC COAC shall review and provide a recommendation report of the Department’s overall annual budget expenditures. The EC COAC shall provide input to the Department on the evaluation plan for tracking the results of the City’s investments in early care and education.
(f) The EC COAC shall coordinate with the CCPAC to receive and incorporate CCPAC’s feedback and recommendations into EC COAC’s recommendations to the Department’s annual report evaluating the effectiveness of the Early Care and Education for All Initiative, required by Section 20.17-3 of the Administrative Code.
(g) The EC COAC may recommend candidates for Director of the Department to the Mayor and may hold a joint public meeting with the First Five Commission for the purpose of considering candidates.
CODIFICATION NOTE