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2024 Shared Services Technical Conference
Connect the Dots
The early care and education system in the U.S. is in a pivotal moment. New resources are urgently needed, but far too many opportunities are missed when we fail to harness the power of modern technology, re-think the traditional business model and leverage existing resources in powerful and innovative ways. This conference will highlight what’s possible when we make critical connections to create a “greater whole”.
FamTech Presents: Tech-Driven Transformation in Early Childhood Education: A Roadmap to State Partnerships
Unlock the secrets of partnering with state governments at our next FamTech Virtual Event, featuring Louise Stoney, Co-founder of Opportunities Exchange.
Discover how their groundbreaking partnership with Iowa is transforming the early education and care technology landscape. Gain meaningful insights into understanding a state’s unique context and mindset, identifying entry points, and perfecting pitches for this specific audience.
Please save the date + time!
Thursday | April 11, 2024 | 3:00-4pm EST | 12pm-1:00pm PST
Register below (Promo Code: FamTechMember)
Slide presentation will be available at OppEx.org following the session.
Measuring What Matters: Impact Data Collection in Wisconsin's Shared Services Network
This webinar, offered in collaboration with the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association and Luminary Evaluation, explores the relationship between program implementation and data collection and how the two can be pursued simultaneously. Attendees will learn about the Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network's (WEESSN) unique, data-driven approach, including the evaluation design process, engaging business coaches as data collection partners, key evaluation findings, articulating program impact and opportunities, and plans for future enhancements.
Please save the date + time!
Thursday | February 22, 2024 | 1:00-2:30pm EST | 10am-11:30am PST
Presenters:
Alison LaRocca | Luminary Evaluation
Chanel Clark, Kelly Matthews, Paula Drew | Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA)
Slide presentation will be available at OppEx.org following the session.
Retirement Savings for Early Childhood Educators: Shared Services Alliances/Networks Can Make it Happen
Retirement benefits are an important part of compensation, yet this benefit is rarely available in child care settings. Supporting retirement plans can expand the educator pipeline, increase educator retention and build individual wealth. They also provide an opportunity to leverage invested funds through a variety of business credits. Shared Service Alliances and other intermediaries can be key resources for providers to help them start retirement plans for their staff and for themselves. This webinar explores ideas and resources to help providers cost-effectively build their retirement savings.
Guest Presenter: Gary Romano, Civitas Strategies
Tuesday, April 4, 2023 2-3:30 (ET)
Beyond Wages and Benefits: What Makes Teachers Stay, Grow, and Thrive? (session 3 of 3)
Wages and benefits are necessary, but not sufficient, if we want a stable, qualified workforce with the ability to support children and families. What makes teachers feel empowered to engage in reflective practice and view themselves as the professional educators they are?
Tuesday, December 13 1-2:30 (ET)
Employee Benefits: A New Framework and Tools to Get us There (session 2 of 3)
Years of scarcity in ECE has created a sense of hopelessness about staff benefits, but the world has changed and quality, free or low-cost health insurance is now within reach of everyone who works in ECE. How can program leaders leverage this and other resources to change the script about benefits?
Tuesday, November 22 1-2:30 (ET)
Raising Wages in ECE: A Roadmap for Change (session 1 of 3)
Recruiting and Retaining a Qualified Workforce has always been a challenge in ECE, but the post-pandemic economy has brought us to a new level of urgency. The session will explore strategies, particularly those for which a Shared Service Alliance is most suited, for moving the needle on salaries and share examples of successful case studies.
Thursday, November 3 1-2:30 (ET)
How Minding the Business of Child Care can Increase Program Quality with Amy Friedlander of Opportunities Exchange
Child care owners/directors manage both business and educational matters. Using principles such as the Iron Triangle of ECE Finance and automating invoicing and collections, human resources management, compliance and other systems can assist busy owners/directors to focus on a few key business metrics and spend more of their time coaching teachers. Many automation tools support both “sides of the house”—with functionality around family engagement and communication, lesson planning supported by state standards, and other features. Through a deeper understanding of the ways that business and pedagogy impact one another and how systems can be aligned to support both areas, owners/directors can more intentionally focus on business as a means to program quality.
Re-invent vs Re-build: Let’s Fix the Child Care System with Louise Stoney of Opportunities Exchange
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the ECE sector. Ensuring that high-quality programs, especially those serving vulnerable children and families, not only survive, but thrive is crucial. This workshop will explore key lessons, identify action steps that could be game changers for the field, and outline how industry leaders can work with the public and private sector to champion a “Child Care Come-Back Plan”.
How Minding the Business of Child Care can Increase Program Quality with Amy Friedlander of Opportunities Exchange
Child care owners/directors manage both business and educational matters. Using principles such as the Iron Triangle of ECE Finance and automating invoicing and collections, human resources management, compliance and other systems can assist busy owners/directors to focus on a few key business metrics and spend more of their time coaching teachers. Many automation tools support both “sides of the house”—with functionality around family engagement and communication, lesson planning supported by state standards, and other features. Through a deeper understanding of the ways that business and pedagogy impact one another and how systems can be aligned to support both areas, owners/directors can more intentionally focus on business as a means to program quality.
Re-invent vs Re-build: Let’s Fix the Child Care System with Louise Stoney of Opportunities Exchange
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the ECE sector. Ensuring that high-quality programs, especially those serving vulnerable children and families, not only survive, but thrive is crucial. This workshop will explore key lessons, identify action steps that could be game changers for the field, and outline how industry leaders can work with the public and private sector to champion a “Child Care Come-Back Plan”.
Using Business Intelligence to Make Smart Decisions
Details coming soon.
Presenter: Virginia Marsh, Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center, Amy Friedlander, OppEx
NOTE: This session is open to all individuals who are registered for the 2022 Opportunities Exchange Conference. To learn more or register for the conference visit: Opportunities Exchange 2022 Conference.
To Register for this workshop, please contact: meredithpflora@gmail.com
All times are EST.
Teacher Compensation and More: Creating Great Work Environments in ECE
Recruiting early childhood teachers has always been challenging —but the "Great Resignation" has hit the ECE sector especially hard. In this session, OppEx's Louise Stoney interviews veteran leader Diane Price (Early Connections, CO) on staffing strategies that helped stabilize their program during the pandemic and reflects on innovative practices as we move forward.
Presenter: Diane Price, Early Connections, CO and Louise Stoney, OppEx
NOTE: This session is open to all individuals who are registered for the 2022 Opportunities Exchange Conference. To learn more or register for the conference visit: Opportunities Exchange 2022 Conference.
To Register for this workshop, please contact: meredithpflora@gmail.com
All times are EST.
Shared Leadership: Transforming the ECE Hierarchy
When an emergency sidelined Regional Director Lisa Polk, her agency faced a crisis of leadership. Was there a better way to grow leaders internally while stabilizing operations? Drawing on the principles of shared services, Lisa describes how they dismantled traditional organizational hierarchy to transform their leadership structure.
Presenter: Lisa Polk, Leapfrog Early Learning Academy, Union City GA
NOTE: This session is open to all individuals who are registered for the 2022 Opportunities Exchange Conference. To learn more or register for the conference visit: Opportunities Exchange 2022 Conference.
To Register for this workshop, please contact: meredithpflora@gmail.com
Beyond Business Training
We know that providers struggle to manage their businesses, but is training the answer? Come learn about how various regions are pairing training with software onboarding, business coaching and peer networking to better support provider business leadership.
NOTE: This session is open to all individuals who are registered for the 2022 Opportunities Exchange Conference. To learn more or register for the conference visit: Opportunities Exchange 2022 Conference
A New Day for Health Care for the ECE Workforce
There are new resources coming to the Early Care and Education sector in the wake of pandemic support and recovery. One important development is the significant increase in subsidies for the health insurance available through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. Learn about this and other exciting resources that can ensure that no one who works in the child care sector needs to go without access to health care.
NOTE: This session is open to all individuals who are registered for the 2022 Opportunities Exchange Conference. To learn more or register for the conference visit: Opportunities Exchange 2022 Conference
A New Day for Health Care Options
Very few child care centers can afford to offer employee benefits like health insurance and retirement plans. This workshop will explore ways that recent investments from the American Rescue Plan Act and other pandemic recovery measures may be used to expand access to employee benefits. Strategies such as tapping the Affordable Care Act health care exchange, Health Savings Accounts, and Telehealth resources will be discussed. This workshop will also explore state level policy options for investing new federal dollars into staff compensation and benefits.
Learning Objectives:
ECE directors, owners and administrators will understand how they can offer employees affordable health care by accessing new resources made available by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) along with supplemental health care resources
Tech-Driven Transformation in Early Childhood Education: A Roadmap to State Partnerships
Unlock the secrets of partnering with state governments at our next FamTech Virtual Event, featuring Louise Stoney, Co-founder of Opportunities Exchange.
Discover how their groundbreaking partnership with Iowa is transforming the early education and care technology landscape. Gain meaningful insights into understanding a state’s unique context and mindset, identifying entry points, and perfecting pitches for this specific audience.