Strategic Plan

About Us

Strategic Plan

Leelanau Children’s Center is guided by a Strategic Plan, a document that we revisit regularly and rewrite every five years. Please have a look at our plan and let us know what you think!

Needs Assessment

To conduct the needs assessment process, TMR conducted a variety of activities on behalf of the Leelanau Children’s Center. The needs assessment process was designed to develop:

An understanding of demographic, economic, social, and education trends and their potential impact on the Center.
An understanding of data related to the LCC, communities and region it serves that are relevant to identifying future needs, opportunities and challenges facing the Center.
A strong understanding of stakeholder perceptions related to needs, strengths, opportunities, challenges and support for potential projects and programs of the Center.

This information is intended provide a starting point for thoughtful planning and to serve as context to conduct thorough market research to drive specific, tactical decisions about programming and services.

What key trends will have an impact on the future of the Leelanau Children’s Center and the people it serves?

Declines in Quality of Life and State Investments in Children

The importance of early childhood to the development of cognitive and emotional potential is clearly documented and increasingly is recognized by human service, education and other public and private agencies and critical to the health and well-being of families. Yet, despite increasing recognition of the importance of early childhood, state investments in early childhood education and family support have been stagnant or reduced. Research from the nonprofit organization Michigan’s Children shows that in Michigan:

One of every five Michigan children under the age of six lives in poverty.
Young children are at higher risk of child abuse and neglect, and more likely to be living in foster care.
Too many of the state’s children do not have access to the high quality preschool programs that have been shown to improve school success.
Thousands of Michigan children are in child care settings of unknown quality and safety.
Too many parents do not have the tools to be their children’s first and best teachers.

Michigan is not alone in this crisis. The Foundation for Child Development Child and Youth Well-Being Index (CWI) Project at Duke University issues an annual comprehensive measure of how children are faring in the United States. The CWI is based on a composite of 28 Key Indicators of well-being that are grouped into seven Quality-of-Life Domains, including economic well-being, health, safety, educational attainment, and participation in schooling, economic and political institutions. The 2007 report identifies the following trends.

Progress in American children’s quality of life has stalled. Ending an eight-year-long upward trend, which lasted from 1994 through 2002, improvements in the well-being of America’s children and youth have stalled.
Children’s health continues to decline. The most dramatic decline in the CWI was in the area of health, which sank to its lowest point since 1975, the CWI’s base year.
Children are safer and engage in less risky behavior than ever. One positive trend in this year’s CWI was the continuing decline in rates of teen pregnancy, violent crime, and drug and alcohol use among youth.
Progress in narrowing racial and ethnic disparities has stalled. The CWI continues to document significant and persistent ethnic and income disparities among white, African American, and Hispanic children.
Improvements in children’s quality of life in 2002 are now seen as a temporary reaction to 9/11. This year’s analysis shows that, rather than signaling an upward trend, the up-tick across indicators in 2002 was more likely a collective – and anomalous – reaction to 9/11.
The economic recession and slow growth of 2001-2002 negatively impacted several indicators in the Family Economic Well-Being component of the CWI, such as the poverty rate for families with children ages 0 to 17, the rate of such families with at least one parent with secure employment, and median family income.

Population Profile in Leelanau County

According to the Census data, in the year 2000 there were 1,075 children under 5 years old, (5.1% of the total population) and 1,444 children 5 -9 years old, (6.8% of the total population) living Leelanau County. By 2005 those numbers had fallen to 960 children under five years old, 10.7 % fewer, and to 1,141 children 5-9 years old, 21% fewer. In 2000, 290 children were enrolled in nursery or preschool.

Additional facts drawn from the 2000 Census demonstrate that despite the decreases in numbers of children under ten years old, there are many more families that could benefit from access to early childhood education programs and supports for parents than are currently receiving such services. In Leelanau County in the year 2000:

4,849 (23%) of households had a child under 18 years old
386 (4.6%) of households were female, no husband present, with children under 18
68 grandparents were responsible for their grandchildren
1,253 families had children of their own under 6 years old; in 841 of these families all parents in the family were working
81 (9.6%) families with related children under 5 were living below poverty level

Finally, 16.2 percent of children in Leelanau County and receiving Special Education services, a higher rate than the Michigan average of 14.9 percent. Early childhood development is closely linked to the need for special education services in school.

Additional data and reports considered in the development of this report are included in the appendix.

What do people think about the Leelanau Children’s Center?

Activities to understand stakeholder perceptions about the Center included:

Interviews with 28 people including Center Board members, staff, parents, community leaders, and key partners.
Ten focus groups with staff, parents, partners and community members representing both Leland and Northport.

Perceived Strengths

Strengths of the Center that were consistently noted in interviews and focus groups clearly identify key elements of a foundation upon which future efforts can be built. Strengths commonly recognized include:

A highly successful model program and philosophy for school readiness that is saving kids and families
Professional staff, with longevity and fair compensation
Professional development
Diversity of staff and students
A culture of continuous improvement
Focus on community building through parent groups, home visits and individual assistance
Outreach to as many families as possible, to schools and to other providers
Demonstrated, recognized leadership in early childhood education locally and statewide
Collaboration with schools and community groups.

Perceived Challenges

Challenges facing the Center that were consistently noted in interviews and focus groups revealed potential hurdles to overcome in the development of a strategy for the next three to five years. Challenges commonly recognized centered around three overlapping areas; scope, resources, leadership, and operations.

Challenges related to scope:

Understanding how many potential students will have in the future and how to expand in a responsible manner
Lack of affordable housing and jobs for young families
Demands on working families for time, resources and attention
Transportation, distance barriers
Tradition of home town pride and competition in the County, resistance to county-wide programming
Public recognition of the impact of early childhood education

Challenges related to resources:

Planning to achieve financial sustainability in the face of State funding cuts and ongoing unmet needs
Finding the right fund raising mix – what are the right events, what is the right number of events
Burnout of donors and volunteers
Determining the appropriate use of the endowment

Challenges related to leadership:

Succession planning: will we be ready when Maggie leaves?
Governance issues and uncertainty about desired board and staff roles
How to maintain focus on effective consistent internal communication:
- Board - staff
- site to site
- LCC - public

Challenges related to operations:

Inadequate internal infrastructure, duplication of efforts
Technology needs, updated computers, phone system
Need to evaluate use of COR (child assessment tool)
Connecting with all parents

Hopes and Dreams

The following priorities emerged from the needs assessment process. The desires presented here are consistent across stakeholder groups, and could be leveraged to increase the capacity of the Leelanau Children’s Center to accomplish its mission.

Resources to enable universal early childhood programming for all children in Leelanau County, with free tuition for all children
Physical space and buildings that reflect the Center’s philosophy including expands adult and child space at both centers, garden space to enable more plant and animal education
Facility maintenance services
A vehicle to transport children
Continually improving professional development
A growing substitute teacher pool with volunteer and substitute teacher training
Compensation that attracts and maintains an excellent staff
A cohesive board with equal representation from Northport and Leland.
The Center will become recognized as a critical economic development component of Leelanau County
By marketing our success and philosophy, the Center will become a household name

Conclusions

The Leelanau Children’s Center has critical strengths in its favor including:
- The existing facility in Leland and endowment
- Recognized value by community partners, previous and current parents
- Experience and expertise of the Executive Director
The Leelanau Children’s Center is positioned for leadership to:
- Demonstrate the value of early childhood education to individuals and the community
- Model successful early childhood education and family support
The population of Leelanau County is changing and this factor presents a challenge that may impact the Center’s potential to develop resources and expand programming.

The Center has built an excellent reputation, driven largely by the vision of its Director. The future role and viability of the Center depends on the ability of its stakeholders to sustain the vision independent of any one person.

Mission and Philosophy

CHILDREN MATTER ••• Because children matter, the Leelanau Children’s Center provides high quality early childhood educational programs, and advocates for children, parents and families.

The Center is a non-profit agency devoted to the welfare of young children and their families. The Center is licensed by the State of Michigan, accredited by the National Association of Young Children and Family Support America, and has received awards for excellence from the regional, state and national level.

Our goals are to:

Keep children safe by preventing child abuse and neglect
Promote academic success
Support family stability
Increase community engagement
Meet the highest quality standards

OUR PHILOSOPHY

The Center operates under the belief that the early childhood years are a period of dynamic and extraordinary development. Young children are building their brain architecture, learning habits and social skills that will carry her/him through life. We believe that careful attention to development in these years can make a world of difference to each child, hence our programs use a curriculum style called Constructivism. We refer to ourselves as a Socially-based Constructivist program.

What does that mean?

Constructivism in the classroom means that our curriculum will help children learn to gather information from a number or sources, sources which will later translate into academic disciplines, and synthesize the information into theory. Preschoolers are active observers of world; they are curious and anxious to make sense out of the many amazing questions that face them.

Constructivism in our Parenting Communities, home visits, and playgroups, means that we use curriculum and practices that support parents. We believe parents are their child’s first and most important teacher. We help parents find resources, introduce them to child development information, and bring them great activities to do at home to support their child’s development. We introduce our parents to other families with young children and help them assess their child’s development.

The Shared Vision of Accomplishment

The purpose of the Vision Statement is to describe the collective hopes and dreams of those who have a stake in the future of the organization. The practical time period for this shared vision is the next five years. The vision is intended to serve as a motivating, compelling description of the desired future.

The vision and descriptive statements that follow were developed at a retreat on May 18, 2007 with participation of the Leelanau Children’s Center board members, staff and parents. The project facilitators have drawn these statements from the in-depth dialogue that took place that day in response to the following focus question:

What accomplishments do you want to see that will demonstrate to you that the Leelanau Children’s Center is ensuring that “Children Matter” in Leelanau County?

Our Shared Vision

Five years from now, the Leelanau Children’s Center will have in place the capacity to reach all children and families in the County and the ability to deliver consistent, excellent results.

This vision will be demonstrated by:

A sustainable funding plan to support the ongoing work of the Center.
An organizational structure that enables Leelanau County families access to LCC expertise, information and/or programs.
Recognition of the Leelanau Children’s Center as a valued community resource.
A highly visible presence in the community whose story mobilizes support and compels people to act.
Professional standards that define quality staffing, operations and facilities.
Effective operations that maximize the skills of available people, technology and facilities, enabling the highest quality programs and service.
Expanded, improved and beautiful facilities that enhance and reflect the unique character of the Leelanau Peninsula and facilitate the mission and philosophy of the Leelanau Children’s Center.
Innovative programming that meets the full spectrum of developmental needs of children and families in Leelanau County.

The Underlying Contradictions to the Vision

The underlying contradictions are the obstacles, barriers or roadblocks that may prevent realization of the vision. They are like boulders in the path, but, because they are so integrated into our experience, they are not readily recognized for what they are. Contradictions are to be found in historic and societal trends, in images and attitudes, and in structures and patterns. Participants identified the following potential contradictions that should be considered in developing the strategic plan.

Societal Prejudice and Misunderstanding:

Cultural values that are not aligned and the perception that preschool = daycare
Perceived and real competition for resources
Emotional boundaries between communities
State level decision-makers not committed
Personal perceptions of elitism

Internal Evolving Culture:

Variety of opinions on staff
Administration is already stretched
Values are not clearly defined
A reactive habit, tendency to ride on laurels, and dependence on Karma
Changing roles, time to evaluate – staff & board

Limited Community Understanding of Needs and Offerings:

Limited venues for communication
True costs of program are not apparent
Families are involved for a short period of time
Limited media coverage of EC issues
Need to diversify community involvement
Inadequate tapping of local talent pool

Resource Limitations: Time, Space, Knowledge

Administrative support staff not increased at the rate of growth
Change of administrative leadership
Shortage of experience, expertise, qualifications
Family + Work + PD + visioning = no time
Thinking only about traditional schooling
Time and local availability to continue education

Ability to Mobilize Ownership & Commitment

Limited space and inadequate technology
Physical boundaries & limitations
Structure of current B&G committee
Staff needed to coordinate space sharing

The Strategic Directions for Action

The strategic directions act like a rudder. They orient organizations and people to a particular direction and help to focus change. The following strategies provide broad directions for action over the next five years that will impact or overcome a contradiction and that will catalyze movement in the direction of the vision. The strategies provide the framework for annual goal setting, tactical planning, resource allocation and committee and staff prioritization of tasks.

These strategic directions were developed at the planning session on May 19.

Strategic Direction 1: Toward Generating Sustainable Resources & Support

Priorities:

Develop multiple funding sources
Create awareness
Mobilize community support

Strategic Direction 2: Toward Enhancing Quality & Service

Priorities:

Facilitate local professional development alternatives
Develop skilled volunteers and substitutes
Address operational gaps

Strategic Direction 3: Toward Formalizing Systematic, Proactive Planning

Priorities:

Develop a leadership and succession plan for continual success
Develop a facility plan
Develop a model for ongoing, collaborative planning

The Structure for Implementation

Organization:

Board committees will assume responsibility for implementation of each of the strategic directions. It is recommended that each committee seek additional members drawn from the staff and community.
The Leelanau Children’s Center’s Board Development committee will review the current committee structure and propose consolidating tasks that may overlap with, or duplicate the goals of the strategic plan.
The Steering Committee will meet regularly to facilitate communication, alignment of strategies, troubleshooting, and updates to the strategic plan.

Tactical Planning:

Each standing committee will develop an implementation plan which will be reported at the November Board meeting. The plan will include:

Annual objectives
Measures of progress
A timeline of activities and designated responsibilities
Financial resources needed to accomplish the overall strategy and to implement activities to achieve annual goals.
Human resources needed to accomplish the overall strategy and to implement activities to achieve annual goals.

Progress Reviews:

Each committee will report progress to the Board and others per Board calendar or as appropriate.
Each committee will update its implementation plan as appropriate.
The overall strategy will be reviewed annually and adjustments to strategies and tactical plans made in order to facilitate ongoing progress toward the vision.

Framework for Decision-Making

In order to fully benefit from the strategic thinking and planning done, program, resources and management decisions should be made within the context of the strategic vision and direction that was reached by consensus. An instrument to facilitate decision-making with weighted criteria and unbiased scoring may be useful for especially difficult decisions.

Questions recommended for inclusion in the decision-making framework include:

Does the (Decision/Program/Activity) catalyze movement toward our shared vision? Will it lead to:

A sustainable funding plan that supports the ongoing work of the Center?
An organizational structure that enables Leelanau County families’ access to LCC expertise, information and/or programs?
Recognition of the Leelanau Children’s Center as a valued community resource?
A highly visible presence in the community whose story mobilizes support and compels people to act?
Professional standards that define quality staffing, facilities and operations?
Effective operations that that maximize the skills of available people, technology and facilities, enabling the highest quality programs and service?
Expanded, improved and beautiful facilities that enhance and reflect the unique character of the Leelanau Peninsula and facilitate the mission and philosophy of the Leelanau Children’s Center?
Innovative programming that meets the spectrum of developmental needs of children and families in Leelanau County?

Will the (Program/Activity) contribute to accomplishment of one or more of the strategic directions? Will it lead to:

Sustainable Resources & Support

Multiple funding sources?
Awareness of the Center and its value?
Community support?

Enhanced Quality & Service

Local professional development alternatives?
Skilled volunteers and substitutes?
Operational excellence?

Formalized Systematic, Proactive Planning

A leadership and succession plan for continual success?
A facility plan?
A model for ongoing, collaborative planning?

Overview of Process and Participation

From April through June, 2007, Traverse Management Resources, Inc. assisted the Leelanau Children’s Center (LCC) with the preparation of a five year strategy that would provides clear direction, based on a consensus of stakeholders, for the desired future role of the Center in meeting the emerging needs of children and families in Leelanau County. The strategic plan is intended to provide a framework for fund development planning; for the alignment of budgets, personnel, programs and functions; and for ongoing decision-making by the LCC Board of Directors and staff.

The processes were designed to result in:

An understanding of data related to the LCC, communities and region it serves that are relevant to identifying future needs, opportunities and challenges facing the Center.
A strong understanding of stakeholder perceptions related to needs, strengths, opportunities, challenges and support for potential projects and programs of the Center.
An understanding of demographic, economic, social, and education trends and their potential impact on the Center.
A shared, practical vision of accomplishments over a defined time period, and the strategic priorities for action that will enable the achievement of the vision.
A framework of priorities to guide ongoing action planning, resource allocation, programming, funding strategies, and other decision-making.
An experience that unifies key stakeholders behind a commonly held vision for the Center, builds relationships, and provides a positive, engaging collaborative opportunity for meaningful input.

To achieve the intended results, Traverse Management Resources, Inc. completed the following activities:

Reviewed background documents including surveys, studies, reports, plans, etc.
Conducted 28 personal interviews with LCC Board members, staff from LCC and its partners, supporters, and community leaders to discuss perceived issues, opportunities and concerns related to the Center and its work.
Conducted 10 focus groups (33 people) who have a stake in the future of the Center.
Planned and conducted a 1-1/2 day planning meeting with the active participation board, staff and others to:
- Create a shared, practical vision for the next five years.
- Examine underlying contradictions.
- Define the strategic priorities.
Met with the Board of Directors to discuss implementation and organizational steps to insure follow-through.

Traverse Management Resources, Inc. and the Leelanau Children’s Center wish to thank the many individuals who participated in the planning process by attending an interview, focus group, or planning session.

Download our Strategic Plan:

LCC Strategic Plan 2007

LCC Leland (231) 256-7841 / LCC Northport (231) 386-5144 / Email: info

leelanauchildrenscenter.net / Locations & Maps