Early Childhood Leadership Directions piloted Pathways to Excellence in 2002-3 with a small cohort of aspiring leaders in Southern Oregon. Since then, each cohort has increased in size and diversity. To date 112 new leaders in five cohorts are serving children and families in 17 counties in Oregon as a result of this impressive program. An additional cohort of 27 new leaders in California has been equipped with enhanced leadership capacity as a result of national outreach. ECLD recruits cohorts of approximately 18-30 aspiring leaders per year, each with a peer partner who does not travel to the retreats, to produce documented change in communities and influence hundreds of additional residents.

The challenging learning opportunities facilitated by Early Childhood Leadership Directions facilitate the achievement of the following outcomes for early childhood professionals, young children, their families, and communities:

• Increased numbers of articulate leaders in rural areas to advocate for quality services and increased funding,
• Enhanced skills among local leaders to guide agency, community, and state collaboration and evaluation efforts,
• Improved knowledge for participants to use to implement federal and state regulations and programs as well as evidence-based practices from education, health, and human services,
• Greater representation among early childhood leadership from traditionally
  under-represented groups, including individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and persons with disabilities, and
• Increased utilization of diverse resources to strengthen sustainability efforts at rural community levels.

As state, county, and local budgets for professional development as well as direct services are shrinking, the concepts of the ECLD program are needed to help individuals and agencies work wisely and collaboratively to provide efficient, research-based, responsive, and sustainable services to Oregon residents.

Evaluation data have shown convincingly that this model is effective in enhancing participants' leadership development. Increase in all 10 leadership qualities and skill outcomes was statistically significant, with especially notable growth in personal/interpersonal leadership, effective teaming, program development, supervision, sustainability, and advocacy for young children and their families. Enhanced self-confidence in public arenas has been noted by nearly all participants. Comments such as the following represent the experience of past participants in ECLD:

• "As a result of this program, I have done many things to contribute to relationship-based leadership in a variety of roles. I am more connected to my community than ever before."
• "By recognizing and supporting my individual learning and interests, by providing information and opportunity to explore on my own, by stepping forth with ideas and concepts that brought new horizons or supported my own values and beliefs, by pushing just enough... you helped me grow mightily."
• "I think that understanding how to gather trend data was one of the major areas for me. Knowing state, national, local, and even international data can and will help me to create improved practices to support children and families."
• "This program has provided so many relevant opportunities, tools, and skills. I feel more confident in advocacy, sustainability, grant writing, staff development... it goes on and on."

Graduates of ECLD Pathways to Excellence use their enhanced skills to stimulate systems change in their own communities. For example, past participants have successfully implemented new parent education and support teams for families at risk for child abuse and neglect; guided 12 Oregon counties as they brokered services for children with very significant mental health issues; written a successful grant proposal to support a year-long video-based home visitor quality improvement program; improved education in social-emotional development for county-wide child care staff; and brought together agency personnel to define innovative ways to continue quality services amidst dramatic budget cuts. One graduate who learned how to write grant
proposals from her ECLD experience was funded to develop a community approach to new mothers with postpartum depression. Thanks to this individual's successful grant proposal, her agency has been able to assist women in her community to overcome their mental illness and build stronger attachments with their infants that are so critical to family health and stability.

To learn more about how you can benefit from this exceptional leadership development opportunity, visit our Invitation to Apply in 2008.