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  4. Strategic Planning, Start to Finish
  5. Where Do We Want to Be?

Where Do We Want to Be?

Having clarity about your desired future gives partners and staff a positive frame for action and offers an antidote to any fear that may arise surrounding the notion of change. If people know where the group is headed, they’ll respond with improved confidence and productivity. The mission, vision, and guiding principles set the course for the future.

Mission statement. This statement is an overarching expression of the organization’s purpose and aspiration. It states what goals you want to accomplish and how the organization seeks to accomplish them. The statement is a declaration of why you exist as an organization or partnership.

  • Identify any existing materials related to the mission and share with the team. This includes organization mandates.
    • Develop questions for the team to answer individually and then come together to discuss. Some examples include:
      • Does our current mission express who we are and what our purpose is?
      • How does our organization differ from other organizations?
      • What is our philosophy, and what are our core values?[16]
    •  Have a small team draft a mission statement and provide to other team members for feedback.
  • Example: To support all young children in their development by ensuring that early childhood policy, funding and services strengthen the critical role families, providers, educators, and communities play in a child’s life. Connecticut Office of Early Childhood 2020 Strategic Plan

Vision statement. This short, concise statement states what your organization or partnership will look like in five or more years.

  • Have your team members write on individual sheets of paper (or submit via email before meeting) what their vision of success is; people can work in small groups or individually. Share each vision statement on a whiteboard, discuss as a team, and reach consensus.
  • Example: Our vision is that Kansas is a place where every child thrives. All children will have their basic needs met and have equitable access to quality early childhood care and education, so they are prepared to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. All In For Kansas Kids – Early Childhood Strategic Plan

Guiding principles. These statements are enduring, passionate, and distinctive core beliefs. These rarely change and are part of your strategic foundation. The guiding principles should represent the diversity of the group.

  • Hold a brainstorming session and use a whiteboard or other sharing-focused approach to capture everyone’s thoughts and statements, working individually and/or in small groups. Group the statements together, work to refine, and reach consensus
  • Example: See the New Mexico Early Childhood Strategic Plan 2021–2024 (and the corresponding box on the next page) for an example of guiding principles.

Guiding Principles

The following Guiding Principles shape the implementation of the 2021 Strategic Plan. These are a framework through which everything, including all Goals and Actions, should be pursued, viewed, and understood. The Guiding Principles are grouped under three overarching themes as part of the framework for building an efficient and effective early childhood system.

Equitable Access:

  • Ensure respect for and celebration of New Mexico’s multicultural and multilingual diversity.
  • Seek to heal trauma, including historical and generational trauma, and deconstruct systemic racism, sexism, and other entrenched and unfair biases.
  • Prioritize resources and opportunities for those with greater needs.
  • Increase family engagement through a multi-generational, and cross-sector approach which supports different family structures and addresses the integrated factors which affect family stability and well-being.
  • Move towards universal access for families to early childhood programs and support structures.

Coordination and Colaboration:

  • Foster consistent transparency and clear communication to build trust in all areas and relationships with early childhood programs and tribal partners.
  • Build on and magnify local assets and abilities to solve local problems. This includes using social capital, networks, and relationships, as well as physical infrastructure, and linguistic and cultural assets

Quality:

  • Embrace continuous improvement where data and feedback are used, to ensure transparency and progress towards clear goals.
  • Use developmentally appropriate approaches and inclusive practices for working with all children and families.
  • Support early childhood educators and cultural knowledge systems, especially in rural/tribal communities.
  • Ensure best practices and healthy environments and interactions throughout the system, i.e. support for the workforce, strong customer service for families, and a culture of promoting well-being.

Used with permission: New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department. (2019). The New Mexico Early Childhood Strategic Plan 2021-2024. https://www.nmececd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2021-2024_NMEarlyChildhood_ StrategicPlan.pdf

 

[16] Creating your strategic plan (3rd Edition).(2011).John Wiley & Sons, Inc.