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Meetings on Policy Issues Essay

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Meetings on Policy Issues

The first meeting I attended was the State Early Childhood Advisory Council (SECAC) meeting. It was held in the Sillers building in Jackson, Mississippi. The meeting was held on February 9, 2012. The people in attendance were members of the council, who were made up of various leaders in the field of early childhood such as members of the Department of Human Services (DHS), EXCEL by 5, the Center for Education Innovation, and the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). Beyond the council members there were about 14 others, including myself, who also work in the field of early childhood education such as child care owners or directors and those who work with programs aimed at providing assistance to …show more content…

It was very formal and the members of the council took turns and followed the agenda very closely. The Executive Director, Annjo Lemons, gave explanation of the items being discussed to the public attendees. The council provided a list of current bills related to young children to all those in attendance and explained each one.
One of the main focuses of the SECAC meeting was coordinating services in order to improve service to families with young children. The council suggested drafts of 3 different models that would define roles “top-to-bottom”. One key piece of this coordination of services would include moving child care licensing and regulation from the MSDH to DHS. The council wants the proposal drafts by March 1st. The idea of moving licensing and regulation of child care centers to DHS is an effort to streamline services and information for child care providers and families. Policy Framework Interest group theory framework is comprised of a “group….through which individuals exert influence on government” (Zimmerman, 2001, p. 255). Interest groups have commonality in their interests and views. “Interest group theory depicts constructed policy solutions as the culmination of negation, bargaining, and compromise among competing groups” (Zimmerman, 2001, p. 257). Part of interest group theory includes the formation of coalitions. “Coalitions are groups

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