Early Childhood Utah
Advisory Council
2026 annual report
Executive summary
Created a visual and materials for Kindergarten Readiness focused on ready families, communities and state rather than individual child readiness alone. (Early care and education subcommittee)
Collaborated on training for partner organizations in data sharing best practices and examples for promotion of data sharing. (Data and research subcommittee)
Parent leadership training completed following “Serving on Groups” modules. (Parent engagement, support and education subcommittee)
Survey of early care and education providers to collect Utah-specific data about practices and policies about suspension and expulsion. (Social-emotional and mental health subcommittee)
The work of the 5 subcommittees of the Early Childhood Advisory Council is summarized in the following pages. The subcommittee work aligns with the priorities identified in the Utah Early Childhood 5-year Strategic plan published in June 2024.
The advisory council has 28 members, and approximately 75 subject matter experts contribute to the subcommittees. This combination is an effective mix that impacts better early childhood outcomes in Utah. The parent and family voices amplified by the Parent Engagement subcommittee is an important additional element of the council.
Health and access to medical homes
Current goal
Recommend customer experience improvements to the MyCase application so that more families complete Medicaid applications correctly and are insured.
Why was this goal chosen?
- In February 2026, 24.5% of Utah cases were disenrolled for procedural reasons, only 3% were determined ineligible.
- From March 2025 through February 2026, 81% of applications for Medicaid were completed through the MyCase application.
Subcommittee work in progress
The subcommittee, which includes representatives from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Division of Integrated Healthcare and the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) Division of Eligibility, completed a full review of the myCase application. A list of recommended improvements, which focus on making the application easier to complete, were approved by the council and given to Medicaid leadership to improve access to Medicaid programs.
Subcommittee accomplishments
- Created a one-page summary document of recommended user experience enhancements for the MyCase application.
Broader systems work
Beginning in October 2025, the Early Childhood Utah program and the Office of Maternal Child Health partnered with the Division of Integrated Services and Take Care Utah to provide training for community support staff across the state. The purpose of these trainings was to help staff support families in their Medicaid applications. 231 early childhood providers participated in these trainings as of April 2026, with high satisfaction ratings and improved confidence to help families apply for Medicaid coverage.
Subcommittee upcoming goals
Finalize a detailed document of recommendations for the MyCase application to submit to the Department of Workforce Services for review.
Early Care and education
Current goal
Update and refine Utah Core Competencies for early education professionals to reflect best practices and licensing requirements.
Why was this goal chosen?
Partnering on curriculum and standards for early childhood professionals and education supports Utah families in receiving high quality services independent of location and programming chosen.
Through reciprocal relationships with families and communities, elementary schools and early childhood programs support collaboration that empowers parents and educators to be active partners in learning. From Kindergarten Readiness definitions, “Ready Schools”, 2025.
Subcommittee work in progress
The subcommittee continues working to align the employment requirements and training of the early care and education workforce in order to build an early childhood career ladder and promote better outcomes for children.
Subcommittee accomplishments
- Approved definitions of kindergarten readiness that match with Utah’s early learning standards. (PDG Strategic plan, Theme 2, Action 2.3)
- Created a Kindergarten Readiness visual and presentation.
- Began promotion of the new definitions and professional development related to kindergarten readiness by presenting at the Utah Preschool Conference hosted by the Utah State Board of Education.
Broader systems work
During the 2026 legislative session, the passage of SB 241 established a new statewide goal to have 80% of students reading on grade level by the end of third grade by July 1, 2030. To support this objective, the legislation mandates the use of evidence-based Science of Reading curricula and provides targeted funding for individualized reading plans and paraprofessional literacy support. Students may be retained in third grade who do not achieve grade level competency by that time.
Subcommittee upcoming goals
Update Utah’s Core Competencies, a document of professional learning standards that has not been revised since 2008.
Continue promotion of and professional development with the Kindergarten Readiness tools.
Parent engagement, support and education
Current goal
Increase parent involvement, decision-making, and representation in the early childhood system, particularly emphasizing the capacity of parents to advocate at any level they choose.
Why was this goal chosen?
Parent engagement and leadership is vital to the success of Utah’s early childhood programs. Parents must be actively invited into decision-making spaces and taught to advocate for their family and community.
“Not having parent voice would come off as tone-deaf to these critical stakeholders. The adage "nothing is about us without us" is very important to ECU's credibility in building and maintaining a meaningful system for families. While many folks on ECU are parents, that doesn't mean that we are eligible for many of the services provided by the programs represented. Who better to answer the question of "Is anyone better off?" than parents themselves who navigate through Utah's ECE system on a regular basis?” Quote from Early Childhood Utah Advisory Council member, April 2026.
Subcommittee work in progress
The Early Childhood Utah family lead adapted each module of Serving on Groups for presentation by professional members of the group. This training will be completed in July 2026. In addition to training, parents engage with the Advisory Council through monthly presentations from other subcommittees. This benefits the other subcommittees by helping them gain a unique, parent, perspective on their work and adapt as necessary.
Subcommittee accomplishments
- Parents serve as chair and chair-elect of the subcommittee.
- Completed the training modules Serving on Groups.
Broader systems work
According to a survey of the Early Childhood Utah Advisory Council members, 100% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that parent lived experience is as vital as other forms of data for Council decision making. In addition, 78% of respondents were moderately to extremely likely to use specific parent feedback from the ECU subcommittee to support a budget or policy request when meeting with executive leadership or state legislators.
Subcommittee upcoming goals
- Educate current parent members and help them become leaders.
- Recruit parents that represent all of Utah families, including parents from non-traditional households.
Data and research
Current goal
Over the next 5 years, develop and begin implementation of a strategic plan for improving a longitudinal and coordinated early childhood database that links data with outcomes and includes data standards.
Why was this goal chosen?
Integrated data is crucial in tracking outcomes and evaluating programs. Integrating data is complicated by varying methods of data collection and the critical need to balance data sharing with privacy protection.
Integrated data is information pulled from different systems and combined into one consistent view. This helps leaders make decisions by giving a system-wide view of impact.
Subcommittee work in progress
The subcommittee is working on creating a data sharing training toolkit to help programs understand reasons to share data, how to do so safely, and how to overcome challenges and barriers.
Subcommittee accomplishments
The subcommittee is an important convener of decision makers and data stewards from various early childhood programs. Engaging in discussion in the space provided by the subcommittee meetings builds trusting relationships and provides opportunities for combined activities and research.
Broader systems work
In 2025, the Early Childhood Utah program, in collaboration with the Office of Informatics and Data Systems, began development of an in-house Early Childhood Integrated Data System. The upgraded system will be fully maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services in collaboration with the Utah State Division of Technology Services. The new system will allow for more frequent data refresh and addition of data sources.
Subcommittee upcoming goals
The subcommittee continues work in two important areas:
- Create training materials for data sharing including sample data sharing agreements.
- Support connections across organizations for data sharing.
Social, emotional and mental health
Current goal
Collect and review survey data on suspension and expulsion in early childhood settings.
Why was this goal chosen?
Efforts to prevent preschool expulsion and to understand the short- and long-term consequences for children’s development and school engagement should be informed by provider perspectives. This survey collected early childhood provider perspectives on challenging behavior, as well as expulsion practices, policies, and resources.
Mental health is a state of well-being in which you can achieve your abilities and talents, cope with the stresses of life, work productively, and give back to your community. Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Adult Mental Health
Subcommittee work in progress
The subcommittee is taking a valuable moment to pause and review their work to ensure their next steps are well-aligned and effective.
Subcommittee accomplishments
The first provider survey was open from June to December 2025. 218 providers across early care and education programs responded. Significant findings of this survey include:
- 31% of providers were unsure whether their setting had a policy limiting or prohibiting suspension or expulsion.
- Only 64% of providers reported that their program had a protocol for preventing suspension or expulsion.
Broader systems work
The Office of Child Care revised the Child Care Quality System framework. They give higher-quality ratings to programs that have a parent handbook with a written discipline policy that includes behavioral expectations and positive guidance techniques. A child care program may receive additional points if the parent handbook includes a written policy outlining how the program collaborates with parent(s) or guardian(s) to address challenging behaviors and avoid expulsion.
Subcommittee upcoming goals
Possible goals may be:
- Create a toolkit for families managing challenging behaviors.
Contact
For more information, please contact Jennifer Floyd, Early Childhood Utah program manager, at [email protected] or visit us online at familyhealth.stage.utah.gov/oec/early-childhood-utah/