How to Build a Bridge: Policy, Practice, and Relationships in Cross-Systems Collaboration: Webinar Resources
This recording and resources are from the webinar How to Build a Bridge: Policy, Practice, and Relationships in Cross-Systems Collaboration, part of the Moving Away from Family Separation: Cross-systems Strategies to Support Young Children and Families at Risk of Child Welfare Involvement webinar series.
Are you a “bridge builder”? Are you someone who seeks to make connections between systems that provide programs and services to young children and their families?
In this webinar, you will learn:
What Illinois found out from two communities about barriers and challenges to enrolling children in foster care in early care and education programs.
How Kansas created institutional linkages with the input of those with lived experience in their “KAN-LINK” program.
How Washington State’s CWELN program (Child Welfare Early Learning Navigator) uses a team approach to help families navigate both systems to get their children the services they need.
Resources:
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Leading an Early Childhood Team Through the Quality Improvement Process
Article October 7, 2026
Published in Young Children, this 2024 article provides an operational guide for aligning state QIS requirements with broader national standards, quality grants, and staff incentives.
Much-Needed Changes in Child Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems Should Promote Equity
Blog October 7, 2026
Blog authors Gina Adams and Danielle Ewen outline systemic flaws in traditional models. This 2024 blog details how traditional QRIS frameworks often inadequately support parents, underinvest in actual center improvement, and inadvertently exacerbate funding inequalities among diverse childcare providers.
Four Trends in Early Care and Education Quality Rating and Improvement Systems
Fact Sheet October 7, 2026
This 2024 brief evaluates Parent Aware (Minnesota's system) and synthesizes interviews across six states (Delaware, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington). It identifies critical, modern pathways for administrators looking to overhaul and redesign state frameworks.