Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems
Building stronger connections among Alaska’s early childhood programs, providers, and partners so families with young children can more easily access services and support
Who we are
Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) is housed within the Alaska Department of Health, Division of Public Health, Section of Women’s, Children’s & Family Health. ECCS works with state agencies, community organizations, early childhood providers, families, and other partners to strengthen Alaska’s statewide early childhood system.
Our work focuses on improving coordination across programs and sectors that serve pregnant people, young children, and families. Rather than creating a single program or service, ECCS helps connect existing initiatives, identify gaps, strengthen partnerships, and build statewide infrastructure that supports children and families from the prenatal period through early childhood.
What we do
Alaska’s early childhood system includes health care, early care and education, home visiting, developmental services, family support, Head Start, child care, and many other programs and organizations. ECCS works across these programs and sectors to strengthen coordination and support shared statewide goals for young children and families.
Current areas of work include:
Home Visiting
Home visiting connects families with trained professionals who provide voluntary services and support during pregnancy and the early years of a child’s life. Alaska supports multiple evidence-based home visiting models and programs across the state.
ECCS supports coordination and workforce development across Alaska’s home visiting programs through initiatives such as the Alaska Home Visitor’s Alliance, Home Visiting ECHO, and the annual Alaska Home Visiting Summit. These efforts provide opportunities for home visitors and program leaders from different organizations, communities, models, and funding sources to learn together, share resources, and strengthen Alaska’s home visiting system.
Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five
The Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B-5) supports statewide efforts to strengthen Alaska’s early childhood system and improve coordination among programs serving children from birth through age five and their families.
The Alaska Department of Health works in partnership with other state agencies and early childhood partners to implement PDG B-5 activities. Current work builds on previous statewide early childhood planning and investments and supports continued systems coordination, partnerships, workforce development, family engagement, and other priorities identified for Alaska’s early childhood system.
Alaska Pyramid Model
The Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children is an evidence-based framework that supports the social and emotional development of young children and provides early childhood professionals with strategies for creating supportive environments and relationships.
Alaska is developing statewide infrastructure to support implementation of the Pyramid Model across early childhood settings. This work is guided by the Alaska Pyramid Model State Leadership Team and includes partnerships with early childhood programs, school districts, providers, and other organizations.
Alaska Early Childhood Network
The Alaska Early Childhood Network (ECN) brings together organizations and individuals working to support young children and families across the state.
The network provides a forum for partners from different sectors and communities to connect, share information, identify opportunities for collaboration, and strengthen relationships across Alaska’s early childhood system. The ECN helps connect work occurring within individual programs and organizations to broader statewide early childhood priorities.
How the work connects
Alaska’s early childhood programs are administered by multiple state agencies, community organizations, Tribal organizations, health care systems, early care and education providers, and other partners. Families may interact with several of these systems during pregnancy and the first years of their child’s life. ECCS helps strengthen the connections among these efforts.
Through initiatives such as PDG B-5, statewide home visiting partnerships, the Pyramid Model, and the Alaska Early Childhood Network, the Division of Public Health works with partners to:
- Strengthen coordination among early childhood programs and organizations.
- Build and maintain statewide partnerships.
- Support the early childhood workforce.
- Improve connections between families and services.
- Identify and address gaps within the early childhood system.
- Support shared planning and implementation across agencies and sectors.
- Build infrastructure that can sustain successful early childhood initiatives over time.
Statewide Early Childhood Planning
ECCS activities support Alaska’s broader statewide early childhood planning and coordination efforts. This includes collaboration with the Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council (AECCC) and state and community partners working toward shared priorities for young children and families.