BYLAWS OF THE INTERAGENCY EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMITTEE

Article I. Name
Section 1. The name of the organization shall be the Interagency Early Childhood Committee, hereafter referred to as the IECC. The IECC functions as a subcommittee of the Local Management Board.

Article II. Purpose
Section 1. Mission Statement: To promote the healthy development and well-being of young children and their families through community collaboration.

Article III. Responsibilities
Section 1.The IECC has the following responsibilities:
1. Review Maryland Kindergarten Assessment data for Frederick County;
2. Conduct and/or review local needs assessment(s) concerning the quality and availability of early childhood education and development programs and services;
3. Identify opportunities for, and barriers to, collaboration and coordination among federally funded and state-funded child development, child care and early childhood education programs and services, including collaboration and coordination among local agencies responsible for administering such programs; and
4. Establish goals and objectives on an annual basis using the aforementioned information.

Article IV. Membership
Section 1. Recommended Composition of Membership shall include representatives from the following entities:
1. County Government
2. Frederick County Public Schools
3. MSDE’s Office of Child Care
4. Judy Center Partnership
5. Infants and Toddlers Program
6. Child Care Associations
7. Child Care Resource and Referral Center
2 Amended by vote 8/7/2016
8. Family Support Center
9. Higher Education;
10. Head Start;
11. Frederick County Health Department, at least one of whom specializes in maternal and child health;
12. Frederick County Office for Children and Families;
13. Frederick County Public Libraries;
14. Business community with demonstrated leadership in early childhood care and education;
15. Department of Social Services;
16. Behavior and Mental Health agencies;
17. Medical community;
18. Other early childhood serving agencies;
19. Parents and other allies, as appropriate.
Section 2. Individuals interested in membership can be invited by any existing member in good standing. Membership is approved by a simple majority vote.
Section 3. Termination of Membership. Members who are absent for more than 50% of the regularly scheduled meetings of the IECC during any consecutive twelve (12)-month period shall be considered as having resigned and removed from the distribution list.

Article V. Conflict of Interest
Section 1. No member of the local IECC shall cast a vote on any matter, which would provide direct financial benefit to that member or otherwise give the appearance of a conflict of interest under State law.
Section 2. In any instance where the appearance of conflict of interest is uncertain, a local IECC member can request clarification and determination of conflict of interest status from their organization.

Article VI. Meetings
Section 1. The local IECC shall meet as often as necessary but, not less than six (6) times per calendar year. Meetings shall be open to the public and announced in advance. To the extent appropriate, meetings shall be held in a place accessible to the public.
Section 2. Minutes and attendance rosters shall be kept of all local IECC meetings. Minutes shall be approved by the membership at a subsequent IECC meeting.

Article VII. Chair and Vice-Chair
Section 1. The positions of Chair and/or Vice-Chair shall bear responsibility for:
1. Compiling the agenda with input from the IECC members;
2. Convening the meetings;
3. Representing the IECC to the local community;
4. Reporting on the IECC to the Local Management Board, as requested; and
5. Facilitating the formation of subcommittees, task forces, and workgroups, as necessary.
Section 2. The terms of the IECC Chair and Vice Chair are one year with a maximum of two consecutive terms. An individual may serve in either position again after a 2-year hiatus.

Article VIII. Compensation
Section 1. Members of the IECC may not receive any compensation for their services. Members may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, in accordance with the appropriate expenditure reimbursement policies, and as provided in the budget.

Article IX. Procedures
Section 1. The IECC shall meet at the call of the Chair and/or Vice-Chair (in the absence of the Chair).
Section 2. A minimum of eight IECC members must be present for the transaction of any business, except where amended within the approved bylaws.
Section 3. The IECC may adopt such other procedures as may be necessary to ensure the orderly transaction of business.

Article X. Amendments
Section 1. These bylaws may be amended when necessary by a majority of the IECC Members. Proposed amendments must be submitted for review by the IECC at least two (2) weeks prior to the meeting where a vote will take place.

CERTIFICATION:
These bylaws were approved by IECC membership by a majority vote by the IECC on September 5, 2013, amended by a vote on August 7, 2014, and amended by a vote on July 7, 2016.

Resources:   
IECC Brochure 
Frederick County Early Childhood Community Resources and Referrals Quick Guide
Service Guide Contact Information 
Maryland State Department of Education Division of Early Childhood Development
Smart Parents. Ready Kids
FNP Article - County focuses on reducing number of adults traumatized in childhood