National Governors Association Center for Best Practices

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NGA Policy Academy Improving Oral Health Care
for Children
The Planning Guide

• National Governors Association Center for Best
  Practices

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What is the Planning Guide?

• Guidance tool
• Purpose is to help your team
• Prepare for the Academy
• Develop your Action Plan

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Academy Stages

• State preparation
• Site visits
• Homework
• Formal Policy Academy
• Post-Academy implementation (and technical
  assistance)

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State Preparation(Site Visits)

• Familiarize teams with Action Plan
• Discuss Academy format
• Ensure teams function
• Set teams in motion (homework)

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State Preparation(Homework)

• Formalize decision making process
• Develop a common vision
• Assess current reality
• Narrow priorities / goals
• Develop team presentation

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Working as a Team

• Choose a Leader
• Establish Tasks, Time Table, and Timekeeper
• Select a Scribe
• Develop Team Ground Rules
• Determine Decision Making Process
• Check-In and Check-Out

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Team Tips

• Try to stay focused
• Encourage ideas
• Challenge your assumptions
• Highlight and explore your differences
• Differentiate between what you are totally
  committed to and what you can live with

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During the Academy

• Teams complete Action Plans
• State Presentations
• State Delegation Meetings
• Report-Outs
• Feedback from faculty and peers

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State Team Presentation

• Discuss your initial vision, priorities/goals
• Elaborate on key issues and your efforts to
  address those issues
• Emphasize transferable themes and activities
• Solicit feedback from faculty and peers

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State Delegation Meetings

• Continue developing Action Plan
• Reaffirm team vision, priorities/goals
• Formulate policy and program strategies
• Assign specific action steps based on strategies
  (optional)
• Confer one-on-one with faculty, peers

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State Report-Outs

• Outline Action Plan (brief)
• Discuss how priorities may have changed (or been
  reinforced)
• Elaborate on immediate next steps
• Identify potential technical assistance needs
• Solicit feedback from faculty and peers

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Following the Academy

• Finalize strategies (short- and long-range)
• Develop specific action steps
• Implement the Action Plan
• Agree on a timeline
• Develop benchmarks / outcome measures
• Report on progress
• Seek technical assistance as needed

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Team Challenges

• Building team consensus around Action Plan
• Staying focused
• Encouraging ideas
• Challenging assumptions
• Highlighting/exploring differences
• Differentiating between what team members are
  totally committed to and what they can live with

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Team Challenges (contd)

• Identifying politically feasible strategies
• Presenting a clear message to influential
  policymakers
• Generating public and political will to support
  Action Plan
• Implementing the Action Plan through executive,
  legislative, administrative, and private sector
  (non-government) processes

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NGA Center for Best Practices(www.nga.org/center)

• Robert J. Burns
• Policy Analyst
• National Governors Association
• Center for Best Practices
• 444 North Capitol Street, Suite 267
• Washington, DC 20001-1512
• [phone]
• fax [phone]
• email rburns_at_nga.org