The Office of Early Childhood shall collaborate with and may, within available appropriations, provide funding to local early childhood collaboratives for the implementation of early care and education and child development programs at the local level. Such local early childhood collaboratives shall: (1) Develop and implement a comprehensive plan for an early childhood system for the community served by such local early childhood collaborative, (2) develop policy and program planning, (3) encourage community participation by emphasizing substantial parental involvement, (4) collect, analyze and evaluate data with a focus on program and service outcomes, (5) allocate resources, and (6) perform any other functions that will assist in the provision of early childhood programs and services. Such local early childhood collaboratives may enter into memoranda of agreement with the local or regional school readiness council, described in section 10-16r, of the town or region served by such local early childhood collaborative to perform the duties and functions of a school readiness council, in accordance with the provisions of section 10-16r, or if no such local or regional school readiness council exists for the town or region of such local early childhood collaborative, perform the duties and functions of a school readiness council, in accordance with the provisions of section 10-16r.