|
The Child Care Partnership Project Michigan Child Care Futures Project |
|
|
Description Michigan Child Care Futures Project recruits and trains child care providers to increase the supply of quality child care. The project training programs cover all providers of care, but the project is unique in its outreach to family child care providers, relatives providing care, and other non-regulated providers. Child care providers in all 83 Michigan counties benefit from the Futures Project, which is implemented by the 15 regional Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C) agencies. The 4-C agencies are similar to resource and referral agencies in other states. The 4-C association is the state level organization that supports the 4-C agencies and coordinates the Futures Project. Partners Regional and community partners of the Futures Project vary, but they generally include Michigan businesses and foundations, universities and community colleges, hospitals, school districts, and public health and mental health organizations. Each regional 4-C agency is a public-private partnership, because each receives state contracts for child care resource and referral services in addition to the community support. Examples of project partners are:
History and Development The seeds of the Futures Project were initially planted in response to a survey conducted in 1985 by the Michigan Women’s Commission. This statewide survey showed a critical need for more child care. One of the Commission’s recommendations based on the survey was to establish a statewide Child Care Coordinating Council (4-C) Association to organize and administer a statewide effort to improve child care services. This was begun in 1988 with funds from the Michigan Women's Commission and Mervyn’s Department Store. Mervyn’s provided support for this effort as part of its national "Family to Family" program, a company initiative to increase the availability and quality of child care for its workers. A structure for the statewide fund was therefore already in place when, in 1989, the Governor convened a task force of business leaders, union representatives, policymakers, and child care experts to study child care needs in Michigan. In December 1989, the task force recommended a public-private fund to expand the supply of child care in Michigan. State support for the fund was awarded to the 4-C Association to orient and recruit potential providers based on this recommendation. In January 1990, the Ford Foundation also provided funding to improve the quality of family child care, using the California Child Care Initiative as a model, and expanding existing efforts to train and recruit family child care providers in poor, urban areas. Current Activities The Michigan Child Care Futures Project trains an average of 3,000 providers each year through the 15 regional 4-C agencies. The 4-Cs work with community partners to:
The Futures Project initially targeted regulated child care providers, but now includes relatives who provide care, child care aides, and other non-regulated providers. Noting a rise in the use of relative and non-regulated care, the Futures Project has begun to find ways to bring these providers together for training. One effective strategy is offering $150 to relative providers and child care aides who attend training. Resources In its first few years, the 4-C Association received support from the Michigan Women’s Commission ($150,000), Mervyn’s Department Store ($481,000 over four years), the Ford Foundation ($300,000), and the Michigan Family Independent Agency ($241,000). The project was also supported by the Skillman Foundation ($600,000), the W.K. Kellogg Foundation ($230,000), and the Frey Foundation ($270,000). Now operational, the primary supporters of the Futures project currently are:
The Michigan Child Care Futures Project encourages local partnerships to garner community support. The project provides fundraising materials and tools, but it is the results of the local programs that attract investors. Several major Michigan corporations invest in the local partnerships that work in their areas. Community leaders and experts such as mental health professionals and small business owners have provided their expertise. Free space for training sessions has been provided by hospitals, the University Cooperative Extension, and school districts. Results In 1997, the Futures Project conducted 113 basic training series, 68 advanced series, and 29 training series for child care administrators. As a result, 3,744 providers received training and 152 received credentials. In addition, the Futures Project:
All training series were approved for continuing education units from Michigan State University, and 925 child care providers used this option. Individual programs conduct evaluations on a project-by-project basis. These evaluations most often focus on what providers have learned and how the training has changed their behavior. The Futures Project evaluated its basic training programs and found that after 15 hours of training, providers improved on the Early Childhood Quality Rating Scale (a measure developed by the University of North Carolina Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and used throughout the country to assess quality child care) from 2.4 (inadequate) to 3.6 (good). While there is still plenty of room to improve, these results show that the program is effectively targeting providers who need and benefit from even minimal training. Sustaining and Replicating The California Child Care Initiative was used as a model for this partnership. In California, the Target and Dayton-Hudson companies financed a collaboration of funders that gave money to resource and referral agencies to recruit and train child care providers. Project creators adapted the California model to fit Michigan. Because the initiative’s success is increasingly recognized and valued at the state and local level, the Futures Project plans to expand its work by raising public awareness and working to increase private contributions. It also plans to increase coordination among the partners in order to improve services and programs. Based on the results of the Michigan Futures Project, other states have increased state funding for training child care providers. Lessons Learned Use successful existing networks. The Futures Project built on the successful regional 4-C network instead of creating a new infrastructure. Local support means local control. The Project is more successful at connecting to the community, gaining support, and raising funds because it builds on the local structure of the existing 4-C agencies. The Project finds that local businesses and supporters are more willing to invest locally than they are to put their funds into a larger, state pool. Share information and resources at the state level. The state 4-C Association is effective for gathering the best ideas and sharing them throughout the network, as well as bringing additional statewide resources to the local level. Collaboration brings rewards. By mirroring best practices and collaboration, the 15 regional agencies have shown tremendous willingness to work together, share ideas, and feel that the success of one depends on the success of the others. In addition, good collaboration between the state and local levels facilitates strong support from the communities. Contact Information J. Mark Sullivan, Executive
Director |
||
|
||
