 |
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||
|
ACF Home | ACF Services | Working with ACF | ACF Policy/Planning | About ACF | ACF News | ACF Search | |||||||||
 |
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
ACF Home | ACF Services | Working with ACF | ACF Policy/Planning | About ACF | ACF News | ACF Search | |||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||
  |
|
|||||||
| Funding |
As discussed in Section 2 of this toolkit, professional development systems have several interconnected components. These components fall under five broad elements: (1) core knowledge; (2) access and outreach; (3) qualifications, credentials, and pathways; (4) funding; and (5) quality assurance. As seen in the following table, this section will provide information about mechanisms to help providers afford professional development.
System Question |
System Element |
|---|---|
What is it? |
Core knowledge |
Why does it matter and what is available? |
Access and outreach |
How can we work toward it? |
Qualifications, credentials, and pathways |
How can we afford it? |
Funding |
How do we ensure and measure achievement? |
Quality assurance |
This section provides an overview of funding and its components, key points from provider and policy perspectives, a State Story about its funding efforts, brief State examples, and related resources. Appendix I includes a funding-related planning tool.
Staff turnover in early care and education programs is a national problem that has a direct impact on the quality of care that young children receive. In a physically challenging, time-consuming, and typically low-paid profession, incentives and supports for staff to pursue ongoing professional development are essential. The funding element addresses the question of how participants in the professional development system can afford to engage in opportunities, and how they are compensated for increased knowledge and skills.
Funding or monetary support can cover training, travel, and supply stipends and reimbursements; rewards, awards, and bonuses for training and education completion; compensation or retention initiatives for practitioners; and financial awards given to early childhood settings based on program quality. Funding for professional development is inextricably linked to access issues as described in Section 5.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid programs are the largest source of student financial aid in the United States, providing nearly 70 percent of all aid. Grants, loans, and work-study are the three major forms of aid available through the Federal Government. Information about Federal financial aid is available on the Web at http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp.
Child care providers might be able to have a portion of their undergraduate Federal Family Education Loan or Direct Stafford Loan forgiven. Eligibility requirements include having received an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and having worked full time for 2 consecutive years as a provider in an eligible child care facility that serves a low-income community. Information about the Child Care Provider Loan Forgiveness Program is available on the Web at http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/childcare.jsp?tab=repaying.
The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Project gives scholarships to child care workers to complete coursework in early childhood education and to increase their compensation. The project is an umbrella for a variety of scholarship programs for teachers, directors, and family child care providers working in regulated child care programs in 21 States across the country. All T.E.A.C.H. scholarships link continuing education with increased compensation and require recipients and their sponsoring child care programs to share the cost. Students are reimbursed for actual out-of-pocket educational expenses including tuition, enrollment fees, and books. Research about this project has shown that providers who have received T.E.A.C.H. scholarships stay in the field longer and obtain higher compensation. Additional information about the project is available on the Web at www.childcareservices.org/ps/teach.html.
In some States, professional associations offer scholarship funds to students in early childhood degree programs through their local affiliates or branches as a way to support professional development. Other scholarships are offered through agencies, such as child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agencies, that purchase slots for courses provided by local colleges and then offer scholarships to providers to fill those slots. If core training that articulates to college credit is funded by a community agency or the State, the amount that providers must pay for degree programs can be reduced significantly.
Some States offer scholarships for early childhood providers through their professional development systems. Eligibility requirements for these scholarships can include current work in a regulated child care setting, income level, commitment to stay in the field or current work setting for a specific period of time, participation in the personnel registry, and/or completion of a specific training program, credential, and/or degree.
Compensation/retention initiatives are strategies for increasing compensation to retain qualified personnel by linking increases in qualifications to increases in compensation. These initiatives usually entail annual monetary supplements to providers’ salaries that are awarded based on the highest level of training and education providers have achieved. As practitioners increase levels of education, the amount of the supplement rises. Compensation linked to networking and group activities can support providers’ sense of professionalism and build interpersonal relationships.
Awards and bonuses can provide benefits to providers and financial entities providing funds. Providers who have completed a certain number of credits or certifications are offered awards or bonuses. These funds are often made available only as one-time disbursements, so there is less of a financial commitment to entities providing funds.
Funds associated with professional development activities can be given to reimburse providers’ out-of-pocket expenses that are required to attend courses, training, or workshops. For providers in rural areas, this financial contribution is especially important if travel to a centralized training location is the only option to access professional development.
Registered apprenticeship is a national training delivery method overseen by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration. Registered apprenticeship training involves two training elements—a minimum of 288 hours of related classroom instruction and 4,000 hours of on-the-job training with structured supervision by a skilled and experienced journey worker (similar to a mentor).
Apprenticeship can be a strategy to raise wages for early childhood practitioners. Apprentices receive progressive wage increases as they progress through the program until their wages are close to rates paid to more skilled and experienced professionals in the field. Those who complete apprenticeship programs in child care receive Child Care and Development Registered Apprenticeship Certificates awarded by DOL. General information about apprenticeship is available on the DOL Web site at www.doleta.gov/atels%5Fbat.
Providers with high skill levels and many years of experience can get increased financial support by mentoring, coaching, or training colleagues with fewer skills and less experience. Mentoring and coaching is discussed further in Section 5.
Tax laws are another way to help fund professional development. Tax credits can be established for people who spend their own money on training and education, with the stipulation that they work in child care programs. State tax revenues, in the form of general funds, are also a common funding source for State professional development initiatives.
A quality rating system (QRS) is a systemic approach to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early care and education programs. Similar to rating systems for restaurants and hotels, QRS award quality ratings to early care and education programs that meet a set of defined program standards. These systems provide an opportunity for States to increase the quality of care and education for children, increase parents’ understanding and demand for higher quality care, and increase professional development of child care providers. A QRS can also be a strategy for aligning components of the early care and education system for increased accountability in improving quality of care.
All QRS are composed of five common elements: (1) standards; (2) accountability measures; (3) program and practitioner outreach and support; (4) financing incentives; and (5) parent/consumer education efforts. The elements for standards, practitioner support, and financing incentives all relate to improving professional development of child care providers. All of the States with a QRS have included training and/or professional development as a category of standards and therefore a measure of overall program quality. Some have also defined standards based on improved staff compensation and benefits. Some of the provider supports that States have include funding to pay for training, T.E.A.C.H scholarships, and similar sources of assistance to obtain professional development. Funding professional development opportunities for providers who work in higher quality programs benefits participants, parents, and overall early childhood programming.
The most common financial incentive related to QRS is tiered subsidy reimbursements—higher quality programs can be paid higher reimbursement rates for the children in their program who receive child care assistance (if the program charges tuition at or above that higher reimbursement rate). Most of the States with a QRS include tiered reimbursement in their systems, but several other States also pay higher subsidy reimbursement rates based on the quality of the program. In these States, the measure of quality is typically national accreditation.
Additional information about QRS is available on the National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/index.html#qrs.
Some States (with or without a QRS) make direct payments to programs based on quality, but the payments are not tied to reimbursement rates in the child care subsidy system. In addition to tiered reimbursement described in the previous component, other financial incentives used in QRS include loans linked to quality ratings; quality grants, bonuses, and awards; contracts with providers; scholarships for professional development; and wage supplements.
Professional development systems impact people in different roles in unique ways. The following provides some key points about the importance of the funding element from both the provider and policy perspectives.
The following describes Maine’s approach to the funding element of its professional development system. A brief overview of its professional development system provides some context for Maine’s efforts related to funding. Also included is a description of how its specific work began, opportunities for providers, challenges, lessons learned, and future plans.
| NCCIC would like to thank Carolyn Drugge, Maine’s Child Care and Development Fund Administrator, Department of Health and Human Services, Early Childhood Division, for her contributions to the following State Story. |
The Maine Roads to Quality: Early Care and Education Career Development Center (MRQ) works to promote the quality of early care and education and school-age programs through professional development. MRQ addresses the training and education needs of all early care professionals at all levels of their careers and in diverse practice settings; offers multiple ways for professionals to achieve their career goals; increases linkages between training and formal education so professionals can pursue their career paths; recognizes professionalism and the those who pursue their career goals and the programs that support them; and collects information and monitors the effectiveness of the career development system.
In the early 1990s, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Care and Head Start, convened a workgroup and held meetings around the State to begin establishing a career development system with a goal of increasing program quality. The diverse, statewide committee was made up of 100 individuals, including child care providers and organizations, consumers, representatives from 2- and 4-year colleges and universities, representatives from businesses, trainers, and others. Agencies and organizations represented included DOL, Cooperative Extension, Maine Public Broadcasting, State Department of Education, State Office of Head Start, Bureau of Children with Special Needs, Maine School-Age Care Coalition, Maine Family Child Care Association, and Maine Association for the Education of Young Children. Their goal was to develop and maintain a long-range training plan that supported a progression of training from entry to advanced levels.
Staff from the Office of Child Care Coordination (now the Office of Child Care and Head Start) and a consultant from the Wheelock College Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education supported the work of the Comprehensive State Training Plan Development Committee. The recommendations of the committee were published in 1994 in a document entitled Pathways to Quality: Toward the Development of a Comprehensive Training Plan for Child Care Practitioners in Maine. Since then, the Office of Child Care and Head Start has implemented several recommendations identified in the plan, including those related to the orientation and core knowledge training, the registry, scholarships, and accreditation.
In 1992–1994, the committee created an action plan with specific steps. Elements of the plan were implemented in 1994–1999. Then in 1999, the Office of Child Care and Head Start awarded a contract to the Muskie School of Public Service to manage a comprehensive, coordinated career development system, which became MRQ.
Through MRQ, Maine offers a number of financial opportunities for early care and education providers and students seeking careers in the field. To inform current and prospective practitioners about the opportunities, mail is sent to all licensed providers and early childhood education programs at the State’s colleges, and informs them about the availability of scholarships and provides updates about financial opportunities.
The Maine Roads Scholarship Program, administered by MRQ, is a financial incentive to support those employed in the child care field. Financial assistance is available to support child care providers who are pursuing a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, or an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree. The assistance is available to those providing direct care and education to children, working in early childhood administrative roles, or conducting staff development/training. Opportunities are also available to those working in family child care homes, including family, friend, and neighbor providers; center-based child care facilities; Head Start and Early Head Start programs; school-age child care; and CCR&R agencies.
To be eligible for a scholarship, practitioners must meet the following four requirements:
One of the unique features of MRQ is its coordination with the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) to offer financial assistance to current child care providers and those planning to work in the early childhood field. As part of Healthy Maine 2000—a statewide public health initiative that defined specific public health objectives for the people of Maine to achieve by the year 2000—a number of child care bills were introduced in the State legislature. As part of one of those bills, the State Legislature approved general revenue funding for early childhood teachers to participate in the many scholarship and loan programs administered by FAME. The residency and income requirements for these financial assistance programs are comparable to the MRQ scholarship program. The following FAME-administered programs are specifically for child care providers:
Maine has also used the following tax strategies to support quality improvement in early care and education programs:
The coordination of efforts by FAME and MRS has allowed new and innovative programs to be created using the current infrastructure. Coordination has brought with it unique challenges as well, including working through the details of program requirements, data sharing and reporting, and ongoing communication.
Another challenge is maintaining adequate funding to provide MRQ scholarships for all who apply. Some of the FAME-administered programs have surplus funds. Since the child care programs are just a few of the many programs FAME manages, the Office of Child Care and Head Start has to work closely with FAME to ensure that they continue to recruit providers and adequately advertise the financial opportunities to students and providers.
Another major challenge for MRQ is to recruit trainers across the State who hold a master’s degree, which is a requirement of the trainer approval system. Without a sufficient supply of qualified trainers, practitioners cannot access all the training that the scholarships will fund. Thus, part of addressing training capacity will be to identify and support new trainers.
MRQ realizes the importance of meeting people’s unique training needs. For example, as training participation has increased, so has demand for meaningful in-service training for practitioners who hold advanced degrees. Some of the training that is readily available through the resource development centers—Maine’s CCR&R agencies—does not meet the needs of providers with advanced degrees. In addition, the attainment of degrees can make it more difficult for practitioners to find financial support to receive further training. As the field advances, the continuum of training must expand to include the needs of providers with advanced knowledge and skills, as will the eligibility for funding to support their ongoing professional development.
Realizing that positive ongoing changes in provider practices may need onsite support beyond completion of training, MRQ is looking for ways to link with the Collaborative Consultation program, which provides ongoing, onsite technical assistance to program administrators and staff and family child care home providers. Elements of the Collaborative Consultation model include defining program or professional goals and identifying available resources. Additional areas of need providers may have, including content support and financial assistance, will be identified and addressed by the Collaborative Consultation program through evaluation and follow-up with training participants.
Future financial incentives being pursued include a new tax bill that will provide tax credits to Maine residents who work in child care settings. Maine is also hoping to require that all licensed providers be in the registry when the child care licensing regulations are revised. Having all providers in the registry will allow training to be tracked to monitor progress and movement along career paths as well as eliminate duplication of training and courses. This will also facilitate development of professional growth plans and assist in career advising efforts, which include sharing information about scholarships and other funding supports for practitioners.
Because of MRQ’s system, and especially its funding-related efforts, there has been an increase in training attendance across the State. There are more child care providers attending college and many more students in the child development programs at the community colleges than ever before. The future efforts of linking educated and trained providers to onsite technical assistance through the Collaborative Consultation program is expected to have an even greater impact on program quality and child outcomes.
NCCIC gathered information included in Maine’s story via an interview with Carolyn Drugge on July 6, 2007. Information also comes from several additional sources, including the following:
The following are some examples of States’ funding efforts. They do not include all States that have funding activities, but are meant to represent a range of approaches States have taken to develop this system element.
Professional Impact NJ, the State’s professional development center, provides the following financial assistance programs for providers who are continuing their education:
Additional information is available by visiting the Professional Impact NJ’s Web site at www.njpdc.org/1/Main_Financial_Assistance.htm or calling 973-391-2633.
The Scholars for Excellence initiative provides scholarships to help pay for tuition and books. The scholar coordinators in each community college assist students in a variety of ways. To qualify for the Scholars for Excellence in Child Care program, child care providers must work in child care facilities that are rated as one-star plus or above on the Reaching for the Stars QRS and have a minimum of 10 percent subsidy children at time of application. Additional information about the Scholars for Excellence in Child Care program is available by visiting the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Web site at www.okhighered.org/secc.
The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Project is currently operating in the following 21 States: Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina (the founding State), Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Additional information about the project is available on the Web at www.childcareservices.org/ps/teach.html. State contacts are available on the Web at www.childcareservices.org/ps/state_contacts.html.
The Great START (Strategy to Attract and Retain Teachers) program is funded and administered through the Illinois Department of Human Services and contracted through the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. The goal of Great START is to improve children’s developmental and educational outcomes by encouraging increased professional preparation and retention of child care personnel in licensed centers and homes. Great START rewards child care professionals by supplementing their income based on the level of education they have already attained above State licensing standards. Additional information is available by visiting the Web at http://www.inccrra.org/overview.aspx?id=171&ekmensel=c57dfa7b_23_0_171_2 or calling 866-697-8278.
The R.E.E.T.A.I.N. (Retaining Early Educators Through Attaining Incentives Now) program aims to reduce the turnover rates among early childhood employees working with young children by awarding scholarships/grants to applicants based on longevity in the early childhood field, type and level of degree completed, and salary. The awards are considered additional salary for recipients, who must commit to continue to work with their current employer for 1 year beyond the grant period. Additional information is available on the Web at http://mnchildcare.org/providers/reetain.php. Electronic applications for the R.E.E.T.A.I.N. program are available from Minnesota STREAMS (State Registry for Training and Meaningful Supports) to Quality, Minnesota State Registry for Education and Meaningful Supports, on the Web at www.mnstreams.org. Additional information is available by visiting the Minnesota Child Care Resource & Referral Network Web site at www.mnchildcare.org, calling 888-291-9811, or emailing info@mnchildcare.org.
The Child Care WAGE$ Project provides education-based salary supplements to low-paid teachers, directors, and family child care providers working with children between the ages of birth to 5 years. The project is designed to provide preschool children more stable relationships with better educated teachers by rewarding teacher education and continuity of care. The project is offered statewide in North Carolina as a funding collaboration between local Smart Start Partnerships and the Division of Child Development. Counties that use Smart Start funding to support the project may participate. Child Care Services Association administers the project in participating North Carolina counties. The Child Care WAGE$ Project is also operating in Florida, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Additional information is available on the Web at www.childcareservices.org/ps/wage.html.
The West Virginia Apprenticeship for Child Development Specialist (ACDS) is a four-semester training program developed for staff in child care centers, Head Start programs, and school-age care programs. ACDS is based on DOL’s apprenticeship model and requires a total of 300 hours of coursework and 3,200 to 4,000 hours of on-the-job experience during a 2-year period. It also requires apprentices’ employers to provide supervision and support of apprentices’ laboratory work, and increase apprentices’ wages upon successful completion of the training. Graduates receive national certification through DOL. The West Virginia Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training is the certifying agency for the ACDS program. Additional information is available by visiting the Web at www.wvacds.org, calling 866–982–2237 (866–WVA–ACDS), or emailing info@wvacds.org.
As of July 2007, 14 States (Colorado, District of Columbia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Vermont) have a QRS with multiple levels available statewide. Additional information is available in the document Quality Rating Systems: Definition and Statewide Systems. This document and additional resources are available on NCCIC’s Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/index.html#qrs.
The following are a sample of resources covering topics related to funding. These resources are categorized by components of the funding element and are listed in alphabetical order by title. Additional resources are available via NCCIC’s Online Library, which can be accessed at http://oll.nccic.acf.hhs.gov/nccic-OLL/searchnccic.cgi.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid programs’ resources include the following two publications.
Title: | Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid, Funding Your Education, 2007–08 |
|---|---|
URL: | http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/FYE/index.html |
An introductory publication for students below the senior year in high school, this resource provides general information about the U.S. Department of Education’s financial aid programs for the 2007–2008 award year. |
Title: | The Student Guide |
|---|---|
URL: | http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/student_guide/index.html |
Available in English and Spanish, this guide provides information about student financial aid available from the U.S. Department of Education. |
Title: | Building a Stronger Child Care Workforce: A Review of Studies of the Effectiveness of Public Compensation Initiatives |
|---|---|
Author: | Jennifer Park-Jadotte, Stacie Carolyn Golin, and Barbara Gault |
Publisher: | Institute for Women’s Policy Research |
Date: | November 2002 |
URL: | |
| This report reviews and evaluates seven programs designed to improve compensation of the child care workforce. The programs include the California CARES Alameda Child Development Corps, U.S. Department of Defense Child Development Program, Caregiver Pay Program, Georgia Early Learning Initiative, North Carolina’s T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Project and Child Care WAGE$ program, Washington Early Childhood Education Career Development Ladder, and Wisconsin Child Care Mentor Project. |
Title: | Clearing a Career Path: Lessons from Two Communities in Promoting Higher Education Access for the Early Care and Education Workforce; Alameda and Santa Clara Counties, California |
|---|---|
Author: | Kara Dukakis and Dan Bellm |
Publisher: | Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, First 5 Alameda County, and WestEd – E3 Institute: Advancing Excellence in Early Education |
Date: | 2006 |
URL: | |
| This report provides information about the process through which Alameda and Santa Clara Counties have used Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) programs and other resources to leverage systemic change in higher education. CARES programs provide monetary rewards to early childhood personnel based on their education levels and continued commitment to professional development. The report describes a range of new and expanded efforts in both counties. |
NCCIC’s Web site includes several resources about QRS at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/index.html#qrs, including the first three documents listed:
Title: | Quality Rating Systems: Definition and Statewide Systems |
|---|---|
Author: | NCCIC |
Publisher: | NCCIC |
Date: | April 2007 |
URL: |
Title: | Quality Rating Systems: Quality Standards |
|---|---|
Author: | NCCIC |
Publisher: | NCCIC |
Date: | March 2007 |
URL: | http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/qrs-criteria-websites.html |
Title: | “Systemic Approaches to Improving the Quality of Care,” Child Care Bulletin issue 32 |
|---|---|
Author: | Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
Publisher: | Child Care Bureau |
Date: | Winter/Spring 2007 |
URL: |
Title: | Financing Quality Rating Systems: Lessons Learned |
|---|---|
Author: | Louise Stoney, Alliance for Early Childhood Finance |
Publisher: | United Way of America Success By 6® |
Date: | September 2004 |
URL: | www.earlychildhoodfinance.org/handouts/Louise_Stoney_QRS_Financing_Paper.pdf |
| This resource explores strategies for funding development and implementation of QRS. A table compares statewide QRS from Colorado, Kentucky, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Vermont. |
Title: | Stair Steps to Quality: A Guide for States and Communities Developing Quality Rating Systems for Early Care and Education |
|---|---|
Author: | Anne W. Mitchell |
Publisher: | United Way of America Success By 6 and Caliber, an ICF Consulting Company |
Date: | 2005 |
URL: | http://www.unitedway.org/sb6/upload/StairStepstoQualityGuidebook_FINALforWEB.pdf |
| This resource is a how-to guide that informs public- and private-sector leaders in communities and States about creating QRS for early care and education and school-age care. In the guide, QRS are defined as methods to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early care and education settings and have the following five elements: (1) standards; (2) accountability measures; (3) program and practitioner outreach and support; (4) financing incentives; and (5) parent/consumer education efforts. The guide offers online resources and tools, checklists, and summaries about what States are doing. |
| The document is for informational purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, program, or individual by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Children and Families, the Child Care Bureau, or the National Child Care Information Center is intended or is to be inferred. For additional information on this or related topics, please contact the National Child Care Information Center at (800) 616-2242 or info@nccic.org. |
