Our State of Child Care: The Quest for Higher Quality North Carolina Professional Development Connections October 1, 2009

North Carolina Child Care  As we approach the 10 th anniversary of the rated license how far have we come?

 22% of programs report that they are laying off staff  41% report that they are reducing staff hours  40% indicate that they are not hiring,  26% are freezing salaries, and  13% are reducing staff benefits NC Resource & Referral Child Care Economic Impact Study

Star-Rated License

# of Centers by Stars

Moving Forward….  27% of our centers are 1-2 stars  73% of centers are 3-5 stars Quest for Quality Campaign (Step One) Focus on moving these programs (1370) to 3-5 stars Focus on moving these programs (1370) to 3-5 stars Visits to 1 and 2 star programs Visits to 1 and 2 star programs

2-5 Star Education/Center Scores Star-Level Ave Staff Education Ave Program Standards Ave Rating Scale Score Average Total Points One-Star (20%) Two-Star (7%) Three-Star (21%) Four-Star (25%) 4.49 (5pts– Lead teachers—NCECC; 75% 9 hrs in ECE & enrolled in 3 hrs) Five-Star (27%) 6.24 (Lead teachers- 50% AAS in ECE/CD in any major with 12 hrs in ECE; 60 hrs toward BS [12 hrs ECE]; Directors- Level II Credential; 18 hrs ECE) (5.0=Good) 13.93

BS (ECE & Related) did not differ from one another but were sig higher than AAS degrees and Some College. AAS degree sig higher than some college ECERS-R Scores by Education Education Level NMean High School Some College AA & AAS Degree BS Related Area BS ECE/CD Graduate Work Total

BS (ECE & Related) and AAS did not differ in average scores but all were sig higher than some college ITERS-R Scores by Education Education Level NMean High School Some College AA & AAS Degree BS Related Area BS ECE/CD Graduate Work Total

BS Related Area and AAS degree did not differ; BS Related Area was sig higher in ave SACERS scores than some college and high school; AAS degree sig higher than HS SACERS Scores by Education EducationNMean High School Some College AA & AAS Degree BS Related Area BS ECE/CD Graduate Work Total

Homes by Stars

No sig difference between 4 year, AA, and some college. FCCERS Scores by Education (May 08-Aug 09) EducationNMean High School Some College AA & AAS Degree BS Related Area BS CD/EDE Graduate Work Total

Quest for Quality (Additional Steps) ARRA Enabled Projects  Workforce Study Update of workforce data in NC. Previous survey in 2003 Update of workforce data in NC. Previous survey in 2003  Articulation Agreements between 2-and 4- year schools  Grants to 10 community colleges for accreditation

ARRA (Continued)  Professional Development System local planning grants to 18 regions of NC  Certification of additional 9,000 early childhood professionals  Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (NC/CSEFEL) Public awareness, demonstration site implementation, & professional development on the CSEFEL model  IT Training for 15 Lead Consultants (to enhance IT Specialists)  TAB (They Are Back) Team (Workforce Pending List)

Other Initiatives  QRIS Advisory Committee  Open Process of Funding New Initiatives

Subsidy Issues  43% of children enrolled in centers are receiving subsidy  Subsidy rate (Market Rate) covered the 75 th percentile of private-pay-rates only 33% of the time  Waiting list of over 35,000 children

PD Connections: Connecting the Dots  Collaboration is no longer an option in our state We must be unified in our support for higher quality through increased professional development & the nature of that professional development We must be unified in our support for higher quality through increased professional development & the nature of that professional development Consistent Infant/toddler education that is specific to that age groupConsistent Infant/toddler education that is specific to that age group