Invest in Children Child Care Quality Fund: Accreditation and Literacy

Invest in Children Child Care Quality Funds Historically, programs have submitted grant proposals to EEC for Child Care Quality Funds (“Invest in Children” License Plate Funds) to support quality improvements Funds are available for “providing grants to not for profit child care organizations for the purpose of improving child care services including, but not limited to, teacher training, training and education of consumers and parents, the purchase of educational curricula and materials, specialized training for bilingual and bicultural providers and consumers and technical assistance for acquiring accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children”

Invest in Children Child Care Quality Funds EEC has historically collected approximately $300K a year in the Child Care Quality Fund In FY10 and FY11 EEC did not award any grants through these funds As of January 2011, there is $ 793K in the Fund EEC is recommending the use of $450K in the Fund to support program quality improvements through: Accreditation fees Intentional literacy efforts Child Development Associate (CDA) fees Funds for grants to programs to pay for CDA or accreditation fees and/or early literacy activities Programs must rate Level 2 or higher on QRIS to be eligible

Foundations of Early Literacy The quality of a child’s early environment and experiences can have long term positive effects on his or her brain architecture Literacy development is the foundation for success in school, work, and life Literacy development is predicated on a sustainable system of high quality resources: Access to high quality curriculum Professionally trained and prepared educators Family support for learning Sustainable system of high quality resources and services

Early Literacy and Dual Language Learners Literacy development involves the seven key components: Literacy as a source of enjoyment Vocabulary and language Phonological awareness Knowledge of print Letters and words Comprehension Books and other texts These components are necessary in both single and dual language learner (DLL) environments

Early Literacy and Dual Language Learners Language environments for DLLs should also have: Bilingual and bicultural representatives trained in second language acquisition and the influence of culture and poverty on language acquisition An assessment tool for measuring language development A high level of parent involvement and engagement Materials and activities that reflect students’ home languages and cultures Educators should routinely communicate children’s language acquisition process with families Environments and curricula should reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the children and align with EEC Guidelines for optimal second language and literacy development

Early Literacy Support Grants In the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) programs must demonstrate quality across five key domains, including Curriculum and Learning In order to move to a level 3 in the key domain of Curriculum and Learning, staff must Demonstrate language and literacy skills in English or the child's language that provide a model for children, and Use screening tools, progress reports, formative assessments, and observational information to set goals for children across all developmental domains

Early Literacy Support Grants In order to support acquisition of early literacy skills and use of early literacy tools, EEC plans to issue individual grants of up to $5,000 each to programs to support the four areas identified in the 2011 Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy plan: Core curriculum and assessments Leadership and professional education Equitable access to quality services for families A coherent system of literacy initiatives Proposals will need to demonstrate the following: Whole child curricula Literacy specific curricula Access to high quality literacy and language materials and environments Assessment and intervention Family involvement

Foundations of Accreditation Accreditation is widely-recognized as a leading measure of quality in early education and out-of-school time Accreditation systems require programs to meet standards above minimum state regulatory requirements Achieving accreditation involves extensive self-study and validation by professionals outside the program to verify that quality standards are met Three major national program accrediting bodies: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) Council on Accreditation (COA) All three share the same goals to provide high-quality care and education and positive learning experiences for children

Accreditation Support Grants Research has demonstrated that accreditation positively impacts program quality, including benefits to children, families, and staff Accreditation documentation may be used as proof of meeting some of the standards in the new QRIS In order to support program accreditation in Massachusetts, EEC plans to issue individual grants to programs to cover 50% of the fees up to $2500 for accreditation

Accreditation Support Grants Fees that can be paid with Accreditation Support Grants: NAEYC: 50% of fees towards each of level of the application one to four Applicant must provide a plan over an 18 month timeline for completion of the accreditation process Note: programs that are eligible for scholarship through NAEYC’s Accreditation Scholarship Program must apply and provide proof of application to EEC along with Accreditation Support Grant proposal NAFCC: 50% of fees for Application or Annual renewal COA: 50% of fees for Accreditation Fee or Site Visit Costs

Child Development Associate (CDA) CDAs support programs in advancing to Level 2 or beyond on the QRIS via educators qualifications/ workforce development CDA Competency Goals Goal I: To establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment Goal II: To advance physical and intellectual competence Goal III: To support social and emotional development and to provide positive guidance Goal IV: To establish positive and productive relationships with families Goal V: To ensure a well-run, purposeful program responsive to participant needs Goal VI: To maintain a commitment to professionalism

Child Development Associate (CDA) CDA functional areas by goal Safety, Health, Learning Environment (Goal I) Physical, Cognitive, Communication, Creativity (Goal II) Self, Social, Guidance (Goal III) Families (Goal IV) Program Management (Goal V) Professionalism (Goal VI) Candidates for CDA assessment must: Be 18 years of age or older Hold a high school diploma or GED Have 480 hours of experience working with children and 120 clock hours of formal child care education within the past five years Child Care Quality Funds may be used to pay for CDA fees for up to 8 individuals per center-based program or multi-staffed family child care (FCC) program, or for individual FCC providers