1. Invest in Children Child Care Quality Fund: Accreditation and Literacy

2. 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”

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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