Early Childhood Obesity Prevention September 13, 2017

An innovative, public-private partnership to advance the Early Childhood Workforce in Colorado

We envision a state where all children thrive because there is a stable, well-qualified, diverse, and appropriately-compensated early childhood workforce.

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Transforming the Early Childhood Workforce in Colorado

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Project Components

Research

Plan Early Childhood Workforce 2020 Plan

Explore

Communicate and Sustain

Collecting information on the experience and impact of the early childhood workforce.

Developing an actionable State plan to support the early childhood workforce.

Testing innovative strategies to recruit, retain, support, and compensate the early childhood workforce.

Sharing ideas and supporting sustainable change.

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An ambitious three-year

roadmap for a professional

development system that

promotes a high-quality, effective, diverse workforce

for CO.

A new plan to support the early childhood workforce and professional development system that supports it, developed through work of the Cohort and taskforces.

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The New Plan EC Workforce 2020 Plan

Workforce Development

Recruitment and Retention Compensation

Leadership Finance Data and

Continuous Improvement

• Early Childhood Leadership Commission endorsed the plan in June 2017

• Initial planning and thinking for implementation

• Implementation through the Early Childhood Professional Development (ECPD) Advisory

• Reseating ECPD Advisory in August

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Next Steps EC Workforce 2020 Plan

Availability of high-quality early childhood care and education in Colorado is no small matter

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What we are learning….

63% of children under age 5 live in households where all parents work

The number of children under age 5 is expected to grow by over 21% by 2026

Estimate a 33 - 43% increase in the number of EC teachers needed by 2025 (from 2015)

Source: EC Economic Analysis, 2017 (Draft)

Colorado is thriving and growing

COLORADO EARLY CHILDHOOD WORKFORCE SURVEY

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• Conducted Dec 2016 – Jan 2017 • Over 6500 responded, but the briefs focus on

responses from: • 711 center directors & 88 assistant directors, • 2,306 lead teachers, • 1,118 assistant teachers, and • 496 family child care providers (licensed)

• Findings specific to this sample

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Workforce Survey

Series of briefs from the survey, including:

• Demographic and Educational Characteristics • Supporting Educational and Professional

Development Needs • Compensation • Turnover and Job Instability • Work Environments and Well-being • Family Child Care Providers • Factors that Predict Teacher Turnover, Retention,

and Well-being

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Coming Soon…..

• 70% of directors report having difficulty finding qualified staff to fill positions

• Average time to fill a vacant position: 2.5

months • Hardest positions to fill: Lead Teachers

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Recruitment Challenges

17% 16%

22%

40%

ProgramLeaders

LeadTeachers

AssistantTeachers

FloaterTeachers

Turnover

•10% of Directors

•26% of Lead Teachers

•24% of Assistant Teachers

•30% of Floater Teachers

Left Last Year Intend to Leave in Next Two Years

33% Turnover or higher - 13% of programs experienced 33% or higher

for lead teachers - 19% -- 33% or higher for assistant teachers

• Teachers are burned out (63%)

• Hiring unqualified staff (46%)

• Moving teachers and children during day (44%)

• Program quality suffers (35%)

• Increase in children’s behavior problems (31%)

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Impact of Turnover

Compensation (70%)

Working Conditions:

• Teacher turnover • Job demands (Paperwork & program req’s) • Children’s challenging behaviors • Staffing patterns and high staff:child ratios

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Teacher Job Frustrations:

$20.17

$17.31

$14.00 $12.00 $12.63

Director AssistantDirector

Lead Teacher AssistantTeacher

Family ChildCare Provider

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Median Hourly Wages

Poverty Level for Family of Four - $11.82

EXPLORING SOLUTIONS

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To recruit and retain an effective,

qualified, and consistent early childhood workforce for Colorado.

What innovative or targeted solutions would best address these issues in

Colorado - statewide or at a community level?

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Exploring Solutions Explore

We want to test strategies and solutions to address workforce issues using the following “levers for change”:

• Targeted Recruitment

• Compensation

• Working Conditions

• Career and Educational Pathways 9/11/2017 18

Innovative Solutions

Explore

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Putting it All Together, and Refining the Solutions

Research

Plan

Solutions

• State leaders • Funders • Communities

Refined set of state or

local solutions

Engagement

Synthesis

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An Overview of the

EC Workforce 2020 Plan

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Workforce Development EC Workforce 2020 Plan

Example Activities: Developing clear, streamlined pathways to

education, professional development, credentials, and degrees, while allowing for multiple entry and exit points.

Address barriers to professional development opportunities, with an emphasis on ensuring equitable access across sectors, settings, and age of children served.

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Recruitment and Retention

GOAL: Recruit and retain effective, qualified, and diverse early childhood educators.

Activities to better recruit and retain early

childhood educators by promoting the workforce’s personal and professional well-

being.

EC Workforce 2020 Plan

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Recruitment and Retention

EC Workforce 2020 Plan

Example Activities: •Test strategies to recruit, retain, and support a

diverse workforce (working conditions, job satisfaction, workforce well-being).

•Address barriers in policy and practice to timely recruitment and hiring (e.g., background checks, streamlining licensing regulations, award time for teacher/director qualifications).

•Actively recruit and retain early childhood educators that reflect diversity of race, ethnicity, culture, language, gender, and ability.

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GOAL: Ensure worthy and livable compensation for early childhood educators.

Activities to ensure adequate compensation (including benefits) is tied to education and

experience, with parity across setting, sector, and age of children served.

EC Workforce 2020 Plan Compensation

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Compensation EC Workforce 2020 Plan

Example Activities: Develop and implement innovative

strategies to expand funding for wage enhancing and incentive programs (e.g., tax credits, loan forgiveness, wage supplements.)

Research compensation, and make regional recommendations to improve compensation and achieve compensation parity across settings.

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GOAL: Leverage comprehensive, collaborative, and responsive leadership to

achieve the vision of the EC Workforce 2020 Plan.

Activities to create oversight, ownership, and

clearly-defined roles to ensure the plan is implemented.

Leadership EC Workforce 2020 Plan

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Leadership EC Workforce 2020 Plan

Example Activities:

Identify relevant groups to guide and lead implementation of the plan and define roles and responsibilities.

Partner with the Early Childhood Leadership Commission on strategies to elevate the early childhood workforce.

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GOAL: Finance the early childhood professional development system through efficient

coordination of funding, innovative financing models, and an informed and engaged public.

Activities to ensure there is adequate, diverse, and innovative financing structures to support

the early childhood workforce and the systems that support them.

Finance EC Workforce 2020 Plan

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Finance EC Workforce 2020 Plan

Example Activities:

Ensure funding to support the development of early childhood educators, including funding for scholarships, professional development, coaching, and career advising.

Identify and implement promising practices or targeted financing solutions, with an emphasis on increasing compensation, recruitment, and retention.

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Data and Continuous Quality Improvement

GOAL: Continuously improve the effectiveness of the professional

development system through the use of data.

Activities to ensure data and information is available to monitor the progress and development of…

• our early childhood workforce • the professional development system and • the implementation of the EC Workforce 2020 Plan

EC Workforce 2020 Plan

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Data and Continuous Quality Improvement

EC Workforce 2020 Plan

Example Activities: Provide regular early childhood workforce

reports, including available data from Colorado Shines PDIS and surveys, to inform continuous quality improvement.

Monitor and regularly assess the progress, quality, and effectiveness of the early childhood professional development system and the implementation of the EC Workforce 2020 Plan.

coloradoecworkforce.org

SONDRA RANUM Co-Director, Early Childhood Professional Development System Office of Early Learning & School Readiness Colorado Department of Education P 303.866.3903 Ranum_S@cde.state.co.us JENNIFER O’BRIEN Data & Communications Manager Office of Early Learning & School Readiness Colorado Department of Education P 303.866.4214 Obrien_jennifer@cde.state.co.us

BRIAN CONLY Deputy Director Office of Early Childhood Colorado Department of Human Services P 303.866.2767 brian.conly@state.co.us

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Thank you!