Elements of Equitable Access to High Quality Early Learning

ProgramSandy Myers| Early Learning Scholarships Supervisor-MDE

Nara Topp| Parent Aware Supervisor-MDHS

Elements of Equitable Access to High Quality Early Learning

Presentation Objectives

• Learn about Minnesota's model for a consumer driven QRIS

• Share how Minnesota has incorporated the elements of access, supply, outreach, and financing into our model

• Tap your good thinking on gaps and future directions

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Help programs improve practices

Supports to increase supply of high quality programs

• Recruitment

• Coaching & Learning Communities

• Professional Development advising

• Training (free & low cost)

• Grants

• Language Access & Language Line

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Parent Aware by the numbers

7/12/2018 Child Development Services | mn.gov/dhs 4

Type 2012 2017

Centers 458 1,604

Family 71 1,101

Total 529 2,705

Four-Star Rated

Help families find high quality programs

• Website: Parentaware.org

• Phone line: Parent Services staff

• Early Learning Scholarships Administrator

• Programs reach out to eligible families

• Resources to help families find financial support

Higher child care subsidy rates for Three and Four Star programs

Early Learning Scholarships

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Child Care Assistance Program: Payments and Rates

Maximum rates:

• Differ by county, child age, program type and unit.

• 20% higher for providers with 4 star Parent Aware Rating

• 15% higher for providers with 3 star Parent Aware Rating or credentials

• The Child Care Assistance Program payment cannot exceed the provider’s charge.

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Overview: Early Learning Scholarships

Purpose: Increase access to high-quality early childhood programs for three- to five-year-olds –and in some instances zero- to two-year-olds -and to support the kindergarten readiness of children with the highest needs.

Scholarships can be blended with other funds and do not count as family income when determining access to other public programs.

Payments:Scholarships cannot supplant federal funding including child care assistance (even state funded portions), Head Start, and ECSE.

Scholarships can cover gaps or extended services, or the cost of the slot in part or it’s entirety.

Maximum Scholarship awards by programs rating range from $3,000 to $7,500

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Scholarship and CCAP Model: Supporting Equitable Access

Early Learning Scholarships and CCAP can be layered to help cover the full cost of care in a high quality program

• If a child is eligible for CCAP and an Early Learning Scholarship, programs are encouraged to bill CCAP first.

• Then bill the Early Learning Scholarship (Pathway I or Pathway II) for expenses not covered by CCAP.

• Expenses not covered by CCAP could include: copays, transportation or activity fees, amount charged above the CCAP maximum rate, breaks or reductions in CCAP authorization, or other fees

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Louisiana’s School and Center Finder:Engaging and Informing Families

Louisiana Vision for Kindergarten Readiness

Over the past five years, Louisiana has worked to unify the early childhood system – birth to pre-K – to prepare all children for kindergarten.

Shared high standards for what children should learn and what excellent teaching looks like.

Teachers are excellent at interacting with children and guiding learning.

Expectations for health, safety, and learning are consistent with adequate funding levels for programs that serve children well.

Families can easily enroll and choose the best option for their children.

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In 2016-2017, Louisiana completed the first full year of implementation, which included a performance profile with a rating and informational metrics for every site.

Performance Profile OverviewHow Publicly-Funded Sites are Rated

Performance Profiles provide information about the quality of publicly-funded sites to families to inform choice and to communities to guide improvement.

In 2015, Louisiana launched a unified rating system to:• Measure core elements needed for positive child outcomes;• Provide a clear and focused path to improvement; and• Give families an easy way to compare choices in their community.

Louisiana’s unified rating system has two components, featured on Performance Profiles:1. Ratings that relate to positive child outcomes• Adult-child interactions and instructions, as measured by CLASSTM; and2. Information on classroom best practices• E.g., using curriculum, assessing children for learning, credentialing of teachers

Louisiana’s rating system features a performance score between 1-7, and a rating of Excellent, Proficient, Approaching Proficient, and Unsatisfactory.

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Engaging and Informing FamiliesEarly Childhood and K-12 School and Center Finder

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Louisiana’s new tool was designed for families to use, to help them to navigate their choices and make informed decisions about care and education for their child.

Browse by address, city, or zip code to see all nearby schools or centers.

Or search directly for a school or center by name.

The School and Center Finder can be accessed at www.LouisianaSchools.com

Supporting Informed Family ChoiceMap Browsing View

The map browsing view helps families easily find a variety of schools or centers that are near them. Families can also use the filters to narrow their search.

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This list of numbered sites corresponds to the numbers on the map.

Supporting Informed Family Choice Tracking and Comparing Centers

Within the tool, families can select up to three sites to compare side by side, or they can create a list of favorite sites to bookmark them.

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Supporting Informed Family ChoiceSite-Level Overview Information

The “About Our School” section displays general information about the school or center that families have selected.

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Providing Families With Quality InformationPerformance Profile Rating and Score

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Providing Families With Quality InformationIndividual Domain Scores and Averages

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Providing Families With Quality InformationUse of Best Practices

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Marketing the School and Center FinderReaching and Engaging Families

The Department has rolled out several tools and resources for Louisiana communities to use to promote their sites via School and Center Finder.

As part of the School and Center Finder release, the Department has:• Released a one page flyer, parent night presentation and animated video;

• Promoted the School and Center Finder with statewide media and through social media;

• Provided talking points and resources for organizations that interact closely with families so that they can promote the school and center finder in their own communities:o Schools and centerso Community organizationso Chambers of commerceo Realtor organizationso Non-profits

Louisiana has supported communities to collaborate around their own plans to include the new School and Center Finder in their coordinated enrollment work.

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D A N I E L L E J O H N S O N , M P H , M . E D .D I R E C T O R O F E A R L Y C H I L D H O O D S Y S T E M S ,

D U R H A M ' S P A R T N E R S H I P F O R C H I L D R E N

Supporting Families’ Early Learning Decision-Making

Using a Community Collaborative Model with Durham’s Universal Pre-K Application Process

PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES

▪ Learn about Durham County's model for a family focused Universal Pre-Kindergarten application process

▪ Share how Durham County has embedded the elements of access, program options/setting, outreach, and collective impact into our model

▪ Share your thoughts and next steps

• The Universal Pre-K Application process is woven into the existing 0-5 early childhood education system in Durham County. The beginning stages of this work began in 2005 with on-going revisions and systematic development.

• Launched robustly during the 08/09 school year

• Bringing and bridging community agencies and resources.

• The process was designed to provide families with a “one-stop” “no wrong door” experience.

• Community Partners Include: Dept. of Social Services, Child Care Services Association (CCR&R), Early Head Start/Head Start, Durham Public Schools, Book Harvest, East Durham Children’s Initiative, County Library.

A Community Collaborative Approach

A GLANCE AT DURHAM, NC

• As referenced in the State of Durham County’s Young Children Report, child care comes in various forms, both public and private, and is supported by multiple funding sources.

PROGRAM OPTIONS AND FUNDING SUPPORT

• Durham Public Schools Pre-Kindergarten Program • Title I

• NC Pre-K State Funding

• Durham Public Schools The Whitted School• County

• Sate Subsidy

• Parent Fee based on sliding scale

• Durham Head Start • Federal

• NC Pre-K State Funding

• Durham’s Partnership for Children/NC Pre-K• NC Pre-K State Funding

• Smart Start State Funding

CHILD ELIGIBILITY AND PLACEMENT

• Each application will be reviewed and scored by the three program agencies.

• Eligibility requirements vary by program. This information is shared with families during time of application.

• As applications are completed, a developmental screening is scheduled for the child.

• A shared process to select and assign children is used amongst the collaborating programs. It is our intent to notify all families no later than mid-July, 2018 about their child’s placement for the 2018-2019 school year.

PROGRAM RECRUITMENT AND PARENT AWARENESS

Recruitment and Outreach Efforts Include:

Canvasing the community and flyer distribution

Attending County wide functions

Targeting parent meetings

Utilizing community stakeholder relationships

UPK AND OTHER RESOURCES

http://dpfc.net/our-work/ncpk/

https://www.dpsnc.net/domain/108

http://www.childcareservices.org/fs/finding/additional-resources/

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12MjBrtA3WJAlnoK5RX8VMleaeZSx9rn9A7ordMV0QCo/edit?usp=sharing