reflections on michigan’s race to the top-early learning ......reflections on michigan’s race to...

Reflections on Michigan’s Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge GrantHow Five Years of Federal Investment Accelerated Improvements in Early Childhood Systems and Supports

January 2019

Acknowledgements: This report was written by Public Sector Consultants in close collaboration with staff at the Michigan Department of Education. We are grateful for the support from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Educational Performance and Information, Early Childhood Investment Corporation, and Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children.

Thank You from Governor Rick Snyder

STATE OF MICHIGAN

EXECUTIVE OFFICE LANSING

RICK SNYDER GOVERNOR

December 21, 2018

BRIAN CALLEY LT. GOVERNOR

Dear parents, providers, and partners,

Five years ago, Michigan began an ambitious effort to dramatically improve opportunities and outcomes for young children and their families. With $51.7 million in federal support in addition to efforts at the state level, early education professionals from across the state have been working tirelessly to improve access to high-quality early learning and care for each and every child whose family seeks services.

Michigan began this effort as a leader in early learning and care, and we continue to strive to make our state the best place to raise a child. Over the past five years, we have taken significant steps to connect more children and families with high-quality early childhood programs and create a stronger system that is more ready than ever to support young Michiganders and their families in the future.

Together with committed partners from across our great state, Michigan has provided over $12 million in grants to childcare providers, invested in 1,426 scholarships for early educators, improved early childhood data collection and reporting, and created a network of technical assistance consultants to help childcare providers better support families. The list goes on, as you will see in this report.

This investment has improved programs and continued to build the state's capacity to serve young children and their families. This report celebrates those shared accomplishments, documents the lessons learned, and looks ahead to how Michigan can continue this work in the years ahead.

Thank you to the many people who made this work possible. Your knowledge, skills, expertise, and passion made Michigan better for families. Leaders like you are essential to helping Michigan continue to improve the systems and support our young children and families want and need.

Sincerely,

Rick Snyder Governor

GEORGE W. ROMNEY BUILDING • 111 SOUTH CAPITOL AVENUE • LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov

4Reflections on Michigan’s Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Grant

Table of Contents

Background ......................................................................5

Our Opportunity ................................................................. 5

Our Plan ........................................................................... 6

Celebrations ...................................................................10

Increased Participation in Great Start to Quality and Invested in Child Care Providers’ Spaces .........................10

Built a Specialized Consultation Model ..................................10

Expanded Scholarships for Early Childhood Practitioners .......................................................11

Built and Improved Data Systems ........................................11

Strengthened Connections with Families ...............................12

Documented Impact ..........................................................12

Lessons Learned .............................................................24

What’s Next? ..................................................................25

Sustainability Planning .......................................................25

Upcoming Opportunities .....................................................26

Reflections on Michigan’s Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Grant 5

Background Nearly one million children under the age of eight call Michigan home, and these young children represent the future of our state. There is clear evidence that children’s brains develop faster in their earliest years than any other time in their life—building the foundation for future learning, behavior, and health. That is why it is important to start supports for healthy development early.

Together with families, communities, and practitioners, the state has made a firm commitment to investing in high-quality early childhood programs and supports, including the formation of the Office of Great Start (OGS) within the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). The OGS was created by executive order in 2011 with a charge to integrate and align programs and services for Michiganders prenatal through age eight. To focus its early childhood work, Michigan established four goals:

• Children are born healthy• Children are healthy, thriving, and developmentally on track from birth to

third grade • Children are developmentally ready to succeed in school at time of school

entry • Children are prepared to succeed in fourth grade and beyond by reading

proficiently by the end of third grade

In 2013, significant federal investment provided the opportunity to accelerate the state’s efforts to support young children and their families. Through the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant, Michigan was awarded $51.7 million in one-time federal funding to support efforts serving children from birth through age five. The MDE served as the lead grant administrator; however, the grant was written and implemented in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC), the Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI), the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children (Michigan AEYC), and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).

The original grant period was January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2017. In 2017, Michigan was awarded a one year no-cost extension, which extended the grant period through December 31, 2018.

Our Opportunity The RTT-ELC grant gave Michigan the opportunity to build aggressively on our strong foundation and propel our system forward. At the time of the grant application, we knew that we could not accomplish everything—so we narrowed our focus to the areas where a temporary infusion of resources could make the most difference in young children’s lives.

Through the Race

to the Top-Early

Learning Challenge

(RTT-ELC) grant,

Michigan was

awarded $51.7 million in one-

time federal funding

to support efforts

serving children

from birth through

age five.


Michigan’s implementation of RTT-ELC included concrete strategies to improve outcomes for all young children with a special focus on children with high needs served by home-based providers. Specifically, the grant application identified six goals:1

1 Michigan Department of Education, Office of Great Start. 2013. Michigan Race to the Top—Early Learning Challenge Application for Initial Funding. Accessed March 5, 2018. https://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-earlylearningchallenge/applications/2013-michigan.pdf

1. Increase access for children with high needs to high-quality earlylearning programs

2. Increase opportunities for licensed and unlicensed home-basedproviders to improve the quality of their programs

3. Ensure that many more parents understand and are meaningfullyengaged in their children’s early learning and development

4. Involve more families and providers in efforts to identify and promotechildren’s physical and social emotional health

5. Expand education and professional development opportunities,especially for home-based providers

6. Build an early learning data system that provides information(anonymously and in aggregate) on children across departments andprograms and allows Michigan to assess programs’ value to parentsand children

Our Plan To achieve these goals, Michigan organized its RTT-ELC work into seven interrelated projects each led by a statewide agency or partner. Below is an overview of each project.

Project 1

Grant Management and Governance

Project 2

Increasing Participation in Great Start to Quality

Project 3

Supporting Healthy Minds and Bodies

Project 4

Improving Access to High-quality Early Learning

Project 5

Developing Early Childhood Educators

Project 6

Early Learning Data Systems

Project 7

Increasing Family Engagement

https://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-earlylearningchallenge/applications/2013-michigan.pdf


Project 1: Grant Management and GovernanceAs with any large grant, RTT-ELC activities required an intentional investment in grant management to align concurrent activities. Project 1 included strategies connected to grant management and governance, such as creating the structure necessary to coordinate and streamline the efforts associated with the other grant activities. Notably, this project funded the staff necessary to strengthen cross-agency collaboration and helped illuminate the connections between healthy physical, social emotional, and learning development. Additionally, teams comprised of leadership from organizational partners and project leads were developed to help manage the grant and improve overall coordination between all leaders, namely the Great Start Steering Team and the Great Start Operations Team.

Project 2: Increasing Participation in Great Start to QualityProject 2 focused on increasing families’ access to high-quality care. At the center of this work was a significant effort to increase participation in Great Start to Quality (GSQ). GSQ is Michigan’s tiered quality rating and

improvement system, designed to support quality improvements and outcomes for child care providers, prekindergarten programs, and afterschool programming. Project 2 specifically included quality improvement strategies for home-based providers, including access to Quality Improvement Consultants, financial incentives for participating in GSQ, grant opportunities for quality improvements, and the development of a cohort-based learning model to engage more subsidized, license-exempt providers in training and GSQ.

Finally, to assist providers in navigating the GSQ system and understand what the requirements entail, a team of GSQ

ambassadors was established, offering individualized consultation and planning to providers in need. The GSQ ambassador project brought together GSQ staff (ECIC, Resource Center Directors, Quality Improvement Consultant, Quality Improvement Specialist staff) and child care licensing staff (central office, area managers, and licensing consultants) to talk about GSQ, better coordinate interactions/support with providers, and promote GSQ through regional meetings. In the first year, there was significant effort spent breaking down barriers and building relationships, with a focus on how the different organizations could support each other. In subsequent years, the group transitioned to smaller local meetings where the RC director and area manager could


collaborate and bring their teams together to further the work. In addition, two annual meetings were held between state-level grant managers, area managers, and RC directors, which allowed the local stakeholders to bring issues of concern to the state level and collaborate on a resolution.

Project 3: Supporting Healthy Minds and Bodies

The RTT-ELC grant also included activities to increase the availability of high-quality early learning programs that meet the physical and social emotional health needs of young children. Early childhood science is clear that physical and social emotional wellness is a critical foundation for supporting early learning and development outcomes for young children. This foundation is especially vital for children with high needs because, without it, their readiness for school and long-term health are compromised. Project 3 activities focused services in seven counties and two multicounty rural regions (the Upper Peninsula and the Thumb). The MDE and the MDHHS partnered to train and deploy Social Emotional Consultants, to assist and empower home- and center-based child care providers in meeting children’s social emotional needs. Child Care Health Consultants were also hired to increase the understanding, awareness, and practice of health, nutrition, and safety topics for young children in early care and learning settings.

Project 4: Improving Access to High-quality Early LearningProject 4 activities aimed to increase the availability of high-quality early learning opportunities in Michigan and complemented the work completed in Project 2. A goal of the RTT-ELC grant was to expand high-quality early learning opportunities and increase resources in traditionally underserved populations. For example, Michigan encouraged its 13 tribes who maintain child development and care programs to continue or expand participation in GSQ by addressing inefficiencies in the system ensuring that tribal providers participating in GSQ have the resources they need. Additionally, Michigan made efforts to extend high-quality learning opportunities to an additional cohort of young residents by developing a plan for Michigan to implement a preschool program specifically for three-year-olds. The MDE and LARA also worked to streamline child care licensing and monitoring by developing a set of key indicators, which are used to streamline the licensing inspection process for providers with a track record of good compliance.

Project 5: Developing Early Childhood EducatorsThroughout this work, Michigan recognized and prioritized the need to effectively support its early childhood workforce. Grant activities for Project 5 focused primarily on providing scholarships for early educators to pursue credentials and degrees. Other activities included developing materials to promote online, credit-bearing child development associate (CDA) training programs. Grant funds were used to support a partnership


between the Michigan AEYC and community colleges to help the colleges complete the requirements for accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Project 6: Early Learning Data SystemsPolicymakers and practitioners need quality data to inform investments and program improvements, and parents need to be informed, so that they can make the best choices possible for their children. Project

6 activities involved incorporating early childhood data into Michigan’s Statewide Longitudinal Data System (MSLDS) and the MI School Data portal. This effort connected data from multiple early learning and care programs (such as Head Start) with the state’s P–20 data system. These improved data connections allow for better program evaluation and decision making by early educators, program leads, policymakers, and families. The new reports provide a more complete picture of how many children participate in publicly funded programs and how program participation affects outcomes in elementary school. Specific reports include: child count,

early childhood impact on K–3 absenteeism, continuity of service in special education, third-grade assessment outcomes for early childhood participants, kindergarten pathways, and participation by kindergarten.

Project 7: Increasing Family EngagementParents are children’s first, and most important, teachers. Project 7 activities created supports to help child care providers deepen their partnerships with the families they serve. Project 7 also aimed to help families deepen their knowledge of child development and to support the family voice in the early childhood system. Specific activities included training success coaches for the Pathways to Potential program. The training opportunities increased caseworker knowledge around family engagement and the importance of high-quality child care. Funds were also used to hire Family Engagement Consultants (FECs) to bring together families and providers using a customized engagement strategy called Care Giving Conversations, where license-exempt providers could come for training, resources, and networking. The Care Giving Conversations were focused on sharing the elements of the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors (SFPF) Framework through a Community Café model. Funds were also used to provide Trusted Advisor grants to Great Start Parent Coalitions to help them connect with more families.


Celebrations RTT-ELC funds helped to expand existing programs, test new ideas, improve data systems, and put resources in the hands of children and providers who needed them most. Here are some standout examples of this work.

Increased Participation in Great Start to Quality and Invested in Child Care Providers’ SpacesWhen the state was awarded RTT-ELC funding, only six percent of providers participated in GSQ. Five years later, participation in GSQ has reached an all-time high with over half of providers participating in the system. That means nearly 3,000 more providers in Michigan are now rated as high-quality (defined as achieving a rating of 3, 4, or 5 Stars). Included in this accomplishment is an increase of over 30 percent in the GSQ participation with licensed home-based providers.

This dramatic increase can be attributed to several RTT-ELC-funded strategies, including financial incentives and increased support. RTT-ELC allowed Michigan to offer $500 participation bonuses to licensed providers who participated in GSQ and Quality Improvement Grants and early learning awards that allowed providers to receive materials that helped them increase their GSQ rating and overall quality. All in all, Michigan awarded $11.9 million to improve the quality of materials and facilities for child care providers. Additionally, local resource center staff provided technical assistance to help providers increase quality and access the supports and grants provided by RTT-ELC.

Built a Specialized Consultation ModelIn service of improving the overall quality of early learning care providers, Michigan developed teams of specialized consultants that helped early care and education providers better engage families and support children’s physical and social emotional health.

Early care and education providers are asked to fill many roles and often with limited training—which can lead to high stress and eventual burnout for providers. Also, with limited training and resources for managing disruptive children, providers can use suspensions or expulsions as a solution. Specialized consultation was designed to address these training gaps and help early care and education providers increase the skills and knowledge they need to provide the highest-quality care for all children. Michigan’s model focuses on three content areas: social emotional health, child care health, and family engagement.

While the individual consulting teams used different methods, they were all able to have a substantial impact on Michigan’s early learning system. In total, specialized consultants worked in 18 counties in Michigan,

When the state was

awarded RTT-ELC

funding, only six percent

of providers participated

in GSQ. Five years

later, participation

in GSQ has reached

an all-time high with

over half of providers

participating in

the system. That

means nearly

3,000 more providers in

Michigan are now rated as high-quality

(defined as achieving

a rating of 3, 4, or 5

Stars). Included in

this accomplishment

is an increase of over 30 percent in

the GSQ participation

with licensed home-

based providers.


provided direct consultation to over 300 providers in our state (serving thousands of children), and held nearly 300 Care Giving Conversations. However, the true measure of the impact these services have had is evident in the large outpouring of support from providers expressing their gratitude for the programs and advocating for the continuation of the supports.

Expanded Scholarships for Early Childhood PractitionersNone of these investments will succeed without knowledgeable, skilled, and passionate early care and education providers. To that end, Michigan used RTT-ELC funds to expand the state’s successful Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood® Michigan program. T.E.A.C.H. scholarships help early educators and administrators meet their professional development goals, while continuing their current employment in early learning settings.

Thanks to RTT-ELC support, over 1,400 Michiganders received financial support to pursue an early childhood credential or degree. Scholarships focused on increasing the educational qualifications of family and group home providers as well as increasing the number of individuals qualified to teach in Michigan’s preschool program for four-year-olds, the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP).

Built and Improved Data SystemsTo make data-driven decisions about program quality, effectiveness, and needed improvements, practitioners and policymakers need access to consistent, longitudinal, statewide data. Prior to these investments, Michigan’s data picture was incomplete regarding early education, and it could be difficult to answer important system questions about young children and publicly funded early education programs.

CEPI linked this improved early childhood data system with existing K–12 databases and trained Head Start providers on efficiently uploading data to the state system. In establishing the connection between early childhood data and the K–12 system, children were assigned a Unique Identification Code (UIC). Before RTT-ELC, students only received a UIC at kindergarten entry. The UIC is used to maintain a student’s data through their K–12 experience, while providing anonymity to the student when researchers look at the data. By assigning UICs earlier, stakeholders can now monitor individual and system outcomes, giving the state a clearer idea of who is being served by early interventions and potential future needs. Now, more publicly funded early childhood programs submit data to the state databases, and early childhood-focused reports are available to providers and the public for the first time. In total, six new early childhood reports were developed and CEPI will continue to collect these data and update reports annually—sustaining the impact of the RTT-ELC investment for years to come.

Thanks to RTT-

ELC support,

over 1,400 Michiganders

received financial

support to

pursue an early

childhood credential

or degree.

In total, six new early childhood

reports were developed and

CEPI will continue

to collect these data

and update reports

annually—sustaining

the impact of the

RTT-ELC investment

for years to come.


Strengthened Connections with FamiliesFamily Engagement Consultants (FECs) helped build stronger connections between child care providers and families—with a focus on subsidized, licensed-exempt providers who care for children of their family, friends, and neighbors. These providers fill an important gap in the child care system, often providing more services with fewer resources and serving families who, in some situations, are working hard to rise out of poverty. Understanding that this is a historically underserved population, Michigan committed RTT-ELC resources to identifying effective training and support strategies.

FECs provided training, networking opportunities, and referrals to community resources. These trainings and resources were primarily provided through Care Giving Conversations, which brought together parents and providers to learn about the SFPF Framework and to access available resources in the community. The trainings were typically offered as five two-hour meetings scheduled over several weeks. However, in some of the more rural areas, the model was adjusted to be a two-day seminar with five hours of programming per day. Participants strongly valued the lessons, opportunities to troubleshoot issues they are facing, and the chance to network with their peers; in fact, multiple providers asked if they could take the trainings a second time.

Michigan’s model was customized to serve our providers and has gained national attention. Consultants have been invited to present to their peers across the country at several conferences.

Documented Impact To sustain the impact of RTT-ELC, grant partners have prioritized creating clear, useful documentation to inform future implementation of similar programs. First, individual partners have carefully curated the materials they created with RTT-ELC funds. These comprehensive records will be stored with each grant partner. Second, project leads identified the most salient documents developed through RTT-ELC to create archives that can be shared more widely. These materials will be widely available to partners at the local, regional, and state levels. Finally, partners worked to document their successes with a series of infographics. These tools help explain the most effective strategies Michigan supported with RTT-ELC funds. These infographics celebrate the most significant outcomes achieved with grant funds:

• Grants for child care providers • Specialized consultation• T.E.A.C.H. scholarships • Early childhood data collection and reporting• Family Engagement Consultants

Michigan’s model was

customized to serve

our providers and has

gained national attention.

Consultants have

been invited to

present to their peers

across the country at

several conferences.


Grants for Child Care ProvidersQuality Improvement Grants and Early Learning Awards

All children deserve access to high-quality early learning and care experiences. Building and maintaining a quality program, however, can be costly. With support from Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge (RTT–ELC), Michigan created a series of grants to help providers purchase the materials necessary to meet their quality goals. Over 3,700 grants were awarded by the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC), through the Quality Improvement Grant or Early Learning Award programs.

Need A decade ago, Michigan began a statewide effort to dramatically increase focus on quality in child care settings. A key aspect of this work was establishing Great Start to Quality—Michigan’s statewide rating and improvement system. When Michigan was awarded RTT-ELC funds in 2013, only 6 percent of providers participated in the rating system. Thanks to an ambitious effort—including providing funding for the resources and materials necessary to implement their quality goals—half of providers in the state are now quality rated. A central component of the rating process is creating a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP). This plan identifies strengths and opportunities for providers to improve. Depending on the identified goals, a QIP could require a financial investment. For some providers, slim profit margins make this investment challenging. Quality Improvement Grants aimed to remove this financial barrier by providing over $12 million in support for child care providers to purchase tools and materials. This funding helped providers invest in curriculum and age-appropriate items for children, such as:

Screening, assessment, and curriculum items approved by Great Start to Quality

Furniture to replace current items or to establish defined play areas

Outdoor materials to establish outdoor play space or improve children’s play options

Grants ranged from $500–$5,500.

Eligibility Eligible providers included licensed providers participating in Great Start to Quality. Providers were eligible to apply if they were in good standing with child care licensing, had a published rating with Great Start to Quality, served at least one child receiving a child care subsidy or participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and had developed a QIP. These criteria were established based on stakeholder input, and later modified throughout the RTT-ELC grant period based on provider feedback to be more inclusive of all providers participating in Great Start to Quality and serving children at risk.


Goals Providers:

Help providers achieve a quality rating in Great Start to Quality

Support financial sustainability to enable providers to stay in business

Increase access to new materials and resources

Children and Families:

Increase quality of children’s early learning environments

Increase access to high-quality and age-appropriate materials

Provide access to developmentally appropriate curriculum, screening, and assessment tools

Child Care System:

Improve the quality of care for children

Help providers improve their star rating

Better understand the barriers and needs of providers

GranteesAcross Michigan, child care providers were awarded 3,735 Quality Improvement Grants and Early Learning Awards. In all, over $12 million was awarded, and the average grant was $4,100.

Grantees’ published rating as of November 2018

1 Star

512 Star

238

3 Star

1,656

4 Star

600

5 Star

176

2,416Providers serving infants and toddlers (reported)

2,027Providers caring for children receiving the child care subsidy

Note: Some providers were eligible for Quality

Improvement Grants and Early Learning Awards and were

awarded funding through both programs.

Testimonials“We now can offer an outdoor classroom that encompasses learning science, art, music, reading, large- and small-motor opportunities, along with play and climbing opportunities.”

- Child Care CenterSouthgate, Michigan

“With these funds, we were able to purchase an approved preschool curriculum and outdoor materials to support that curriculum.”

- Family Child Care HomeNiles, Michigan

“The use of this technology will allow the teachers to document learning in new ways, increase the quality of the lessons, and increase the ways in which teachers can communicate with parents.”

- Child Care CenterDexter, Michigan


SpecializedConsultation

A TEAM OF PROFESS IONALS TRA INED TO HELP

EARLY CARE AND EDUCAT ION PROV IDERS

BETTER ENGAGE FAM I L I ES AND SUPPORT

CH I LDREN ’S PHYS ICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH .

Michigan’s early care and education providers are asked to fill many roles. They are educators, role models, nurturers, chefs, nurses, and more for Michigan’s youngest learners. Too many providers, however, are asked to do all this with limited training and resources, which can lead to high levels of stress and burnout for as many as one in three early care and education providers.1

1 M. Whitebook and L. Sakai. 2003. “Turnover Begets Turnover: An Examination of Job and Occupational Instability Among Child Care Center Staff.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 18, 273–293.

Skill Building through Specialized ConsultationSpecialized consultation is designed to address these gaps in training and support to help early care and education providers learn the skills and knowledge they need to provide high-quality care. Michigan’s model focuses on three content areas.

Family Engagement

Family engagement consultants help build stronger connections between providers and families. They also facilitate Care Giving Conversations, which bring together families and providers to support them in building Protective Factors in their lives.

Family engagement consultants are trained in the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework, which includes parental resilience, social connections, concrete supports, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social and emotional competence of children.

Physical Health, Safety,and Nutrition

Child care health consultants help providers increase understanding, awareness, and best practices related to health, nutrition, and safety through one-on-one consultation, policy development and training.

Child care health consultants hold a master’s or bachelor’s degree in a health-related field and are trained using curriculum from the National Institute for Child Care Health Consultants. They are also cross-trained on Great Start to Quality, cognitive coaching, trauma-informed care, and culturally appropriate care.

Social Emotional Health

Social emotional consultants help providers and families recognize and effectively meet the social-emotional needs of all young children in their care from birth through age five.

Social emotional consultants are highly trained, master’s-prepared mental health professionals endorsed by the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. Consultants may also be called Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants (IECMHC).

I SQecialized


GoalsProviders

Increase skills and knowledgeIncrease overall program quality Increase job satisfaction

Decrease turnover

Children and Families

Improve and promote social-emotional developmentImprove physical and environmental health Improve partnerships between parents/guardians and providers

Child Care System

Increase quality Increase supports for providers least likely to engage in quality improvement Increase support for providers who serve vulnerable children and families Reduce inequityHow Services Are Accessed

Specialized consultation is integrated into the state’s existing quality improvement systems. Michigan has a voluntary quality rating and improvement system called Great Start to Quality (GSQ). Here’s how providers use GSQ resources to access specialized consultants.

1. Provider calls their Great Start to QualityResource Center and asks for help.

2. Provider completes a Self AssessmentSurvey and connects with a QualityImprovement Consultant (QIC) who completesan intake form.

3. Provider is assigned a highly trainedconsultant.

4. Provider and consultant collaborateto identify the provider’s unique needs anddevelop a plan.

5. Provider implements strategies identified inthe plan with ongoing support and training fromthe consultant.

6. Consultants follow up with providers to offerfeedback and gauge increases in knowledgeand skills to meet the needs of children in care.

Eligibility All providers participating in Great Start to Quality are eligible. Priority is given to home-based providers as well as providers with a 1 to 3 Star rating, and those serving infants and toddlers. License-exempt providers also have access to Community Cafés.

200providers servedas of May 2018

61% Licensed center19% Registered family home18% Licensed group home1% Provisional license1% Not captured

18counties with high need were selected to pilot specialized consultation

Measuring ImpactMichigan developed a logic model to guide implementation and is currently conducting an evaluation of the model.Qualitative data to date is positive. Providers praised their specialized consultants:

“I feel comfortable when I was talking to my consultant. When I shared my ideas, she listened.”

“If you can spread the word [about specialized consultation] in my area, I am sure it would be used a lot. We’re a rural community that doesn’t realize we have so [many services] offered to us.”

“I really love that my consultant wrote the first policy [for my child care]. We went over everything: what she included, why she included it, how she laid it out. I was able to then use that as a model for all the policies that I wrote after.”


T.E.A.C.H. ScholarshipsThe Teacher Education And Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood® scholarship links education, compensation, and a commitment to improving the quality of early education. This statewide program helps early educators and administrators meet their professional development goals, while continuing employment in early learning settings.

Need From birth, children’s brains are developing at an amazing rate. Skilled early learning providers have the knowledge and ability to boost this development. A range of postsecondary credentials help educators practice and master these skills, and research suggests that the education level of child care providers is one of the most critical indicators of the child care quality. Cost, however, is often a barrier for early educators pursuing certificates and degrees. T.E.A.C.H. scholarships provide tuition assistance and encourage providers to remain in the profession by requiring employers to commit to modest raises upon program completion. T.E.A.C.H. has a long history in Michigan, and funding from the federal Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant helped expand the program.

Scholarship Opportunities

Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential

Nationally recognized certification for infant/toddler, preschool, and family child care providers

Requires 120 hours of training and 480 hours of experience working with children

Completed at community colleges or training organizations

Associate Degree

Eligible majors: Early childhood education, child development, or CDA training

Requires 60 to 72 credit hours, and some of that training can count toward earning a CDA

Bachelor’s Degree

Eligible majors: Early childhood education or child development

Must complete at least 55 credits before applying forthe scholarship

Master’s Degree

Eligible majors: Early childhood education or child development

Available to individuals working in a child care provider setting, technical assistance role, or higher education


Eligibility An individual must:

Be working at least 20 hours a week in an eligible early learning setting

Earn $17 or less per hour (or less than $65,000 for master’s students)

Be eligible for in-state tuition

In addition, employers must commit to covering 10 percent of tuition, fees, and books. This commitment averages to be about $120 per semester for an associate program and $210 per semester for a bachelor’s program. Employers must also provide paid release time to eligible employees.

GoalsProviders:

Increase skills, knowledge, and abilities to better serve young children

Increase earning potential and growth opportunities, including raises and promotions

Provide flexibility to allow recipients to continue serving children and earning an income while in school

Children and Families:

Increase quality of care

Increase continuity of care

Child Care System:

Increase quality of care systemwide

Promote equity by supporting providers systemwide and increasing recruitment in high-need communities

Increase staff retention by requiring recipients to stay with their employer for a specific period after graduation

Measuring ImpactOver the course of the RTT-ELC grant, 1,426 scholarships were awarded:

CDA credential:

322Associate degree:

395Bachelor’s degree:

541Master’s degree:

168

What’s Next?The Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children (Michigan AEYC) will continue to administer the program with state and federal funding. In the budget for fiscal year 2019, Michigan lawmakers increased investments in scholarships, and the Michigan AEYC will continue to support increased funding.


Early Childhood Data Collection and ReportingParents, providers, and policymakers all need quality early childhood data to make sound decisions that improve outcomes for young children. Thanks to investments from the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant, Michigan recently improved data collection, reporting, and governance systems to inform decision making statewide. The Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) led this effort.

Need To make data-driven decisions about program quality, effectiveness, and needed improvements, practitioners and policymakers need access to consistent, longitudinal, statewide data. Prior to these early childhood investments, Michigan’s data picture was incomplete, and it could be challenging to answer important questions about young children and publicly funded programs, including long-term impact of early interventions. For example: How many children are enrolled in each program? Where are they being served? What are their demographics? Who isn’t being served? Which children enroll in multiple programs?

System Improvements

Connected Existing Systems:

Connected the data systems of four state partners to leverage existing data in support of providers and the state—seeking to understand enrollment, long-term trends, and performance from pre-K through high-school graduation.

Developed Data Governance and Sharing Structure:

Established a collaborative process for reporting and sharing data with state agencies, providers, and public audiences. Also, efforts were made to identify gaps in the current system and develop solutions to address them.

Trained Providers in Data Collection and Reporting:

Engaged stakeholders to improve Michigan’s data picture, including reaching 280 providers with training designed both to support them in submitting quality data and to help CEPI understand their data needs.


New Reports in MI School Data MI School Data is the state’s home for data about the state’s P–20 system. It’s an online education portal that supports Michigan’s standards of accountability and transparency, with information that is easy to access and understand. In two years, the early childhood data reports created through RTT-ELC were viewed nearly 60,000 times. New early childhood reports include:

Child Count:

Shows the number of children enrolled in publicly funded early childhood programs by location, program, or demographics.

Third Grade Assessment Outcomes for Early Childhood Participants:

Allows providers using a secure account to view data on children who had been enrolled in an early childhood program, including performance on third-grade assessments, where children were assessed, and a comparison of performance among demographically similar children who did not participate in any state-funded early childhood program.

Early Childhood Impact on K–3 Absenteeism:

Shows absence rates for students in kindergarten through third grade and allows comparison between students who have participated in select publicly funded early childhood programs before kindergarten with that of all students.

Kindergarten Pathways:

Shows the order in which children were enrolled in publicly funded early childhood programs prior to entering kindergarten and the number of children that followed each pathway.

Continuity of Service in Special Education:

Shows early intervention and special education services delivered to Michigan children between birth and third grade and the comparison of a selected ISD’s pathways to statewide, and the proportion of children in each.

Participation by Kindergarten:

Shows how many kindergarteners attended early childhood programs by location, school year, program, and demographics.

What’s Next?These new systems, databases, and reports will be maintained by CEPI and will continue to be updated as new data become available (typically annually). CEPI, and its partners, will continue to assess how state data systems can inform early childhood programming and investments. With support from these RTT-ELC-funded efforts, Michigan has a stronger foundation to improve data quality and access.

MI SCHOOL DATA

MI SCHOOL DATAMI SCHOOL DATA


Family Engagement ConsultantsFamily Engagement Consultants (FECs) help build stronger connections between child care providers and families—with a focus on license-exempt providers. These providers fill an important gap in the child care system, often providing more services with fewer resources and serving families who, in some situations, are working hard to rise out of poverty. FECs provided training, networking opportunities, and referrals to community resources to strengthen the system of support for these vital providers.

Need Historically, formal supports for license-exempt providers have been limited, but with Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) Michigan committed resources to trainings that focus on building stronger connections between providers and families. FECs began their work creating training materials to teach the Strengthening Families™ protective factors framework to child care providers and parents, and presented this curriculum using Care Giving Conversations. These conversations work to strengthen providers’ resilience to address situations unique to license-exempt care. For example:

Navigating Relationships Between Parents and Providers:

Often license-exempt providers are caring for children from their own family or the children of friends and neighbors; this can lead to difficult social interactions when it comes to discipline or issues of promptness at dropoff or pickup. The Care Giving Conversations help providers have the resources to have these conversations.

Providing More Services, with Fewer Resources:

Providers often need to offer a wider variety of services. These activities require providers to transport children in their vehicles, make medical decisions on behalf of the parents, and establish or follow unique schedules and cultural norms. Additionally, license-exempt are frequently charging less than other licensed providers.

Providing Afterhours Care:

License-exempt providers often provide care outside of traditional business hours when most other child care options are unavailable. Without these caregivers, parents who work or attend classes at night or over the weekend would be left without options. These hours, however, can make providers feel like they are always on the clock.

12

6

9 3

12

6

9 3


Care Giving Conversation Learning ObjectivesThe FECs hosted a series of Care Giving Conversations in communities across the state. The standard training consisted of five modules, each two hours long, spread over five weeks. The modules were:

Social Connections:

How to recognize how positive social connections can help providers care for themselves and children in their lives.

Concrete Supports in Times of Need:

How to access the supports and services that address their family’s needs and helps to minimize stress and recognize that asking for help is a strength.

Parental Resilience:

How to manage stress and function well when faced with challenges, adversity, and trauma. For example, learning how taking a break during stressful times strengthens parenting/caregiving skills.

Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development:

How to have realistic expectations of children in different stages and ages (and identify concerns about a child’s development at an early age).

Social and Emotional Competence of Children:

How to help children learn to respond to the emotions they are feeling by observing people in their daily lives.

Services Provided

18 Counties 312 Participants(290 Providers/22 Parents)

9 Consultants

What’s Next?FECs were supported by funding from the RTT-ELC grant. This funding concluded in December 2018, and there is hope that Care Giving Conversations will be added to the supports offered to license-exempt providers through a new health and safety project. Care Giving Conversations are the focus for continuation, rather than the one-on-one consultation, given that many people can be reached in a single Care Giving Conversation.


Lessons Learned Over the five years of RTT-ELC, early childhood professionals across Michigan embraced new challenges, accepted new roles, and developed solutions to complex problems. The funds for RTT-ELC helped to improve outcomes for children and families while also strengthening our early childhood systems and capacity to continue this work in the future. Throughout the five-year effort, early learning partners continuously evaluated progress to design the most effective strategies and programs. Partners documented these lessons learned to inform future work. Across agencies, there were common themes, outlined below.

How to partner most effectively. While partners have long collaborated to implement programs, they recognized early in the process that consistent and intentional cross-agency and cross-team partnerships would be essential to achieve the ambitious goals set forth in Michigan’s RTT-ELC application.

MDE and MDHHS each have early childhood programs that target the school readiness and mental and physical health of children, particularly children with high needs. A better understanding of where there are gaps, or even overlaps, of services and responsibilities helps these programs become more efficient. Prior to the grant, there was not enough communication between project teams at different agencies. With RTT-ELC funding, there were liaisons employed at each agency to facilitate regular communication and identify opportunities to partner. This cross-collaboration was invaluable, and partners are exploring opportunities to maintain regular communication and collaboration moving forward.

How to engage home-based and license-exempt providers. RTT-ELC had an intentional focus on building connections with providers who historically have not engaged with state quality efforts, including many home-based and license-exempt providers. At the state level, partners tested strategies to find the most effective ways to engage and support these providers. Grant-funded work that focused on specific outreach to these providers was often fruitful, both for the providers and for meeting state participation and quality goals. These efforts proved that home-based and license-exempt providers want to be engaged, but it requires different strategies and more time to connect with them. One reason is that providers frequently do not have a director that works outside the classroom, and they are directly supporting children 10 to 12 hours a day.

How to be (even more) flexible. Early childhood partners are accustomed to working in an ever-changing environment where they need to find creative solutions to problems. This includes being flexible and responding to changes inside and outside government. Grant implementers regularly reevaluated and adjusted timelines. In general,

These efforts proved

that home-based and

license-exempt

providers want to be

engaged, but

it requires different

strategies and more

time to connect with

them.


it took longer to launch many programs than expected, resulting in Michigan’s one-year grant extension, as many programs had a slower start than anticipated. Staff reported significant difficulty in being able to quickly create the infrastructure, find qualified employees to support any given grant activity, and to move candidates through the hiring process quickly. In hindsight, more resources should have been allocated earlier to make sure these structures were in place.

What’s Next? The RTT-ELC investment helped accelerate early childhood efforts across Michigan. There is no doubt that Michigan children are better off due to this investment. This momentum will continue to advance opportunities and outcomes for young children across the state for years to come. Now, the MDE and its partners must consider how to sustain the gains made from the RTT-ELC grant and ensure continued energy around improving services and programs that support young children and their families.

Sustainability Planning An early step in Michigan’s work to sustain the gains made during RTT-ELC was to convene a sustainability planning team, which was charged

with determining activities that should be sustained and identifying potential funding opportunities. The planning team included diverse perspectives from state agency staff, advocates, philanthropic partners, and system leaders.

To arrive at its recommendations, the planning team followed a transparent, data-driven review process that relied heavily on qualitative and quantitative assessments of activity outcomes. The planning team regularly engaged grant partners to ensure the people most familiar with each activity could provide feedback throughout the sustainability planning process. A natural place to gather

feedback from grant partners was the Grant Implementation Group—or the GIG. The GIG was created when RTT-ELC launched to ensure coordination across activities. The GIG meets bimonthly and includes program leaders and staff from all grant partners.

The planning team recommended that the state:

• Sustain activities that can be continued at little or no cost by existing state staff

• Sustain data collection and reporting—which can be achieved by current state investments in data infrastructure


• Prioritize any additional state funding for child care quality efforts on three equally important areas:

- Quality supports for unlicensed and home-based providers

- Specialized consultation for social emotional and child care health

- Scholarships for child care providers

All these recommendations were implemented in the FY 2019 budget. In the year ahead, CEPI will continue to lead data collection efforts and will update early childhood reports annually. At the MDHHS, state leaders advocated and gained approval for increased funding for Social Emotional Consultants. Increased investment in T.E.A.C.H. scholarships will also continue thanks to new allocations from state lawmakers in the FY 2019 budget. Michigan AEYC will continue to administer these scholarships.

Upcoming Opportunities In addition to RTT-ELC-focused activities, partners across Michigan have continued to reassess systemic goals, improve programs and services, and strengthen quality improvement efforts. For example, leaders at the MDE have signaled their continued commitment to early childhood by naming the Prenatal-Age 8 Initiative as one of the department’s top priorities. The state also applied for, and received, the federal Preschool Development Grant: Birth Through Five (PDG B-5). This grant focuses on improving systems and supports for infants and toddlers and builds on quality improvements and investments made through RTT-ELC. This will be accomplished through improving the relationship between state, regional, and local entities that support young children and their families; better identifying children in need of programs and services; better connecting families to programs and services; and improving transitions and connections between programs. Michigan’s proposed PDG B-5 plan focuses heavily on serving children from birth through age three and their families, and also includes some activities designed to assist children and families through age five.

The ECIC is leading a collaborative effort to reassess the GSQ system. Over the past five years, the system has grown, participation has increased, and staff have a better understanding of the inputs that are most likely to improve outcomes for children. Additionally, early childhood professionals now better understand the challenges faced by providers in participating in GSQ and how to structure incentives to most effectively support providers. These partners plan to work with stakeholders across the system to refine the quality rating system based on this feedback.

The MDE, in partnership with Clinton County RESA and the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, conducted a series of three Training of Trainers (TOT) institutes for the Essential Instructional

The state also

applied for, and

received, the federal

Preschool Development

Grant: Birth

Through Five

(PDG B-5).


Practices in Early Literacy for Prekindergarten in November and December of 2018, training 281 prekindergarten educators on essential instructional practices. The TOT was available to a wide range of prekindergarten professionals representing Head Start, early childhood special education, Great Start Collaboratives, Intermediate School Districts, GSRP, Great Start to Quality Resource Centers, institutes of higher education, and more. Each participant attended four days of training, where they learned about each of the 10 essential instructional practices, participated in

activities demonstrating adult learning practices, and received materials for replicating training in their own communities. Each participant committed to providing at least three comprehensive trainings within their regional communities within one year of training. In the next year, MDE plans on training another cohort of prekindergarten trainers, participating in the development of the Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy for Birth to Three, followed by a TOT for the birth-to-three essentials.

Michigan has also built a comprehensive, online professional development registry, called MiRegistry. This tool allows early care

and education providers to access and track high-quality professional development. Currently in its infancy, this tool will be the foundation for an intentional statewide effort to build career pathways for early childhood professionals.

Beyond these specific efforts, RTT-ELC helped Michigan continue to foster leadership among the state’s early childhood community. These leaders both inside and outside state government will be seeking out opportunities to improve the lives for young Michiganders for decades to come.

Prepared by

Public Sector ConsultantsLansing, Michiganwww.publicsectorconsultants.com

Prepared forMichigan Department of EducationLansing, Michiganwww.michigan.gov/mde

http://www.publicsectorconsultants.com

http://www.michigan.gov/mde

reflections on michigan’s race to the top-early learning ......reflections on michigan’s race to...

Documents