6.1 Supporting the Child Care Workforce

Lead Agencies have broad flexibility to implement policies and practices to support the child care workforce. 6.1.1 Strategies to improve recruitment, retention, compensation, and well-being a. Identify any Lead Agency activities related to strengthening workforce recruitment and retention of child care providers. Check all that apply: i. [x] Providing program-level grants to support investments in staff compensation. ii. [x] Providing bonuses or stipends paid directly to staff, like sign-on or retention bonuses. iii. [x] Connecting family child care providers and center-based child care staff to health insurance or supporting premiums in the Marketplace. iv. [x] Subsidizing family child care provider and center-based child care staff retirement benefits. v. [x] Providing paid sick, personal, and parental leave for family child care providers and center-based child care staff. vi. [x] Providing student loan debt relief or loan repayment for family child care providers and center-based child care staff. vii. [x] Providing scholarships or tuition support for center-based child care staff and family child care providers. viii. [x] Other. Describe: A.) The Early Childhood Educator Tax Credit (see below) B.) State Income Tax Credit for Careworkers (see below) and C.) CDEC has multiple efforts underway to assess and improve the compensation of the child care workforce which are framed through the Pathways to Success: Colorado’s Comprehensive Early Childhood Workforce Plan (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LsAslBh7KP_R9BIwqmz5iTh8tniKEnoc/view). Colorado has a long history of recognizing and addressing early childhood workforce challenges. This plan builds on that experience and is centered on common challenges and opportunities across the early childhood workforce. With many ongoing efforts and plans already focused on advancing Colorado’s early childhood workforce, this plan does not create new recommendations. Instead, this plan brings together the goals, strategies, and recommendations from over 24 existing plans, initiatives, and frameworks. Four anchor themes have been identified: 1) Compensation and Finance; 2) Recruitment and Career Pathways; 3) Retention and Wellness; and 4) System Learning, Leadership, and Support. These themes establish a framework that not only addresses immediate needs but also drives Colorado towards long-term goals. Each theme includes a brief overview, contextual background, relevant data, and integrates goals and strategies from various frameworks and initiatives across the early childhood system. The plan is available in English, Spanish and Arabic. b. Describe any Lead Agency ongoing efforts and future plans to assess and improve the compensation of the child care workforce in the State or Territory, including increasing wages, bonuses, and stipends. CDEC’s current efforts to improve compensation include implementation of three specific initiatives: 1) The CCCAP Teacher Wage Increase Pilot provides a substantial salary boost of $3-$7.50 per hour to early childhood teachers with the goal of providing a livable wage; 2) The Early Childhood Educator Tax Credit which provides an annual tax credit of $850-$1,700 to early childhood professionals based on their Early Childhood Professional Credential (ECPC ) level, duration of employment during that tax year of at least six months, and annual income of less than $75,000 as an individual or less than $150,000 if married filing jointly; 3) Publication of recommended Salary Scales anchored in the MIT Living Wage Calculator for each Colorado geographical region and 4.) HB24-1312 legislation has created an additional State Income Tax Credit for qualifying care workers beginning in the 2025 tax year in the amount of $1,200 for individual filers and $2,400 for joint filers. Future plans for improving compensation are underway with funding from Early Educator Investment Collaborative Compensation Capacity Building Grant which includes support for additional planning, partnerships with other state agencies, cost modeling, and research strategies identified in the Compensation and Benefits Task Force Report, including gathering data on compensation parity for early childhood teachers. c. Describe any Lead Agency ongoing efforts and future plans to expand access to benefits, including health insurance, paid sick, personal, and parental leave, and retirement benefits. CDEC’s current efforts to expand access to benefits include implementation of: 1) the Family Child Care Home Compensation Pilot which offsets the cost of benefits for FCCHs, including costs associated with health care, paid time off and retirement contribution; and 2) implementation of a Substitute Fund to increase the number of Sub Placement Agencies across Colorado, to increase the number of qualified substitutes and to subsidize the cost of substitute placements. Future plans for improving access to benefits are underway and have been prioritized through robust stakeholder engagement in a set of Benefits Taskforce Recommendations which will be published in the Summer of 2024. d. Describe any Lead Agency ongoing efforts and future plans to support the mental health and well-being of the child care workforce. CDEC’s current efforts to support the mental health and well-being of the child care workforce include: 1) implementation of focused recommendations to build and support the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation workforce across Colorado; 2) implementation of a 24-hour Early Childhood Mental Health support line for professionals across Colorado who care for children birth to age five; 3) simplifying and streamlining departmental systems so that early childhood professionals can focus on what they do best; and 4) continued piloting of Peer Mentoring cohorts which are demonstrating a meaningful impact on reducing stress during the first year of teaching. Future plans for improving access to mental health and wellness supports are underway through robust stakeholder engagement including a set of Benefits Taskforce Recommendations which will be published in the Spring of 2024. e. Describe any other strategies the Lead Agency is developing and/or implementing to support providers’ recruitment and retention of the child care workforce. CDEC’s current efforts to support workforce recruitment and retention include: 1) free early childhood courses; 2) apprenticeship pathways; 3) higher education scholarships; 4) loan forgiveness; 5) peer mentoring and coaching support; 6) Child Development Associate Credential Scholarships; 7) higher education innovation partnerships; and 8) enhanced training pathways for the comprehensive workforce (including Qualified Exempt and Family, Friend and Neighbor providers). Future plans for improving recruitment and retention efforts include cross-agency strategy development in alignment with workforce efforts across Colorado and coordinated under the governance of the Early Childhood Workforce Subcommittee of the Early Childhood Leadership Commission. 6.1.2 Strategies to support provider business practices a. Describe other strategies that the Lead Agency is developing and/or implementing to strengthen child care providers’ business management and administrative practices. CDEC’s current efforts to strengthen business management and administrative practices include free access to a series of small business trainings designed specifically for child care providers to enhance business practices, improve revenue and support sustainability. Colorado recognizes the value of business practices and includes leadership, management and administration as one of the five quality standards within the Colorado Shines Quality Rating and Improvement System. Reinforcement of this standard is leveraged through quality improvement supports, such as coaching and professional development. The Colorado Shines coaching model includes intensive support offered by subject matter experts to enhance particular aspects of quality. One way in which credentialed coaches support the Leadership, Management and Administration Quality Indicator is through the utilization of the Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS) and the Program Administration Scale (PAS). Both are reliable and easy-to-administer tools for measuring the overall leadership and management practices of early childhood programs. Each tool can be utilized as a self-assessment, or in combination with coaching to learn about the quality of practices and act as a catalyst for action toward positive change and quality improvement efforts. Colorado is fortunate to have a number of qualified trainers for the BAS and PAS. These Individuals offer training support and technical assistance on a fee for service basis. State level training support will be provided as needed and budget allows. b. Check the topics addressed in the Lead Agency’s strategies for strengthening child care providers’ administrative business practices. Check all that apply: i. [x] Fiscal management. ii. [x] Budgeting. iii. [x] Recordkeeping. iv. [x] Hiring, developing, and retaining qualified staff. v. [x] Risk management. vi. [x] Community relationships. vii. [x] Marketing and public relations. viii. [x] Parent-provider communications. ix. [x] Use of technology in business administration. x. [x] Compliance with employment and labor laws. xi. [ ] Other. Describe any other efforts to strengthen providers’ administrative business: 6.1.3 Strategies to support provider participation Lead Agencies must facilitate participation of child care providers and staff with limited English proficiency and disabilities in the child care subsidy system. Describe how the Lead Agency will facilitate this participation, including engagement with providers to identify barriers and specific strategies used to support their participation: a. Providers and staff with limited English proficiency: CDEC has secured temporary funding for a Language Justice position, a Tribal Liaison, and a Bilingual Licensing team. The Colorado Shines Professional Development Information System contains a Learning Management System, making training widely available. CDEC partners with multiple advisory and provider groups (including the Family Voice Council, the FFN Advisory Council, and the Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning) to identify language barriers that exist and to co-design specific strategies to address language access and culturally responsive instructional design. As training is approved and added to the system - including training required by licensing as well as ongoing professional development - the self-paced e-learning modules are available to professionals across the state. In addition, many of the modules are available as face-to-face learning experiences and can be utilized by qualified trainers statewide, including trainers associated with Indian tribes and tribal organizations. All required training offered through the Professional Development Information System is available in Spanish. Arabic translations will be available by December 2024. Additional multilingual supports for pre-licensing and instructor-led training are being developed with close stakeholder participation and in collaboration with cultural partners. b. Providers and staff who have disabilities: CDEC has secured a permanent position for a Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility. This position is working to ensure the accessibility of all Department services and programs. Child Care Licensing specialists consult with child care providers and potential child care providers (applicants) to make accommodations necessary to become licensed, including those with disabilities.