7.1 Quality Activities Needs Assessment

7.1.1 Needs assessment process and findings a. Describe the Lead Agency needs assessment process for expending CCDF funds on activities to improve the quality of child care, including the frequency of assessment, how a range of parents and providers were consulted, and how their views are incorporated: Use of federal funding during the pandemic has taught Delaware the need for a cyclical analysis of data, since state agencies had to make in-the-moment decisions on program design, policy, and use of resources. As a result, Delaware has aligned the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan and CCDF Plan writing process in an effort to establish bi-annual cycles of data gathering, analyses, and decision making that respond to the needs of children, families, and the early childhood workforce. For Delaware to adopt a human-centered approach to this work, we must engage partners in the design of our solutions after collecting and analyzing needs. Phase I of the needs assessment includes literature reviews of existing reports and interactions with family and early childhood professional stakeholders to understand their user experience. In Phase 2 of this approach, we will move to responding to the uncovered needs by planning new policy strategy in co-design sessions. Public workshops will provide inclusive opportunities for families and early childhood professionals to uncover needs, brainstorm solutions and to respond to findings. The Phase I needs assessment has qualitative and quantitative elements with three major audiences: families, early childhood professionals and providers, and system-level professionals. As described in Section 1 of the plan, DOE and DHSS in partnership with the contractor ￿Social Contract￿ conducted qualitative and quantitative research by conducting focus groups, phone and online surveys to understand family, early childhood professional and provider ￿user experiences￿ within the present system. Simultaneously, agency teams reviewed other early childhood needs assessments and reports (ex. MIECHV needs assessment, cost of quality report). Phase I Needs Assessment as described in Section 1 began in January 2024 and ended in June 2024. After outlining draft solutions based on user experiences and collected suggestions, state agency teams will circle back to our focus group settings to reengage participants and present summarized needs assessment findings. These public workshops will allow participants to co-design solutions for the opportunities uncovered within each plan topic. Based on the timeline of the new rule being released, these workshops will be scheduled for the summer and early fall of 2024. Co-designed solutions will be written into a future CCDF Plan Amendment. We will continue to recruit for these opportunities using announcements through email blasts, social media, and flyers, in English and Spanish. In the future, we will expand our invitations. We will try asking community-based organization partners from across the state to recruit their family members to participate in qualitative interviews, surveys, and ￿pop-up events.￿ State agency staff will attend regularly scheduled meetings of organizations and interview employed early childhood professionals in trainings. b. Describe the findings of the assessment, including any findings related to needs of different populations and types of providers, and if any overarching goals for quality improvement were identified: In the first year of implementing this ￿user-centric￿ cycle of a statewide needs assessment, the Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) secured feedback from a variety of early childhood stakeholders to ensure both departments have a robust understanding of how users (government systems, nonprofit, and families) feel about current services and systems. DOE and DHSS utilized a mixed methods research approach of focus groups and surveys to gather perceptions, sentiments, and recommendations from aforementioned stakeholder groups. DOE and DHSS specifically targeted the follow groups for feedback: Professionals, Agency/Nonprofits, and Families. DOE and DHSS provided in-person and virtual opportunities for focus groups, while providing families with the opportunity to weigh in via survey. Data analysis was conducted for in-person sessions and virtual sessions, then merged together for a full synthesis. The needs assessment findings described were finalized in June 2024. Key takeaways that informed this plan are listed below. KEY TAKEAWAYS ORGANIZED BY TOPIC Takeaways: Workforce • It takes a special kind of person - kind, compassionate, empathetic, nurturing - to be successful in early childhood education. These soft skills are difficult to teach and often come with learned and lived experience, while other technical skills can be learned through training and education. • Willingness to learn and grow is really important - education and a willingness to grow is seen as more important than years of experience. • Childcare professionals need to have a passion for the work. • Experience is not even in the top 5 most important! Most people think you can be trained up and gain experience, but that it is more important to have the knowledge of developmentally appropriate practice/developmental stages, and a willingness to learn. • There is a severe shortage of qualified professionals • Retention and turnover is a contributing challenge • It is not hard to get people through the door, but they are not qualified • Better pay, pathways and pipeline programs, and a rebrand of the child care career can help attract people to the workforce • There are untapped markets of people in tangentially related jobs, and suitable for careers in early childhood education • Health and safety training is important to ensure quality; but in general, professional development opportunities are missing the mark • Ratios are very important; the smaller the ratio, the better • A ratio is important, and so is the type of professional in the classroom Takeaways: Licensing Health & Safety Note: The sample size of those who responded to the questions regarding licensing health and safety was notably reduced. • Safety encompasses more than solely physical and environmental safety; it also includes operational procedures and interpersonal wellness • The definition of health and safety needs to be broader • A deep understanding of child development is important for health and safety • The format of effective training is hands-on instruction, then coaching • Training is best when hands on and interactive, but training alone is not enough; it needs to be coupled with coaching and measurement/accountability Takeaways: Systems and Tools Note: Only one group responded to the questions regarding systems and tools; thus, the sample size is notably reduced. • The background check should be codified and streamlined for accessibility • Additional funds should be put towards training and supporting the needs of children and staff • More guidance on how to spend the funds would be beneficial • When spending funds, accountability and transparency are important • Spending data should be shared and updated frequently, in terms easily understood by the public, in user-friendly ways STRENGTHS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT Strengths in Delaware’s childcare ecosystem • Passionate workforce • Those doing the work have a wealth of experience (e.g. already know the ideal ratios) • Training up is possible when people are willing to learn • There are untapped markets for recruitment • Health and safety requirements make a difference in the quality of child care Recruitment & Retention Opportunities Expand salary and benefits • More competitive salaries Geographic parity • Create minimum salaries (paraeducators) • Expand bonus programs (e.g. sign on, end of year, retention, performance) • Expand benefit options (and start them earlier; 30 days after hire) • Improve PTO and sick time Pipeline Partnerships • Collaborations with high schools and colleges • FCC and center allowances to get degrees • Para-to-teacher program Rebrand the career • Market the importance of this career; the youngest children need the strongest teachers • Storytelling campaigns • Market the flexibility that this career affords professionals • Advertise the career growth and continuous education opportunities • Market to librarians, parents, people in theater, bus drivers, retired teachers, etc. Health & Safety Opportunities Standardization • Standardize health & safety requirements and trainings • Codify and standardize requirements for a center to have children and be compensated for their services • Determine ideal ratios by age group Training • Expand the definition of health and safety so that training can be broadened • Require trainings in physical safety as well as child development • Develop training that is hands-on instruction-based and followed up with coaching Summary: Professional Development Opportunities • Codify and standardize trainings for building an expertise in childcare as well as safety. • Create hands-on interactive learning experiences, followed up with coaching or mentoring. • Develop refresher courses, and ensure that learning is continuous. DOE and DHSS will continue to cycle through co-design sessions in the summer of 2024 to refine new policy ideas. They will use this feedback to inform policy and make any amendments to the CCDF State Plan.