6.2 Professional Development Framework

A Lead Agency must have a professional development framework for training, professional development, and post-secondary education for caregivers, teachers, and directors in child care programs that serve children of all ages. The framework must include these components: (1) professional standards and competencies, (2) career pathways, (3) advisory structures, (4) articulation, (5) workforce information, and (6) financing. CCDF provides Lead Agencies flexibility on the strategies, breadth, and depth of the framework. The professional development framework must be developed in consultation with the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care or a similar coordinating body. 6.2.1 Updates and consultation a. Did the Lead Agency make any updates to the professional development framework since the FFY 2022-2024 CCDF Plan was submitted? [x] Yes. If yes, describe the elements of the framework that were updated and describe if and how the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care (if applicable) or similar coordinating body was consulted: The All in For Kansas Kids Strategic Plan goals included actions aimed at workforce development to unify and professionalize the workforce. The All in For Kansas Kids Strategic Plan was developed as part of the effort to coordinate initiatives and outcomes by the Kansas Early Childhood Advisory Council, Kansas Children's Cabinet. These actions included the adoption of new Core Competencies, the building of a Career Pathway which included efforts to increase articulation between both two-year and four-year university, and the creation of a Workforce Registry. All of this work is part of the Kansas Early Childhood Governance Structure collaboration, which includes many Early Childhood advisory or workgroups, the Early childhood Recommendation Panel, the State Directors Team, the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care, and the Governor. Federal relief funds helped with the development of many of these activities. Part of the All In For Kansas Kids activities included fiscal mapping to try to increase alignment between funding sources. The Kansas Early Learning Standards, revised in 2023 and adopted by the Kansas Children’s Cabinet in its role as state Early Childhood Advisory Council in 2024. [ ]No. b. Did the Lead Agency consult with other key groups in the development of their professional development framework? [x] Yes. If yes, identify the other key groups: Core Competencies: The Workforce Development Advisory Group consists of members from Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities, state agencies, non-profits, and early childhood care and education professionals across the early childhood ecosystem. Kansas Early Learning Standards: Kansas State Department of Education, Kansas Head Start Association, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Child Care Aware of Kansas, Kansas State University, Kansas University, Hutchinson Community College, The Kansas Children’s Cabinet Trust staff, and Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities were involved in the efforts to revise The Kansas Early Learning Standards. Career Pathways: The Career Pathway was developed by the Professional Development Implementation Team, in consultation with the Workforce Development Advisory Group. The Professional Development Implementation Team was comprised of leaders from three state agencies, the Kansas Children’s Cabinet Trust Fund, Kansas Department for Children and Families, and Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the two lead Kansas workforce development and technical assistance contractors: Child Care Aware of Kansas and Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities. The Professional Development Implementation Team facilitated more than 80 meetings with early childhood professionals who work in various settings: child care, infant/toddler programs, preschool, among others, to solicit input and address feedback. Workforce Registry: Technical development on the early childhood Workforce Registry in Kansas is underway and being led by the Kansas Children’s Cabinet Trust Fund and Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities, which has made significant progress towards permanently elevating and professionalizing the early childhood workforce in Kansas. State agencies, specifically Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Kansas Department for Children and Families, and Child Care Aware of Kansas are vital collaborative partners in this work. [ ] No. 6.2.2 Description of the professional development framework a. Describe how the Lead Agency’s framework for training and professional development addresses the following required elements: i. Professional standards and competencies. For example, Lead Agencies can include information about which roles in early childhood education are included (such as teachers, directors, infant and toddler specialists, mental health consultants, coaches, licensors, QIS assessors, family service workers, home visitors). Kansas Core Competencies for Early Childhood Care and Education Professionals provides a competency-based foundation for the professional development of early childhood care and education professionals by defining what adults working with children and families need to know and be able to do to provide quality early care and education. By defining the levels of competencies, it allows early childhood care and education professionals to evaluate professional growth from one competency level to the next supported by training, education, and self- assessment. Lead Agency Workforce Professional Development agreement requires all professional development content align with and identify competency content areas. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment approves child care training and requires that core competency content area and skill level of audience be identified. The Kansas Early Learning Standards provide information and guidance to early childhood care and education professionals on the developmental sequence of learning for children from birth through kindergarten. It is a resource that providers and teachers can use to plan activities and engage in conversations with young children and their families around early learning. The Kansas Family Engagement and Partnership Standards for Early Childhood are structured to align with the Kansas Early Learning Standards and the Kansas School Readiness Framework. The standards provide information and guidance for early childhood care and education professionals, including individuals working with children from birth through age five on the engagement of families. ii. Career pathways. For example, Lead Agencies can include information about professional development registries, career ladders, and levels. The Lead Agency’s Workforce Professional Development agreement will implement a comprehensive Career Pathway inclusive of professionals working in a variety of early child care and education settings in Kansas, providing consultation and technical assistance to administrative and program staff working on professional growth, which will include progression on the career pathway. The agreement will also promote and operationalize components of the pathway within a competency-based framework in alignment with existing design principles including but not limited to, supporting the goal of developing a highly qualified and effective workforce for professionals providing care for children birth to school age. iii. Advisory structure. For example, Lead Agencies can include information about how the professional development advisory structure interacts with the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care. The Lead Agency solicits and receives recommendations through regularly scheduled meetings with early childhood education partners. The Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund has been recognized by the governor as the Kansas Early Childhood Advisory Council. The council includes the State Directors Team which is comprised of members from key state agencies that support Kansas children and families. Agencies represented include the Lead Agency Kansas Department for Children and Families, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas State Department of Education, and Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund. The Lead Agency sponsored Workforce Professional Development Advisory Group aligns their work with the All in For Kansas Kids Strategic Plan. The advisory group is part of the Kansas Early Childhood Governance Structure and recommendations from the group help inform the Kansas Early Childhood Advisory Council Recommendations Panel and/or the State Directors Team. Decisions are made in coordination with these entities and other early childhood advisory or workgroups. iv. Articulation. For example, Lead Agencies can include information about articulation agreements, and collaborative agreements that support progress in degree acquisition. Historically, agreements have been individually negotiated between two-year and four-year postsecondary programs. The Career Pathway aligns with higher education requirements and supports degree acquisition at the associate’s and bachelor’s level. To be more representative of the entire early childhood workforce expansion of the Career Pathway to include levels reflecting graduate certification is planned during 2024-2025. Throughout this period, Career Pathway-focused meetings around articulation agreements will be held with individuals who represent both community colleges and universities. These individuals will engage with the Workforce Development Advisory Group to discuss with the broader workforce how these articulation agreements will impact the training and professional development system. v. Workforce information. For example, Lead Agencies can include information about workforce demographics, educator well-being, retention/turnover surveys, actual wage scales, and/or access to benefits. The Lead Agency’s partner Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities, in partnership with the Office of Educational Innovation and Evaluation administered a workforce survey in 2023 to gather feedback from early childhood care and education professionals who work or worked in the state of Kansas, seeking to better understand the workforce and the systems that affect turnover and workplace satisfaction. The survey includes data on demographics including role, full time/part time, type of setting, county, annual salary, other income supports, and benefits. The identifiable information is collected separately and not tied to the survey responses. However, there is no data to compare the feedback with because this survey had not been previously administered. Kansas is developing a Workforce Registry to better capture needed workforce data, including workforce demographics, education levels, and other provider specific data that can be used as part of improvements in the future to the professional framework. vi. Financing. For example, Lead Agencies can include information about strategies including scholarships, apprenticeships, wage enhancements, etc. The Lead Agency provides CCDF funding to support progression of professional development through agreements for Child Care Workforce Professional Development, Infant-Toddler Specialist Network, Child Care Quality Improvement Systems, Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Licensing Agreement, and also (while not funded with CCDF) Child Care Health Consultants. In service clock-hour training, continuing education unit training, higher education for early childhood education associate degrees, early childhood certification, director’s credential, and Child Development Associate credential training and application fees are available through the Child Care Workforce Professional Development agreement. The Infant-Toddler Specialist Network and Links to Quality provide financial incentives to participants as they work through and accomplish goals on their Quality Improvement Plans. b. Does the Lead Agency use additional elements? [x] Yes. If yes, describe the element(s). Check all that apply. i. [x] Continuing education unit trainings and credit-bearing professional development. Describe: The Career Pathway was developed with a higher education focus path and a professional development learning path. In the Career Pathway, professional learning hours can include continuing education hours, and both clock and credit-bearing hours. ii. [x] Engagement of training and professional development providers, including higher education, in aligning training and educational opportunities with the Lead Agency's framework. Describe: The Workforce Development Advisory Group and subgroups, and the Kansas Early Childhood Recommendations Panel include training and professional development providers and higher education professionals. iii. [x] Other. Describe: The Workforce Development Advisory Group conducted a child care workforce survey and received feedback from 1,660 early childhood care and education professionals to help inform work involved with the professional framework. [ ] No. 6.2.3 Impact of the Professional Development Framework Describe how the framework improves the quality, diversity, stability, and retention of caregivers, teachers, and directors and identify what data are available to assess the impact. a. Professional standards and competencies. For example, do the professional standards and competencies reflect the diversity of providers across role, child care setting, or age of children served? The Kansas Core Competencies for Early Childhood Care and Education Professionals are based on 8 domains, skill areas based on each domain, and 4 levels of competencies, which were developed using Bloom’s Taxonomy. Bloom’s Taxonomy states that learners must begin by learning basic, foundational knowledge about a given subject before they can progress to more complex types of thinking, such as analysis and evaluation. The competencies and levels relate to all early care and education settings and early educator roles. Each level addresses the skills needed to know and care for young children, regardless of the setting. The Kansas Core Competencies are aligned for ages infants to school age through alignment and crosswalk with the following: National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Standards and Competencies, Division of Early Childhood Recommended Practices, National Association for Family Child Care Quality Standards, National Afterschool Association Core Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies and Child Development Associate Competency Goals and Functional Areas. b. Career pathways. For example, has the Lead Agency developed a wage ladder that provides progressively higher wages as early educators gain more experience and credentials? What types of child care settings and staff roles are addressed in career pathways, such as licensed centers and family child care homes? The Career Pathway visually represents the career, support, and training options available to professionals in the Early Childhood Care and Education system. The Career Pathway is a competency- based pathway and offers a clearly articulated path for professional development that recognizes credit bearing and non-credit bearing avenues as well as professional experience with children with multiple entry points. Every early childhood care and education professional should be on the pathway and opportunities for further education and training. The Career Pathway outlines professional support to advance along the pathway including advising, coaching, and mentoring for early childhood care and education professionals including those working in licensed child care facilities as well as family child care homes. c. Advisory structure. For example, has the advisory structure identified goals for child care workforce compensation, including types of staff and target compensation levels? Does the Lead Agency have a Preschool Development Birth-to-Five grant and is part of its scope of work child care compensation activities? Are they represented in the advisory structure? The Kansas Early Childhood Advisory Council and Recommendations Panel and Workforce Professional Development Advisory Group are utilized to provide feedback and support for the professional development framework to improve the quality, diversity, stability, and retention of early childhood care and education professionals. These are both multi-agency teams that include a cross-section of early childhood care and education professionals. The Workforce Professional Development Advisory Group focus includes subgroups addressing Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity; Career Pathways, Core Competencies; Workforce Registry; Individual Professional Development Plan, Collaborative Technical Assistance Network, Collaborative Professional Development Group, and Yearly Professional Development Needs Assessment. All of this work helps inform the Preschool Development Birth-to-Five needs assessment and strategic plan. d. Articulation. For example, how does the advisory structure include training and professional development for providers, including higher education, to assist in aligning training and education opportunities? The Workforce Development Advisory Group includes members representing 2- and 4- year institutes of higher education, from Kansas Department of Education Family and Consumer Sciences, support service professionals, and direct service professionals. All members of the Workforce Development Advisory Group have the opportunity to participate in workgroups focusing on professional development topics such as individualized professional development plans, trainer and training approval processes, core competencies, and technical assistance alignment and referrals. e. Workforce information. For example, does the Lead Agency have data on the existing wages and benefits available to the child care workforce? Do any partners such as the Quality Improvement System, child care resource and referral agencies, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and universities and research organizations collect compensation and benefits data? Does the Lead Agency monitor child care workforce wages and access to benefits through ongoing data collection and evaluation? Can the data identify any disparities in the existing compensation and benefits (by geography, role, child care setting, race, ethnicity, gender, or age of children served)? The Lead Agency’s partner, Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities, in partnership with the Office of Educational Innovation and Evaluation administered a workforce survey in 2023 to gather feedback from early childhood care and education professionals who work or worked in the state of Kansas, seeking to better understand the workforce and the systems that affect turnover and workplace satisfaction. The survey contains data to help identify disparities in the existing compensation and benefits with demographics collected including role, full time/part time, type of setting, county, annual salary, other income supports, and benefits. The identifiable information is collected separately and not tied to the survey responses. However, there is no data to compare the feedback with because this survey had not been previously administered. On the 2020 Kansas Child Care Market Analysis survey, questions were asked regarding annual wage/salaries for child care owners, directors/assistant directors, administrative assistants, full time classroom teachers, full-time assistant teachers, consultants, and other full and part-time staff. For smaller facilities and family homes, questions were asked about owners’ wages/salaries, and full /part-time staff. Questions were also asked about benefits available and how much those benefits cost in operational expenses. This information was used in the Kansas Narrow Cost Analysis to determine gaps with the subsidy payments and cost of meeting the base licensing requirements, which contains the CCDF Health and Safety requirements. This information was separated by child care settings of centers and family homes, including roles, which informed the Narrow Cost Analysis cost model. The costs varied by age of the children served. Neither the survey nor the analysis separated by geography, race, ethnicity, or gender. Because the Kansas Cost Model, developed by P5 Fiscal Strategies, uses wages in the assumptions, the wage information is gathered in the 2024 survey also. The data has not been used to identify disparities by child care settings in compensation and benefits, but instead it has been used to inform subsidy payment rates. f. Financing. For example, has the Lead Agency set a minimum or living wage as a floor for all child care staff? Do Lead Agency-provider subsidy agreements contain requirements for staff compensation levels? Do Lead Agencies provide program-level compensation grants to support staff base salaries and benefits? Does the Lead Agency administer bonuses or stipends directly to workers? Kansas uses CCDF funding to improve the quality of early childhood care and education, retain providers and stabilize the workforce by offering low or no cost workforce professional development and infant-toddler services at no cost. Financial incentives through the Child Care Workforce Professional Development agreement include trainer mini-grants and scholarships for progression of professional development. Trainer mini grants are designed to expand professional development opportunities for the child care workforce population state-wide with priority of funding awards aimed to increase professional development in rural areas. Kansas Department for Children and Families also supports scholarships towards professional development progression which requires applicants to complete an Individualized Professional Development Plans. Scholarships include progression of professional development through clock-hour training, continuing education unit training, higher education courses, early childhood certification, director’s credential, and Child Development Associate Credential training and application fees. The Infant-Toddler Specialist Network offers financial incentives to providers and programs serving infants and toddlers who need assistance in meeting goals for quality improvements. The lead agency does provide individual grants for the Kansas Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships. Kansas Early Head Start grantees pay a quality payment to participating child care providers, on top of the base subsidy payment that is issued to and paid by the parents. Amounts vary based on the individual grantees' agreements with their participating providers. These grants are regularly used to help offset the cost of salaries related to reduced ratios and higher staff qualifications in accordance with Head Start Program Performance Standards.