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: MRTQ PDN conducts a biennial Professional Development Needs Assessment. The survey is conducted primarily online. In addition to demographic questions (county of residence, type of program, job title, years of experience), questions are asked about individuals’ knowledge and training and technical assistance activities offered by MRTQ PDN, where individuals access training (including why they do not access training from MRTQ PDN, if applicable), and their interest in receiving training on various topics. The survey link is sent out to all MRTQ registry members with web access. It is publicized in MRTQ PDN publications (newsletters and social media). Postcards are sent to all licensed programs that do not have a Registry member on staff. The link is shared with child care licensing and other partners. This past year the Lead Agency focused on consultation with parents and providers to inform the early care and education needs assessment conducted for the Preschool Development Grant. This needs assessment included a focus on quality improvement activities. Over the past few years, Maine has expanded its programming and initiatives to improve the quality of child care adding in the Early Childhood Consultation Partnership (ECCP) Program and piloting First4ME, an innovative program that is modeled after Head Start child care partnerships and regional hubs for early care and education. In the coming years, Maine will be building on the biennial needs assessment through MRTQ PDN to conduct a broader assessment of all quality activities and to include parents and family consultation in the assessment process. 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: Key takeaways from the PDG needs assessment on quality activities were: - Improvements to Rising Stars for ME have the potential to make it easier and more feasible for programs to improve their ratings but the value of making the required investments needs further demonstration. - Programs need incentives for improving program quality given competing challenges, e.g., staff shortages. - The greatest needs for professional development have not changed much in 5 years but may be felt even more acutely post pandemic: addressing challenging behaviors; working with children who have special needs; and learning about trauma-informed practices. Key takeaways from the biennial MRTQ PDN needs assessment were: - 85% providers access training through MRTQ PDN, 85% were satisfied with trainings offered by MRTQ PDN, and 85% value access to on demand training. - About 33% want to participate in facilitated trainings online and 33% want to access in person training as part of their professional learning - The top 5 training topics that professionals are most interested in include support for challenging behaviors, social and emotional learning, outdoor and nature-based programming, serving children with disabilities, and engaging and communicating with families. The Lead Agency has identified some key goals that can be delivered through CCDF funds and PDG funds, including quality improvement funding and technical assistance, increased outreach connecting programs to onsite technical assistance, including through ECCP, and growth in training and T.A. for inclusion and serving children with disabilities.