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. [ ] Connecting family child care providers and center-based child care staff to health insurance or supporting premiums in the Marketplace. iv. [ ] Subsidizing family child care provider and center-based child care staff retirement benefits. v. [ ] Providing paid sick, personal, and parental leave for family child care providers and center-based child care staff. vi. [ ] 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. [ ] Other. Describe: 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. The Maine Early Childhood Workforce Salary Supplement System assists eligible child care providers in paying competitive salaries to address challenges in the child care workforce and ensure access to affordable, high-quality child care options for Maine families. The system provides salary supplements to providers for eligible workers based on the workers’ level of education and experience. This system is available to child care providers and early childhood educators who provide direct child care services to children in licensed child care facilities or are licensed family child care providers. As an activity of the PDG B-5 grant, the Lead Agency is contracting out to conduct an evaluation of the Maine Early Childhood Workforce Salary Supplement System. The evaluation will collect data from the program and individual staff levels. 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. The Lead Agency partnered with CELFE to analyze Maine’s investment in the early care and education system statewide including public PreK. The outcomes of this analysis will guide the Lead Agency in access and/or expansion in the future of access to benefits, including health insurance, paid sick, personal, and parental leave, and retirement benefits. The two cost modeling tools created indicate the true cost of care when benefits are included. d. Describe any Lead Agency ongoing efforts and future plans to support the mental health and well-being of the child care workforce. The Lead Agency houses Maine’s Salary Supplement program, ECE Consultation for ME, and contracted training and technical assistance through MRTQ PDN. ECE Consultations for ME offers free early childhood mental health consultation to child care programs statewide in Maine. These programs and services contribute to a supportive work environment and the wellbeing of the child care workforce. e. Describe any other strategies the Lead Agency is developing and/or implementing to support providers’ recruitment and retention of the child care workforce. In addition to the Maine Early Childhood Workforce Salary Supplement System, the Lead Agency offers a variety of professional development opportunities and pathways to developing and/or implementing to support providers’ recruitment and retention of the child care workforce. The newest strategy launched by pilot in the fall of 2023 and now statewide is in partnership with Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG) and MRTQ PDN for high school students in JMG and at least 16 years old to earn the JMG Child Care Career Badge. This is a forty- hour job shadowing and training experience. Once completed, a student receives the badge along with a $500 stipend funded through MRJP. The student is also then ready for employment by meeting Maine Licensing requirements and CCDF complaint. 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. Through the Lead Agency's partnership with MRTQ PDN, a review of all trainings geared towards business practices are being reviewed for needed updates and to identify gap areas for additional trainings needed with the Strengthening Business Practices for Child Care Programs. The Lead Agency has a newly developed position called Child Care Program Navigator whose main role will be to aid programs in navigating the system with a focus on programs and resources that ultimately can assist in stronger business practices and increased revenue. 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: MRTQ PDN works with practitioners and offers specialized resources and supports. French and English are the primary languages in Maine. However, some pockets of Maine have over 16 different languages. MRTQ PDN works individually with programs and practitioners needing assistance. Interpreters are available on an as needed basis. The MRTQ PDN website can be read in multiple languages. Interpreters are utilized as needed during trainings in person or on demand. The Lead Agency supports recruitment and participation of providers with limited English proficiency to participate as a CCSP provider through targeted outreach and communications. This includes translated materials and outreach to stakeholder groups within identified communities. b. Providers and staff who have disabilities: The Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) is a partner of the MRTQ PDN. There work is specific to Inclusion. The DCs workplans include outreach to all providers and will assist with obtaining resources or additional support as needed for any provider who has a disability in order to help assist with meeting their needs. The Lead Agency supports recruitment and participation of providers with disabilities to participate as a CCSP provider through statewide outreach to all licensed providers or individuals identified as possible CCSP license-exempt providers.