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: Through the Preschool Development Birth-Five (PDG B-5) grant, Michigan has conducted several studies that have helped inform our quality activities. The frequency of assessment has been tied to additional state funding through both Race to the Top and Preschool Development Grant funding. The most recent full needs assessment and strategic plan were completed in 2020 and included early childhood, early intervention and special education, home visiting, health and family support components. The contractor conducted interviews, focus groups, and a town hall to gather feedback from stakeholders in each of the components. Stakeholders included parents of young children, early child care and education providers, foundations and funding entities, home visiting providers, social and emotional health providers, and early childhood program managers and administrators from across the state. Their feedback was directly incorporated into the themes and strategic plan priority areas, one of which is workforce. With PDG funding, additional reports were developed to dive deeper into some of the needs and recommendations. 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: One of the additional reports that was commissioned after the original needs assessment was Child Care Workforce in Michigan: Understanding and Addressing Recruitment and Retention Issues. This report was published in 2022. The contractor that prepared the report gathered feedback from child care center administrators via focus groups and individual surveys. Compensation surfaced as the biggest concern around recruitment and retention for both administrators and early educators/classroom staff. Finding and keeping staff was of paramount concern to administrators. Positive work environment, high quality professional development and access to quality preparation programs were shared as important retention components for staff. In response to these findings, we have incorporated apprenticeship into our state strategy. Apprenticeship can support recruitment, retention and compensation. We also have strengthened our high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway. This academic year (2023-2024) students have access to a CTE education program throughout the entire state. We are also working with the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children (MiAEYC) to support these high school students with seeing themselves as part of a rewarding profession. There is a track specific to high school students at their annual early childhood conference. As a state, we are looking at ways to support program administrators with building a positive work environment through a cohort model that is also being offered by MiAEYC. Professional development access continues to be a quality improvement goal for our state. We continue to work with our state registry to recruit additional training sponsors and trainers to go through approval and offer approved content to our workforce. Access to affordable higher education is also equality improvement goal that is not only a focus for our office, but also for our Governor. Implementing Great Start to Quality (GSQ) continues to be a critical part of improving the quality of child care in our state. Much effort has gone into revising Great Start to Quality based on provider and partner input and program data. The revision focused on creating a more equitable system focused on a continuous quality improvement process and quality levels. Currently, ten regional Resource Centers employing Quality Improvement Coaches (QIC) and Quality Improvement Specialists (QIS) work to support providers' participation in GSQ by providing outreach and engagement, resource and referrals, ongoing coaching, consultation, technical assistance, and professional development opportunities.