7.2 Use of Quality Set-Aside Funds

Lead Agencies must use a portion of their CCDF expenditures for activities designed to improve the quality of child care services and to increase parental options for and access to high-quality child care. They must use the quality set-aside funds on at least one of 10 activities described in CCDF and the quality activities must be aligned with a Statewide or Territory-wide assessment of the State's or Territory’s need to carry out such services and care. 7.2.1 Quality improvement activities a. Describe how the Lead Agency will make its Quality Progress Report (ACF – 218) and expenditure reports, available to the public. Provide a link if available. The Quality Progress Report (ACF-218) and Expenditure reports are posted on the Child Development and Care (CDC) website on the Data and Reporting page (https://www.michigan.gov/mileap/early-childhood-education/early-learners-and­ care/cdc/data-and-reporting) b. Identify Lead Agency plans, if any, to spend CCDF funds for each of the following quality improvement activities. If an activity is checked “yes”, describe the Lead Agency’s current and/or future plans for this activity. i. Supporting the training and professional development of the child care workforce, including birth to five and school-age providers. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. Michigan invests in a workforce registry that houses training and trainer approval aligned to core competencies for both Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Out of School Time (OST) and a career pathway with both foundational and professional levels that includes possible career opportunities in the field. There are currently 13,000approved courses in MiRegistry and1,900 approved trainers in MiRegistry. Michigan also invests in TEACH. TEACH. Early Childhood® MICHIGAN is a statewide scholarship program designed to help child care center teaching staff, preschool teachers, family child care providers, group homeowners, center directors, early childhood professionals and administrators meet their professional development goals, while continuing their current employment in regulated early childhood and school age care settings. TEACH. Early Childhood® MICHIGAN addresses two major challenges in the early education and care field ￿ low wages and high turnover. The scholarship helps increase compensation and the retention of skilled teachers. The education level of child care providers is one of the most critical indicators of the quality of a child’s experiences in child care. ii. Developing, maintaining, or implementing early learning and developmental guidelines. [x] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [ ] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. iii. Developing, implementing, or enhancing a quality improvement system. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. Great Start to Quality (GSQ), Michigan's Quality Recognition and Improvement System for child care, preschool, and school age only programs is administered by the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) on behalf of the Department. A network of ten GSQ Resource Centers are contracted by four Early Childhood Support Networks to provide quality improvement technical assistance, training and resources designed to assist providers in increasing their quality levels. iv. Improving the supply and quality of child care services for infants and toddlers. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. 45% of the GSQ Resource Center budgets are dedicated to infant and toddler training and professional development. Michigan’s work to support high-quality care for infants and toddlers has been identified as a national exemplar and a promising practice. This work continues today through the Infant Toddler Learning Community of Practice (ITLC) with a focus on birth ￿ three foundational training (available online beginning 2024). Through this work and other professional development exercises, the ITLC helps providers develop and further hone key skill sets that can improve classroom environments and practices, communicate better with parents, and utilize available tools to help ensure infants and toddlers that need early interventions can be identified in a timely fashion. Ten Great Start to Quality Resource Centers (GSQRC) facilitate Infant-Toddler Learning Communities supporting providers and children statewide. The infant-toddler work is research- based and implements best practices, including increasing provider knowledge of evidence- informed practices and subsequently pairing those providers with a supportive coach, also referred to as a GSQRC Infant-Toddler Specialist (ITS), which is shown to significantly increase the likelihood that providers will implement the techniques and strategies they learn through the GSQRC in their program. v. Establishing or expanding a statewide system of CCR&R services. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. MiLEAP funds 10 Great Start to Quality Resource Centers throughout the state. The Resource Centers provide a comprehensive system of supports and services designed to improve quality across all early learning and development settings. These include: professional development opportunities, quality improvement consultations, coaching, supports, and resources for licensed early learning and development programs and license exempt subsidized providers. They provide consumer education to families concerning a full range of child care options and work directly with families to support their informed decision making about a child care setting that best suits their needs. In addition, they host a lending library with materials for both parents and providers. Materials accessed include developmentally appropriate materials that support learning, curriculum guides, assessments, and other such tools promoting high-quality care. For example, a common tool made available through the lending library’s resources is an Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), which is a validated tool that provides meaningful insight into the developmental and social-emotional growth and needs of children ages birth to age six. Providers utilizing the tool report that it has allowed them to better tailor programming and support to the children in their care. It can also act as a tool to help families and providers work together to identify areas where a child may benefit from early intervention and services. This is indicative of the types of important resources that both families and providers can access through the lending library that helps ensure all children and their providers have access to high-quality, age-appropriate resources. vi. Facilitating compliance with Lead Agency child care licensing, monitoring, inspection and health and safety standards. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x]Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. Michigan uses quality funds to support child care licensing operations. Currently Michigan has 90 child care licensing consultants and 8 area managers who are overseen by two child care licensing directors. In addition, licensing has a central support unit to support the overall operations of child care licensing. Currently the ratio of providers to consultants is 90:1. Child care licensing is responsible for conducting monitoring visits, special investigations, training for providers specific to child care licensing rule compliance, and ensuring the child care licensing rules meet all health and safety requirements. In addition, child care licensing has a unit that handles all criminal history background checks for licensed and unrelated license exempt providers. License exempt related and unrelated providers are required to complete a health and safety orientation, comply with fingerprint requirements and to complete ongoing health and safety training. Unrelated license exempt providers have a required health and safety coaching visit that supports the provider with meeting required health and safety standards. These visits are conducted through the Early Childhood Investment Corporation and the GSQ Resource Centers. vii. Evaluating and assessing the quality and effectiveness of child care services within the State/Territory. [x] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [ ] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. viii. Accreditation support. [x] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [ ] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. ix. Supporting State/Territory or local efforts to develop high-quality program standards relating to health, mental health, nutrition, physical activity, and physical development. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. Each Resource Center (RC) has a minimum of one Go NAPSACC (GNS) consultant to support providers with nutrition, physical activity and physical development and access to the national GNS platform of resources. Infant Mental Health Consultation and Michigan Association of Infant Mental Health (MiAIMH) Reflective Supervision is available. x. Other activities determined by the Lead Agency to improve the quality of child care services and the measurement of outcomes related to improved provider preparedness, child safety, child well-being, or kindergarten entry. [x] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [ ] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. 8 Lead Agency Coordination and Partnerships to Support Service Delivery Coordination and partnerships help ensure that the Lead Agency’s efforts accomplish CCDF goals effectively, leverage other resources, and avoid duplication of effort. Such coordination and partnerships can help families better access child care, can assist in providing consumer education to parents, and can be used to improve child care quality and the stability of child care providers. Such coordination can also be particularly helpful in the aftermath of disasters when the provision of emergency child care services and the rebuilding and restoring of child care infrastructure are an essential part of ensuring the well-being of children and families in recovering communities. This section identifies who the Lead Agency collaborates with to implement services, how match and maintenance-of-effort (MOE) funds are used, coordination with child care resource and referral (CCR&R) systems, and efforts for disaster preparedness and response plans to support continuity of operations in response to emergencies.