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: Professional Standards and competencies Coaching Towards Mastery Initiative ￿ The state of North Carolina is in the process of determining how early childhood educators (ECE) can demonstrate and be recognized for competencies that define a qualified ECE. Power to the Profession, is being leveraged as a foundation on which to build the system of competency development, measurement, and recognition recognizing that the framework aligns with other efforts to develop and measure competencies used in NC, such as, curricula across the community college system and the child development associate (CDA) credential. As of December 2023 recommendations have been developed for defining, measuring and recognizing competencies of ECE which can be used to support their continued development as ECE professionals. The goal in 2024 is to design the competency-based assessment system. Child Care Resources, Inc. contracted with the Policy Equity Group to lead the Coaching Towards Mastery Advisory Workgroup in the process to develop and provide recommendations. Key milestones were achieved in workgroup collaborations. Milestone #1 Defined competencies as a combination of skills, knowledge and dispositions. Milestone #2 Differentiated between competency demonstration and competency development (the pathways). Milestone #3 Recognized Power to Profession as a foundational starting point in defining competencies of interest. Milestone #4 Established initial criteria that will guide the selection of assessment tools and process design. The Coaching Towards Mastery Advisory Group consisted of early childhood workforce and higher education stakeholders representing a wide range of state system partners including the NC Community College System, NC ACCESS; individual Community Colleges, including Alamance Community College; NC Division of Child Development and Early Education; NC Child Care Resource & Referral Council (NC CCR&R); Professional Development/Technical Assistance Leadership from NC CCR&R Council; NC Partnership for Children (NCPC); NCPC Technical Assistance and Local Smart Start Technical Assistance Specialists; NC Department of Public Instruction; the NC Institute for Child Development Professionals; NCAEYC; and Head Start. Citation: Etter, Kelly, Shroeder, Emily and Capizzano, Jeffrey. ￿Defining What It Means to be a Qualified Early Educator in North Carolina: Recommendations for Measuring and Recognizing Competencies￿. Policy Equity Group. (December 2023): 1-34. Career Pathways Continuing Education- Anyone working as an early childhood teacher has two new ways to continue their education and build their skills to support children’s healthy development and learning. First, early childhood teachers can now get college credit for their work experience through Credit for Prior Learning opportunities . Through a partnership between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the North Carolina Community College system, teachers can receive up to nine community college credits toward either an Early Childhood Workforce Certificate, Early Childhood Education Diploma, Certificate and/or an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Degree in Early Childhood Education. The courses in the Workforce Certificate are eligible for Credit for Prior Learning if they submit a Portfolio for Life and Work Experience. Second, anyone working in a licensed child care program is eligible for classes at no cost to earn a Child Development Associate® certificate. Over 400 hours of coursework is available in English and Spanish through a free Professional Development Teacher Membership from Teaching Strategies. To attract new people to the field, programs are also available for high school students. Through the Career and College Promise (CCP) program, eligible high school students can attend community college classes and earn college credit and credentials at no cost tuition free. An apprenticeship program to enter the early childhood field was piloted running from January 3, 2023 to December 31, 2024 through the Building Bright Futures apprenticeship program and ApprenticeshipNC. Participants in this initiative could receive year-round financial support for wages, training, and professional development, and access to a network of industry professionals and enrichment opportunities to advance knowledge in the field. Making apprenticeships a part of a career pathway in the NC Professional Development Framework is a strategy under consideration for successful early childhood educator recruitment. Six colleges have approved to offer the Early Child Care Workforce Certificate encompassing the following courses: EDU 119 Introduction to Early Childhood Education*, EDU 130 Social Environments for Childre*n, EDU 151 Creative Activities, EDU 159 Health and Safety for Early Childhood*, EDU 162 Observation and Assessment in ECE, and EDU 188 Trends and Policies in Early Childhood *Courses designated for CPL (9 credits) Advisory Structure DCDEE has multiple advisory groups which vary depending on purpose. When initiating a significant project, such as Coaching Towards Mastery, an advisory structure is created which includes multiple early childhood stakeholders and partners as described under standards and competencies in this same item/question. Once a new part of the professional development framework is established, part of the process to implement the selected component is to determine if child care rules need to be adopted, amended or repealed to support implementation. In this part of the process, the Child Care Commission is the advisory group whose members include parents, child care providers, a pediatrician, early childhood education specialists (higher education) and general citizens. Usually, a group will report to the Commission a summary of the project and a proposal related to the rules. The Commission may research the proposal, ask DCDEE to support by reporting other state actions related to the project or assist in collecting qualitative data, and decide whether or not to initiate the rulemaking process. Articulation The local participating NC Community College System offers students holding a current Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential community college credit for •EDU 119 Introduction to Early Childhood Education and •EDU 151 Creative Activities NC has a High School to Community College Career and Technical Education Articulation Agreement that allows students to take the high school early childhood course and receive credit for EDU 119 (4 credits) at a community college and receive their NC Early Child Care Credential from the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education. In addition to the high school pathways, the college also offers stackable credentials (certificate, diploma, degree) that can lead to articulation for a 4-year college or university. Two additional collaborating partners in this endeavor are the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). The NCCCS offers early childhood education curriculum, including coursework (EDU 119) Introduction to Early Childhood Education) leading to the NC Early Childhood Credential (NCECC). NCDPI has revised, through the Family and Consumer Sciences Education program areas of Career and Technical Education, an Early Childhood Education course that aligns with the required competencies covered in the NCECC and EDU 119 coursework offered by NC Community Colleges comprising the NCCCS. The intent of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) is twofold: To reaffirm the basic responsibilities of the relationship between DHHS and NCCCS for meeting the goals of the NCECC and to define the responsibilities of NCDPI regarding the ongoing implementation of the NCECC program. High school students completing Early Childhood Education I during the school year 2022- 2023 and beyond shall be advised of the three options available to them: OPTION 1: Earned articulated college credit and NCECC equivalency OPTION 2: NCECC Equivalency To earn the NCECC equivalency, high school students must: Successfully complete the approved Early Childhood Education (FE11) course with a grade of ￿B￿ or higher, Meet course proficiency on the Performance-based Measurement, have obtained a high school diploma or GED, and be at least 18 years of age. OPTION 3: NCECC CREDENTIAL To earn the NCECC Credential, a student must complete the EDU 119 course (Introduction to Early Childhood Education) or EDU 3119 (Early Childhood Education-Intro) with a ￿C￿ or better. [ ]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: NCACCESS; representing the Early Childhood Education departments in the Community College system; Coaching Towards Mastery Advisory Group; Institute for Child Development Professionals (Early Childhood Compensation Workgroup, Early Childhood Professional Development Workgroup, Higher Education/Advancing the Education of the Workforce Workgroup); and NC Child Care Commission. [ ] 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). Educators who are employed in early childhood programs such as NC Pre-Kindergarten, Developmental Day, Children's Developmental Service Agencies, Title I Preschool, Preschool Exceptional Children, and Early Intervention in public or private settings must meet specific education and performance standards in their work with children and families (NC Birth-through-Kindergarten License).There are educational standards within NC's QRIS that require higher levels of professional development to support the learning and developmental needs of children as defined in NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development, including dual language learners and children with disabilities. The minimum educational standard for teachers in licensed programs is the completion of the NC Early Childhood Credential. This is a credit bearing course and provides an introduction to child development and the field of early education. It is a required course for obtaining an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education and is aligned with the NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development. In coordination with multiple stakeholders (Coaching Toward Mastery Advisory Group) efforts are underway to revise the NC professional development framework so that professional development for the early childhood workforce aligns with the National Association for the Education of Young Children's, Power to the Profession, standards and competencies. Embedded in the framework will be Practiced Based Coaching (PBC) and accountability measures for teacher mastery of core competencies. The practice-based coaching model is a cyclical process based on a strong partnership between the coach and the teacher, and involves shared goals and action planning, focused observation, reflection and feedback (Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center, 2019). A cross section of professionals developed and published a set of core competencies to serve as the foundation for the NC afterschool professional development system. The NC Afterschool Professional Core Competencies provide a framework of the knowledge and skills needed in eight content areas of professional development in afterschool programming. The skill levels establish a continuum from beginning workforce skills (Level 1) to an advanced level of skill which includes academic preparation (Level 5). Professionals progress from one level to another through a combination of formal study and practical experience. https://ncafterschool.org/core-competencies/. Use of the NC Afterschool Professional Development Core Competencies is voluntary. ii. Career pathways. For example, Lead Agencies can include information about professional development registries, career ladders, and levels. NC has an education pathway that allows teachers to enter at either a community college level or university. If entering at a community college level, the individual can transfer to a university with an articulation agreement (Uniform Articulation Agreement Between The University of North Carolina Baccalaureate of Birth- Kindergarten and Early Childhood Related Programs and North Carolina Community College System Applied Associate in Early Childhood Education Programs : https://archive.nccommunitycolleges.edu/sites/default/files/basic- pages/academic- programs/attachments/early_childhood_articulation_agreement_ecaa_2.27.23.p df ) for all public universities. There is a career pathway for education - from one community college course to a certificate, a diploma, to an Associates, Bachelors (BA/BS), and then Masters. Some of these options include specialized certificates and licensure. NC Pre-K teachers have options leading from the BA/BS degree to obtain specialized licensure in Birth-through-Kindergarten (BK); a residency license, a preschool add-on license, an Initial Professional License and Continuing Professional License. Educators who hold a BA/BS degree in Child Development, Human Development and Family Studies, Child and Family Development and related fields may qualify for a BK license. Other specialized TA providers include health professionals who can work toward the Child Care Health Consultant Certification and Technical Assistance Endorsement. The QRIS system includes points for staff education, and the system requires training hours, including CEUs, to meet QRIS and BK licensure professional development rules and policy. Technical assistance is included in the child care requirements as an option to meet on-going training requirements. A career pathway is available as well. An early care and education provider can start as an assistant teacher, move to lead teacher, then to director, TA provider and early childhood professor. Different and varied settings offer a number of career options including, private child care, Head Start, NC Pre-K, public schools, NC CCR&R Council and CCR&R System, Smart Start Partnership, community colleges and state government. DCDEE is planning to work with the partners mentioned above to further elaborate on the career pathways to provide a more robust description of the multiple paths an early educator can take, to include public policy and advocacy. The information included will align with NAEYC's Power to the Profession work and information regarding the new leveling system being created through the PDG Coaching Towards Mastery Activity. 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. North Carolina's professional development delivery system includes community-based organizations and institutions of higher education each using frameworks driven by specific rules, policy, program and educator performance standards, that address the needs of early education/child care providers, requiring progressive formal coursework and/or CEUs. Currently, the state advisory structure is overseen by the North Carolina Institute for Child Development Professionals and the North Carolina Child Care Commission. These are both multi-agency teams that include a cross-section of early childhood professionals. Members include state level agency leadership, technical assistance systems leaders, higher education faculty and leadership, direct service providers, and other early childhood experts in aligned fields such as pediatrics. The North Carolina Institute for Child Development Professionals (Institute), a volunteer organization, has a mission to promote the implementation of a comprehensive professional development and recognition system that links education and compensation for the child care workforce to ensure high quality care and education services for children and families. The Institute is a field-based and lead, non-profit organization comprised of individuals from higher ed, providers, early childhood associations, state level leaders and early childhood experts. The NC Child Care Commission creates Child Care Rules related to professional development requirements, including rules related to the number of training hours required, the requirement for a professional development plan and allowing technical assistance to count as training hours. As of 2023, a Coaching Towards Mastery Advisory Group was established to create recommendations to define, measure and recognize competencies of ECE which can be used to support their continued development as ECE professionals. The Coaching Towards Mastery Advisory Group consisted of early childhood workforce and higher education stakeholders representing a wide range of state system partners including the NC Community College System, NC ACCESS; individual Community Colleges, including Alamance Community College; NC Division of Child Development and Early Education; NC Child Care Resource & Referral Council (NC CCR&R); Professional Development/Technical Assistance Leadership from NC CCR&R Council; NC Partnership for Children (NCPC); NCPC Technical Assistance and Local Smart Start Technical Assistance Specialists; NC Department of Public Instruction; the NC Institute for Child Development Professionals; NCAEYC; and Head Start. iv. Articulation. For example, Lead Agencies can include information about articulation agreements, and collaborative agreements that support progress in degree acquisition. Session Law 2017-68, Senate Bill 315 mandated that by March 1, 2018 the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina and the State Board of Community Colleges develop an articulation agreement for the transfer of credits earned for an associate degree in an early childhood education program at a community college toward a baccalaureate degree in an early childhood education program at a constituent institution for the purposes of the student obtaining teacher licensure in the area of Birth through Kindergarten. The articulation agreement applies to all community college campuses and constituent institutions with early childhood education programs. System-wide implementation of the articulation agreement began with the 2018-2019 academic year. A ￿credit for prior learning’ policy has been put in place (but is not in the formal articulation agreement) in which early childhood teachers can now apply for Credit for Prior Learning based on knowledge and skills gained from training and work experience. Through a partnership between NCDHHS and the NC Community College system, teachers can receive up to nine community college credits toward either an Early Childhood Workforce Certificate, Early Childhood Education Diploma, Certificate and/or an associate in applied science (AAS) degree in early childhood education. The local participating NC Community College System offers students holding a current Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential community college credit for •EDU 119 Introduction to Early Childhood Education and •EDU 151 Creative Activities Anyone working in a licensed child care program is eligible for classes at no cost to earn a Child Development Associate® (CDA) certificate. A prospective early childhood teacher could take classes through their high school's vocational coursework and transfer the coursework to community colleges or a community college course can be offered to high school students through the College and Career Promise program tuition free. Many high school students are enrolled in academies which will allow them to graduate with certificates, diplomas or associate degrees in early childhood. 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. In 2019, Child Care Services Association (CCSA), one of the three NC CCR&R Council Management Agencies, conducted a statewide workforce study, " Working in Early Care and Education in North Carolina". This study provides comprehensive data on teachers, assistant teachers, directors and family child care home providers. Specifically, the workforce study tracks teacher education data knowing the critical influence it has on children's early learning opportunities. The information from the 2019 Study provides important data for the future. It provides a pre-pandemic baseline that will be helpful as the state moves forward growing the education pipeline in North Carolina. In addition, it offers recommendations for the NC early childhood system to consider related to improvements to the professional development framework. Since the 2019 Workforce Study described in the 2022-2024 CCDF Plan, DCDEE sub-contracted with Neimand Collaborative to conduct the post-pandemic workforce study. The workforce study answers the questions: What are the characteristics of North Carolina’s licensed early childhood education programs and their workforce of teachers, assistant teachers, and administrators in both child care centers and family child care homes? Are these characteristics different from those prior to the pandemic? The published report, Working in Early Care and Education in North Carolina: 2023 Workforce Study, compares data from 2023 to 2019. It found that: +early childhood workers continue to often earn too little to meet their basic needs, +more teachers are leaving their jobs and many plan to leave the field altogether; +child care stabilization grants likely reduced the loss of child care centers during this time period, however, there was a significant decrease in family home providers, +many teachers are highly educated, but overall have fewer years of education than in 2019, and +most teachers continue to be female and disproportionately Black/African American. The Study is in its final stages of development and should be published sometime in 2024. vi. Financing. For example, Lead Agencies can include information about strategies including scholarships, apprenticeships, wage enhancements, etc. NC DCDEE currently uses CCDF for the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Program, for administering the Child Care WAGE$® Program and Infant-Toddler Educator AWARD$, and for CCR&R training. CCR&R provides professional development training and technical assistance for the child care workforce. CCDF is also used to fund health and safety trainings conducted by the NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center, a project of the UNC Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health. 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: Training and technical assistance organizations such as Smart Start, Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R), Early Educator Support, Licensure, and Professional Development (EESLPD), public schools, community colleges, and the NC Early Learning Network have infrastructure that enables the delivery of high-quality professional development services (training and technical assistance) and CEU issuance. The extent of professional development services offered by these organizations varies by location across the state. Child Care Resources and Referral offers training and CEU's http://www.childcarerrnc.org/s.php?subpage=ImportanceofQualityTraining DCDEE contracts with Teachings Strategies to provide the online professional development platform, Teacher Membership, to 3,567 NC Pre-K educators and to date 1,002 non-NC Pre-K Educators. In addition to offering live and on-demand trainings on using Teaching Strategies products and implementing early education practices, teacher membership includes training and coaching for CDA attainment. 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: In coordination with multiple stakeholders, including North Carolina's higher learning institutions, efforts are underway to revise the NC professional development framework so that professional development for the early childhood workforce aligns with the National Association for the Education of Young Children's standards and competencies. Embedded in the framework will be Practiced Based Coaching (PBC), and a way by which to measure mastery of core competencies. The practice-based coaching model is a cyclical process which begins with developing a strong partnership between coach and the teacher, then it involves shared goals and action planning, focused observation, and reflection and feedback (Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center, 2019). IMPACT Project , a workgroup dedicated to updating and redesigning the TA System, will include the engagement of all training and professional development providers, including higher education, in aligning training and technical assistance opportunities with the state's professional development framework. iii. [ ] Other. Describe: [ ] 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? By completing the NC Early Childhood Credential, an associate degree or higher, teachers learn a standard set of competencies which support teachers in providing developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood classrooms in NC. Coursework in NC and the upcoming alignment with NAEYC Power to Profession competencies give high importance to centering diversity throughout its content, so that individuals from variety of backgrounds would benefit. Currently we have limited direct data to assess impact; however we can show that NC star rated programs are either maintaining or increasing their star-ratings which are partly evaluated by the education levels of staff. More direct data should be able to be retrieved once NC implements the planned workforce registry. Once professional competencies are developed and implemented in NC EC professional development framework, caregivers and teachers will be able to identify gaps or needs in professional development which will, in turn, assist teachers in identifying goals to include in their professional development plan. Having a plan for professional development gives teachers stability and increases the retention of caregivers. NC center administrators and staff are required to have professional development plans according to Child Care Rule .1104. Though we do not have data currently to assess impact, in the future NC could require professional development plans to be aligned with competencies and uploaded into the workforce registry. A report would be able to be provided which shares the number of teachers which have professional development plans based on NC approved competencies. 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? Providing a wage scale that identifies increases related to education is a factor in attracting and retaining qualified early childhood teachers (early educators). The NC Early Childhood Compensation Collaborative developed the linked Model Salary Scale for early educators to help guide the early childhood field in establishing better compensation for the early childhood workforce that is tied to educational attainment. North-Carolina-Early- Childhood-Compensation-Collaborative-Model-Salary-Scale-for-Early-Education- Teachers_5_5-1.pdf (ncicdp.org) The goal was to develop a standard salary scale for early educators that provided a living wage and was based on paying parity with entry level teachers in public schools. It also was designed to set minimum standards for education and compensation to help attract and retain quality early educators in both center and family child care home settings. Based on input from directors and early educators, the resulting salary scale serves as a model for child care programs wanting to adapt or change their own salary structure. Currently, there are no state-level requirements to use the salary scale, so its use is voluntary. Data in the future may be able to be collected through the workforce registry or other system of collection which would provide the DCDEE the number of child care programs adopting a salary scale for its early educators. 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? CCR&R Council sub-contracted with the Policy Equity Group to convene the Coaching Towards Mastery Advisory Group over a series of in-person and virtual planning meetings held June 21 ￿ 22, and August 22, 2023. Outcomes from the planning meetings resulted in the Coaching Towards Mastery Advisory Group defining competency for North Carolina’s early childhood educators. The Advisory Group determined that the term ￿competency￿ is a mix of educator knowledge, skills, and dispositions. The Advisory Group defines ￿knowledge￿ as ￿content and pedagogical knowledge that enables effective practice.￿ The term ￿skills￿ is defined as ￿observable behaviors, actions, practices, and skills that support child & family outcome￿ and the term ￿dispositions￿ is defined as ￿the attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs that form the basis for behavior.￿ Having these terms defined will impact the quality of the Coaching Toward Mastery framework being developed in NC. Stakeholders acknowledged that poor compensation was a foundational problem affecting North Carolina’s early care and learning workforce. This led to two varying perspectives on the relationship between compensation and competencies. The first perspective was that NC has to increase compensation before holding educators to competencies that may require a higher-education degree. Others had the perspective that you must hold educators to high competency standards as defined by a degree in order to professionalize the field and improve compensation. The Advisory Group’s thoughtfulness in matters of compensation will help improve the retention of the workforce. 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 state’s formal articulation agreement, ￿Uniform Articulation Agreement Between The University of North Carolina Baccalaureate of Birth-Kindergarten and Early Childhood Related Programs and North Carolina Community College System Applied Associate in Early Childhood Education Programs￿ provides a uniform, statewide academic progression agreement that will promote educational advancement opportunities for early childhood education (ECE) students matriculating from the North Carolina Community College System to the constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina in order to complete a Bachelor’s Degree in Birth-Kindergarten teaching licensure program or a Bachelor’s Degree in a related Early Education non-licensure program. This articulation agreement describes a progression degree plan that includes required general education for all Birth-Kindergarten (BK) education degree plans (licensure and non-licensure) and pre-major courses that are acceptable to all state funded ECE to BK programs (licensure and non-licensure) options ￿ The benefit and impact of the articulation agreement is stated next in the Purpose and Rationale, ￿Early Childhood Education students following the plan are guaranteed not to take additional, and often duplicative, courses.￿ This agreement increases access to the degree program, makes it more affordable and allows students to complete a bachelor degree with more efficiency as was allowed in the past. This coordinated approach increases ECE to BK student retention and persistence, and reduces the amount of time to complete the degree program. The Community College System may have student retention data for the early childhood program. At this point, DCDEE has not requested this type of data. We also have not tracked the number of students who have pursued the EC bachelor degree program at a four-year university following attaining the associate degree at the Community College. Citation: ￿Uniform Articulation Agreement Between The University of North Carolina Baccalaureate of Birth-Kindergarten and Early Childhood Related Programs and North Carolina Community College System Applied Associate In Early Childhood Education Programs.￿ (Fall 2018): 1-23. Accessed June 18, 2024. https://archive.nccommunitycolleges.edu/sites/default/files/basic-pages/academic- programs/attachments/early_childhood_articulation_agreement_ecaa_2.27.23.pdf In addition to formal articulation, DCDEE continues to partner with the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) to develop different pathways and remove barriers for the early childhood workforce to complete formal education, and build a pipeline of educators to meet the workforce current needs. One strategy to remove the barrier for workforce to complete formal education is to offer Teaching Strategies’ online professional development platform, Teacher Membership, to 3,567 NC Pre-K educators and to date 1,002 non-NC Pre-K Educators. In addition to offering live and on-demand trainings on using Teaching Strategies products and implementing early education practices, teacher membership includes training and coaching for CDA attainment. Over the past quarter, DCDEE has continued its partnership with Child Care Resources, Inc. (CCRI) and The Policy Equity Group to convene early childhood and higher education partners to develop a plan to build the early childhood workforce and support pathways for obtaining higher education. The phases of the project completed during 2023 laid important groundwork for the development of this system, and key ￿milestones￿ were identified to develop alternative pathways for early childhood educators: •MILESTONE #1: Defining competencies as a combination of skills, knowledge, and dispositions. •MILESTONE #2: Differentiating between competency demonstration (the destination) and competency development (the pathways). •MILESTONE #3: Recognizing Power to the Profession as a foundational starting point in defining competencies of interest. •MILESTONE #4: Establishing initial criteria that will guide the selection of assessment tools and process design. •MILESTONE #5: Beginning exploration of how competency-assessment data will be used and aligned with other system components. 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)? DCDEE sub-contracted with Neimand Collaborative to conduct the post-pandemic workforce study. The workforce study answers the questions: What are the characteristics of North Carolina’s licensed early childhood education programs and their workforce of teachers, assistant teachers, and administrators in both child care centers and family child care homes? Are these characteristics different from those prior to the pandemic? The published report, Working in Early Care and Education in North Carolina: 2023 Workforce Study, compares data from 2023 to 2019. It found that: early childhood workers continue to often earn too little to meet their basic needs, more teachers are leaving their jobs and many plan to leave the field altogether; child care stabilization grants likely reduced the loss of child care centers during this time period, however, there was a significant decrease in family home providers, many teachers are highly educated, but overall have fewer years of education than in 2019, and most teachers continue to be female and disproportionately Black/African American. The Study is in its final stages of development and should be published sometime in 2024. Previous workforce studies have included data on existing wages and benefits available to the child care workforce and selected disparities and compares the data to previous surveys to show continuities and changes in the early care and education system and workforce which may have occurred over time. Citation: ￿Working in Early Care and Education in North Carolina.￿ Child Care Services Association (2019): 1-40. Accessed July 14, 2024. https://www.childcareservices.org/wp- content/uploads/CCSA_2020_Statewide_WorkStudyRprt-FINAL-web.pdf 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? NC DCDEE funds the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Program on a variety of educational levels for early educators, including teachers, teacher assistants, administrators, and for individuals who provide specialized functions for the early education workforce and the families of young children in their care (e.g., Community Specialists Scholarships and Smart Start staff). These staff are pursuing higher education credentials, degrees and BK or Preschool Add-on licensure. The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Program provides the structure for a comprehensive, sequenced program of early childhood professional development opportunities in North Carolina. The Program recognizes the diverse educational backgrounds of the early childhood workforce and has scholarship programs appropriate for early care and education providers with no formal education beyond high school, as well as those to help degreed teachers earn their Birth- Kindergarten License. Entry can be made into the Program at any point along a participant's professional and educational path. The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Program has proven to be one of the most cost-effective strategies for promoting the professional education, practices and development of the early childhood workforce. The program mandates retention and increased compensation for aspiring early educator professionals. Federal fiscal year 2023 program results can be found under this link, https://www.childcareservices.org/programs/awards/results/. CCDF funds the administration of the Child Care WAGE$ Program offered in conjunction with funding provided by local Smart Start Partnerships for teacher supplements and administered through Child Care Services Association, one of the three NC CCR&R Council Management Agencies. In more than half of the 100 counties in NC, the WAGE$ Program provides education-based salary supplements. Participants qualify by having completed coursework or a degree on the salary supplement scale and they complete six months in the same child care program before receiving the supplement. This additional compensation helps build quality by retaining educated teachers. Infant Toddler Educator AWARD$Plus (AWARD$Plus) is an education-based salary supplement program for full- time infant-toddler educators with at least the Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education or its equivalent. These supplements help to address the known compensation gap and give infant-toddler teachers a greater opportunity to stay in the field and to grow their skills and knowledge. AWARD$Plus provides an interim step to getting the workforce North Carolina’s infants and toddlers need, so teachers can have the compensation they need to stay in their classrooms with our youngest children.