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 diverse range of parents and providers were consulted, and how their views are incorporated: Since 2018, DCDEE has leveraged funding from the Preschool Development Grant, Birth-Five to conduct a needs assessment and prepare a strategic plan to identify needs and recommendations for strengthening and improving North Carolina’s early care and learning network. This process aims to identify opportunities to increase equitable access to high-quality early care and learning programs and services for all North Carolina children and their families. The first Birth-Five Needs Assessment was completed in 2020 in partnership with the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. The Needs Assessment highlights existing strategies North Carolina is implementing to meet children’s needs as well as highlighting challenges that exist in providing high-quality and accessible early care and learning centering four themes aligned with North Carolina’s Early Childhood Action Plan (ECAP) produced a year earlier. The four themes are 1) Providing High-Quality Early Childhood Care and Education; 2) Ensuring Children Are on Track for School Success; 3) Fostering Social-Emotional Resilience; and 4) Creating Conditions for Supportive and Supported Families (Franco et al., 2020). Citation: Franco, X., Yazejian, N., LaForett, D., Peisner-Feinberg, E., Kasprzak, C. M., Bryant, D. "North Carolina statewide birth-5 needs assessment: Final report". University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. (2022): 1-197. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Portals/0/documents/pdf/N/NC_Statewide_Birth- 5_Needs_Assessment_Report_Final_31120.pdf?ver=2020-04-03-151528-233 In 2022, DCDEE partnered with the Hunt Institute and Duke University to complete an update to the 2020 Birth-Five Needs Assessment, a required activity as a grantee of the PDG B-5 Renewal Grant. A reassessment of the early care and education system, this update provides a reflection of the realities faced by North Carolina’s families, children, early childhood providers and leaders following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This update outlines recommendations for rebuilding a responsive early care and education system, organized around the four initial themes identified above, as well as two emerging themes centering the Early Childhood Workforce and Systems-Level Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the 2022 Needs Assessment allowed North Carolina to take a deeper focus on ￿High-Quality Early Learning￿ and the ￿Early Childhood Workforce￿ this update revealed an overarching need to better understand the barriers and opportunities for family child care home providers to maintain and expand participation in the North Carolina’s early care and learning network (McKnight et al., 2022). Citation: McKnight, K., Spinetti, M., Chavis, E., Lawrence, N., Snyder-Fickler, E., Yorkery, B., Morgan, C., Alban, C., Carr, R., & Thomason, L.. " North Carolina Statewide Birth to Five Needs Assessment Update". The Hunt Institute and Duke University Center for Child and Family Policy. (2022): 1-214. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Portals/0/documents/pdf/B/Birth- Five_Needs_Assessment_Update_2022.pdf?ver=SjIhmZK0pjY-aU-ow8-5zA%3D%3D. Leveraging funding from North Carolina’s second PDG B-5 Planning Grant awarded effective December 31, 2022, DCDEE is currently partnering with The Hunt Institute, Duke University and Afton Partners to prepare an addendum to the 2022 Needs Assessment centering the experiences, needs, and recommendations to support North Carolina’s family child care home network and address the prevalence of child care deserts. For each Needs Assessment, DCDEE seeks to engage state-system partners in identifying successes, challenges, needs, gaps, and opportunities to guide systems-level improvements. To accomplish this goal, DCDEE works with trusted early childhood research partners to conduct an extensive and objective review of literature, research and early childhood and administrative data. Research partners also support DCDEE in engaging early childhood system partners in opportunities to share their needs, experiences and recommendations through qualitative data collection. Qualitative data collection strategies utilized during the Needs Assessment include surveys, one-on-one interviews, focus groups and partner panels. A total of 224 stakeholders randomly selected from 21 counties participated in the qualitative data collection process including 92 parents and 72 providers. Of the providers participating, most were NC Pre-K providers (44%), followed by Head Start (26%), Center-Based Child Care (24%), Family Child Care (15%), Other (13%), Religious/Church Based (7%), and Developmental Day Center (4%). Additionally, for the 2022 Birth-Five Needs Assessment Update, an Advisory Council of 17 state system partners was formed to provide input on the study design, data collection, sharing of data sources, and focus group protocols. The members of the Council included two parent leaders as well as staff representing the following organizations: the NC Child Care Resource & Referral Network, Child Trends, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Cherokee Boys Club, NC Department of Public Instruction (Title I and Part B), NC Division of Child Development & Early Education Data Management Team, NC Division of Public Health’s Infant-Toddler Program (Part C), NC Early Childhood Foundation, NC Early Childhood Integrated Data System Team, NC Head Start Collaboration Office, North Carolina Partnership for Children/Smart Start Network and the Southwestern Child Development Commission. Partners engaged include state leaders through interviews, and providers and families through surveys and focus groups. For the forthcoming 2024 Family Child Care Home & Child Care Desert Needs Assessment Addendum, DCDEE and the Hunt Institute partnered with Duke University and Southwestern Child Development Commission to conduct a series of roundtables, interviews, and advisory panels with family child care home providers, parents who utilize family child care, early childhood care and education (ECE) professionals, and other stakeholders with a vested interest in the local and state ECE system. A total of 148 stakeholders participated in the qualitative data collection process including 31 parents and 44 family child care home providers. An analysis of the literature review and qualitative data collection process is summarized into a final report of findings and recommendations. Additionally, these findings and recommendations are disseminated through publicly accessible webinars, presentations at conferences and meetings and published on DCDEE and partner websites. Throughout the 2022 Birth-Five Needs Assessment Update report, quotes and data analyses from state system partners including providers and families are featured. Additionally, the final report includes appendices where readers can view the full summary of the qualitative data collection process including breakdown of data collection strategies, participants engaged, questions asked and summary of responses. The forthcoming 2024 Family Child Care Home & Child Care Desert Addendum will also feature a summary and analysis of stakeholders’ experiences and recommendations for the early childhood system. Regarding frequency, grantees of federal Preschool Development Grants are required to complete (or update) their state’s Birth-Five Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan. As North Carolina has received three iterations of the Preschool Development Grant since our initial award in 2018, DCDEE has led completion of the Birth-Five Needs Assessment process every two years (in 2020, 2022 and now in 2024) to satisfy grant requirements. Given the level of effort, funding investment, and the lead time in current data being available to demonstrate change and progress, we suspect conducting an update to the state’s Birth-Five Needs Assessment at least once every 5 years is reasonable. 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: ￿High-quality early care and learning￿ is one of several themes that surfaced as an area of need in the 2022 Birth-Five Needs Assessment Update. Overall findings from a review of data from 2019 through 2022 revealed that there are disparities in access to affordable child care and preschool programs, especially for families in rural areas, families of color and families with infants and toddlers. It is suspected that high-quality early care and learning was inaccessible for many families post-pandemic due to many factors including workforce shortages, health and safety concerns, low availability, and high costs of child care (McKnight et al., 2022). In February 2022, there were 5,596 licensed early care and learning programs serving 214,664 children, a loss of 180 sites (3%) and 30,785 slots (12.5%) compared to February 2020. Additionally, North Carolina’s early care and learning programs experienced an 8% decline in enrollment between 2020 and 2021 at the height of the pandemic, after a year of steady enrollment in 2019; though in January 2022, enrollment began to rebound. Looking at demand in February 2020, only 26 percent of children aged birth to five were enrolled in licensed child care, both center-based and family child care homes. Though researchers weren’t able to calculate exact demand at the time of the Needs Assessment, it is expected that the demand is likely much higher as 67% percent of children birth to five have all parents working. While not all working parents and families require licensed care, family members participating in focus groups discussed the need for additional slots (McKnight et al., 2022). Lack of access to high-quality early care and learning are even more challenging for families based on geographic region, race/ethnicity, and age of children. It is estimated that 44% of NC families live in a child care desert and 54% live in a rural area without enough licensed child care. Pre-pandemic, 44% of families living in rural communities accessed child care compared to only 15% in October 2020. Families of color reported a decline in their use of early care and learning programs, that they were more likely to experience lower quality care or that they’ve chosen to opt out of center-based child care altogether. Families experiencing homelessness also experienced significant barriers in accessing early care and learning including limited access to transportation, frequent moves, lack of documentation for enrollment, and lack of financial resources and supports. Access to early care and learning has also been limited for Hispanic and Latino families. National data show that during the pandemic, child care centers serving the greatest percentage of Hispanic/Latino families experienced a closure rate of 40%, compared to 25% for centers with fewer Hispanic/Latino families enrolled (McKnight et al., 2022). Finally, the Needs Assessment Update shared findings on limited access of high-quality early care and learning for our youngest learners, children under the age of three, particularly infants. In 2021, there were 50,000 children under the age of three enrolled in licensed child care, a 35% decrease from 2008 when there were nearly 80,000 children enrolled. Discrepancies also exist between type of child care programs available. From 2016 and 2021, the number of center-based child care programs decreased by 10 percent while family child care homes decreased by 41% (McKnight et al., 2022). Leveraging feedback from state-system leaders, providers and families, the 2022 Birth- Five Needs Assessment Update outlined several recommendations for DCDEE and partners to consider in planning to increase access to high-quality early care and learning programs: 1) Expand access to the subsidized child care assistance program with providers reimbursed at a rate in alignment with what it costs to provide high-quality early care and learning. DCDEE Goal - To use an alternative methodology for determining rates so that rates are more in alignment with what it costs to provide high quality early education. 2) Enhance data systems to better collect information on the number of children served in early care and learning programs, children waiting to access care, the early childhood workforce, including demographic information such as geographic location, language, and race and ethnicity. DCDEE goal: To continue data collection and sharing across early childhood education programs and services by annually completing integration of data for all featured early childhood programs including, Head Start, two home visiting programs, the NC Infant Toddler program (Early Intervention, IDEA Part C), NC Pre-K, Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program, Special Education (IDEA Part B (619), Food and Nutrition Services, Child Protective Services, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Early Hearing Detection and Intervention. DCDEE Goal: To replace the existing Regulatory Services System, Workforce Online Reporting and Knowledge System, NC Pre-K, Subsidy Provider Compliance, and NCFAST Subsidy portals with improved systems and to create a new workforce registry. 3) Increase support programs (e.g., shared services, business trainings, tax consultants) for center-based child care and family child care home providers to ensure a viable business model. DCDEE Goal: To provide technical assistance and training which offers specialized business services to Family Child Care Home providers to ensure an effective business model and practices in FCC and Center In Residence programs. To ensure business training for centers which will in turn ensure usage of a strong business model and practices in centers. 4) Revise NC Pre-K reimbursement rates to accurately reflect market costs, increase administrative reimbursement rates, and facilitate pay parity across program types. DCDEE goal: To continue to advocate for increased state funding for the NC Pre- Kindergarten with the NC Legislature by participation in legislative sessions and responding to legislature inquiries related to the program. 5) When expanding NC Pre-K, ensure equity, alignment, and coordination across programs, assuring child care and Head Start providers remain a key part of the system and family child care providers are able to enter the system. DCDEE goal: To ensure all programs participating in NC Pre-Kindergarten are included in communication and feedback loops. DCDEE goal: To consider the feasibility of allowing Family Child Care Homes to be NC Pre- Kindergarten providers. 6) Conduct a study and a stakeholder engagement process to understand barriers and opportunities for family child care home providers to maintain and expand participation in mixed delivery system. Stakeholder engagement processes occurred in NC as a part of QRIS modernization work in 2023. FCC specific data was gathered as part of statewide outreach activities and used in a responsive manner to develop the framework recommendations regarding QRIS Modernization in March 2024. DCDEE goal is to continue stakeholder engagement, including FCC providers, which will continue through the rulemaking process that is expected to conclude in 2025. 7) Consider expanding access to Early Head Start and Head Start using state funds for eligible children. DCDEE goal: Continue to advocate for state funds from the General Assembly to support the early childhood education system. 8) Analyze the Star Rated License System through an equity lens ensuring it is strengths- based, focusing on improvement with input from those participating in the system, while considering additional factors and measures, such as family engagement and teacher-child interactions. DCDEE Goal: To support the NC Child Care Commission in their efforts to create child care rules which will assist in the implementation of the updated Quality Rating and Improvement System by recording, analyzing and reporting feedback received from child care providers and others in the early childhood system during public comment periods. Citation: McKnight, K., Spinetti, M., Chavis, E., Lawrence, N., Snyder-Fickler, E., Yorkery, B., Morgan, C., Alban, C., Carr, R., & Thomason, L.. "North Carolina Statewide Birth to Five Needs Assessment Update". The Hunt Institute and Duke University Center for Child and Family Policy. (2022): 1-214. Accessed June 21, 2024. https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Portals/0/documents/pdf/B/Birth- Five_Needs_Assessment_Update_2022.pdf?ver=SjIhmZK0pjY-aU-ow8-5zA%3D%3D.