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. https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/childcare-parenting-childbirth/child-care- and-development-fund 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. BCDHSC has created more trainings available through contractors to support the child care workforce. We will continue to adapt our trainings based on the needs of the providers, children, and their families. Over the coming years we intend to provide the workforce with additional training and resources to help support families in crisis, children with disabilities and health challenges. We are growing our Professional Development System by creating a network of validated trainings, trainers and professional training organizations. We plan to build a tiered incentive system that will be tied to an on-going professional development pathway. These incentives will be distributed directly to the Early Childhood and Out-Of-School time workforce. Issuing these incentives will take place this fiscal year. ii. Developing, maintaining, or implementing early learning and developmental guidelines. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. The BCDHSC ensures the Early Learning Standards (ELS) are available at all agency-hosted events. SNHS provides training on the standards periodically and offers a YouTube video training to provide on-demand knowledge of the ELS. BCDHSC will be reviewing all trainings being presented through the contractors to ensure the ELS are being referred to frequently, offered to providers, and implemented in relevant ways. 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. New Hampshire currently supports two different Quality Rating and Improvement Systems. During this plan period, we will merge and shift the two systems to incorporate elements of both in order to simplify choices and accessibility for New Hampshire’s child care providers. Our system will also be enhanced in order to incorporate quality indicators that are not addressed in its current iteration. Within the system, myriad investments are and will continue to be funded by the agency including and not limited to program coaching, practice-based coaching, assessments, incentives, and the development of resources that will help sustain our quality system. The public comment period ending June 28th 2024, resulted in comments regarding the complexity and confusion around the current QRIS system. NH will be working with the State Leadership Team to enhance the Granite Steps to Quality program. 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. We offer a wide variety of Infant and Toddler specific trainings through ProSolutions and SNHS. Both in- person and online options are available. There are Infant and Toddler learning collaboratives that meet once a month to discuss topics ranging from curriculum to health and safety. Technical assistance (TA) is also available from SNHS’s Infant and Toddler Specialist. They provide TA to providers to expand program capacity, with an emphasis on unmet childcare needs statewide with infants and toddlers being one of the areas of focus. SNHS also provides scholarships, stipends, support and mentoring to a minimum or twenty-five T.E.A.C.H NH recipients annually, with the priority being given to individuals working in infant and or toddler classrooms in early care/childcare programs. The NHECPDS also includes an Infant and Toddler Endorsement. This endorsement recognized the early childhood workforce who work with or on behalf of our youngest and most vulnerable children, this credential lattice includes criteria for knowledge and experience specific to the infant and toddler field. In our guidebook we also have suggested I/T trainings for the credential applicants. The Bureau will begin analyzing provider visit data supplied from the NH Child Care Licensing Unit. With this data we will be investing in targeted training and technical assistance for high risks health and safety needs of infants and toddlers. With this data we can also provide specific resources and materials to the programs based on the report. 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. SNHS CCR&R plan to apply for a Pre-Apprenticeship Program Development Grant that targets high school students planning on entering the early childhood field. These opportunities are available through federal funding to the Community College System of New Hampshire to improve statewide apprenticeship resources and networks. 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. NH's plans to work to correct non-compliance findings for child care licensing, monitoring, inspection and health and safety standards during the 3 year plan cycle. vii. Evaluating and assessing the quality and effectiveness of child care services within the State/Territory. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. BCDHSC plans to conduct annual surveys at the program level to get information on specific and concrete ways our QRIS supports are improving the knowledge and skill levels of the child care workforce, thereby impacting overall quality of the care provided. We will use the results to revise and enhance our QRIS to ensure that participation in the system results in positive impacts on children, families, and staff. In addition to program-level surveys, we have contracted with a vendor to create an ongoing evaluation and validation plan which, when executed will help us understand the impact and effectiveness of our QRIS system on a continuing basis. viii. Accreditation support. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. The Granite Steps for Quality system recognizes accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children as high quality. Programs that have achieved nationally accredited status are able to apply in our quality rating system at a higher step without having to submit evidence of meeting our system standards and they are able to invoice for a higher amount of quality incentive funds. New Hampshire currently contracts with the Maine chapter of NAEYC and is working toward reinstatement of a New Hampshire chapter. We will reinstate the New Hampshire affiliate chapter of NAEYC during this plan period and develop a system of accreditation support in order to encourage more programs toward the voluntary pursuit of accreditation. 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. BCDHSC partners with the New Hampshire Association for Infant Mental Health in collaborating and awarding the Early Childhood Family Mental Health Credential. Together we support early childhood professionals in achieving Early Childhood Mental Health credentials, competencies, and core principles. This is an evidence-based field having a family-centered, strengths-based, holistic, multi-disciplinary, inclusive focus that works to strengthen the emotional, physical, social, and cognitive wellbeing of children from 0-5 years of age and their caregivers. The Granite Steps for Quality (NH’s QRIS) will be revised during this plan cycle in order to include quality indicators that are not currently addressed. Indicators such as health and safety, eco-friendly environments, nutrition, and physical activity will be addressed within the standards or through supplemental endorsements. 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. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. The Bureau of Child Development and Head Start Collaboration and the Child Care Licensing Unit offer web-based NH Health & Safety Training modules on ProSolutions. These allow child care providers to meet CCLU’s health and safety training requirements on their own time, in a location of their choosing, at no cost to them. The NH Health and Safety Training Program is available in both English and Spanish. The Health and Safety trainings are required of existing staff and of any new staff hired. All staff initially must complete 9 professional development hours in health and safety. Yearly, 6 of 18 required professional development hours must be in health and safety. 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.