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: Raise Up Oregon is Oregon’s five-year strategic plan for its early childhood system and the second edition was adopted by the Early Learning Council in the fall of 2023. The plan identifies strategies and actions to improve the quality of early care and education, strengthen the training and professional development supports for the child care workforce, supporting home visiting system programs, social emotional health, improving cross-sector relationships, uplifting community-based organizations and building additional opportunities for the workforce for accreditation and the attainment of degrees. The Early Learning Council conducts an annual review of progress towards the implementation of Raise Up Oregon, and based on findings from that assessment, identifies priority goals for the next one - two years. These priorities were released in October 2023. In 2023, the Lead Agency, Western Oregon University, and Community Wealth Partners successfully completed the first stage of the redesign process, statewide engagement, for Oregon’s QRIS (Spark). Forty-five diverse families and providers from across the state were employed as researchers on three listening teams that gathered information from their communities on how to improve Spark via surveys, interviews, and focus groups. They listened to over 2,600 families and providers, then analyzed their data and created specific recommendations for Spark as well as Oregon’s early learning system at large. Sixteen members from this group formed a new team, called the Spark Accountability Team who are now focused on integrating the recommendations into specific high-level design concepts that will help inform how Spark will operate to improve the quality of child care. In partnership with the Spark Accountability Team, the Lead Agency sets performance measures, collects data, and creates an improvement plan each biennium to ensure Spark (Oregon’s Quality Recognition & Improvement System) is equitably supporting all participants and providing families with relevant information that helps them choose care that aligns with their needs and priorities. This team will continue to meet regularly as an ongoing accountability partner. The Lead Agency conducted robust engagement with community partners to create its first agency Strategic Plan and identifying priorities as a state around where and how quality dollars should be spent. Through a six month period, the lead agency has consulted and met with community partners, program grantees, and parents to identify their critical needs and support. The feedback was collected, analyzed, and used to develop the goals, objectives, and strategies of its first strategic plan. In addition, the feedback collected was used to develop and inform the lead agency’s policy option packages for the 2025-27 biennium. The State of Child Care Business Survey assesses business conditions across child care programs throughout the state and is intended to gauge how current economic conditions, workforce issues, and public funding are affecting the child care sector. First Children’s Finance has developed a standard survey, for all licensed child care business owners and directors (RF, CF, CC). They will be consulted via an annual survey and through voluntary focus groups. The data collected from the State of Child Care Business Survey highlights gaps in business efficiencies and allows systems leaders to gain more insight into the financial and operational challenges child care businesses face across various provider types and geographies. Their answers will be used to provide insight into the experiences they have faced that impact the quality of their programming. Both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected to evidence quality improvement recommendations that support child care business acumen and quality programming practices. 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: Priorities identified by the Early Learning Council for quality improvement for early care and education through the Raise Up Oregon Second Edition and lead agency’s Strategic plan development assessment include: ensuring that children and families have access to affordable, early learning and care that meets their needs; ensuring that the early childhood system embeds racial, economic, and geographical equity and inclusion; building and early childhood system that is inclusion of all children and their families, and elevates community voice and empowers families; honoring and recognizing the sovereignty of the nine federally recognized Tribal Nations sharing borders with Oregon state and ensuring strong government to government relationships to benefit Tribal communities; ensuring that all families with infants and toddlers are supported and have access to care that meets their needs; Develop a diverse, culturally responsive, high-quality early care and education workforce through implementation of professional learning pathways; access to post-secondary education; and trainings in social and emotional learning; trainings for caring for infants and toddlers; develop policies and supports to reduce expulsion and suspension of infants, toddlers and preschoolers in early care and education settings; revise and strengthen the Kindergarten Assessment and Early Learning and Kindergarten Guidelines to ensure that their purpose is clear, they are culturally responsive and support positive child development; improve inclusion for children with developmental delays and disabilities in child care as well as public preschool; and support culturally responsive kindergarten transition practices and culturally responsive curricula from infants through the early grades. The full Raise Up Oregon Progress Report can be found at the following link: https://www.oregon.gov/delc/about-us/RUO_Documents/Raise_Up_Oregon-WEB- 1117.pdf Summary of findings for FCF State of Child Care Business Survey: The summary of the findings for First Children’s Finance State of Child Care Business Survey will be available in the Summer of 2024 and will include recommendations for quality improvement strategies to support statewide child care business acumen and sustainability. During the statewide engagement stage of the Spark redesign process, families and providers generated over 26 recommendations, some of which extend beyond the Spark system. They urged the Lead Agency to prioritize enhancing child care availability and affordability, especially in agricultural areas and child care deserts, by supporting providers’ well-being through financial incentives, retention bonuses, and increased funding for subsidized care and salaries. Families desire access to child care resources and support in their primary language, including the ability to communicate with their child’s caregiver. To increase professional development opportunities, especially on supporting immigrant and refugee families, and children experiencing trauma and disabilities. They also advocated for more professional development in languages other than English, including more advanced content. The more Spark-specific recommendations centered around creating an accessible and simplified process for showcasing each program’s unique strengths in many languages, including assistance with documentation of evidence. Offering more strength-based and linguistically-specific coaching, replacing star ratings with something like badges that are meaningful to families (e.g., child safety and well-being, inclusive, LGBTQIA+ friendly, dual language), and offering ongoing resources and financial support for providing responsive care and education. Lastly, there was a call to increase family awareness and confidence in the Spark system through a variety of methods including a multilingual platform that includes detailed program profiles with verified evidence of each program’s competencies and practices. The listening teams consisted of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those who identify as immigrants from various countries, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, as well as Queer, Muslim, and multi-generational families. They worked across different environments￿rural, suburban, and urban areas in Oregon￿and the providers/educators held various roles in child care and education settings (Head Start, Tribal Head Start, public-funded, faith-based, home-based, center-based, licensed and license-exempt). Their community outreach involved listening in multiple languages, including, but not limited to Spanish, English, and Russian, and their reports highlighted experiences from marginalized groups. Recommendations varied but often included increasing the availability of child care in agricultural areas, extending child care hours, and fostering inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ families. Focusing on promoting health, safety, and well- being; improving communication and partnerships between families and providers; and supporting professionals with culturally and linguistically tailored approaches emerged as their key goals for quality improvement. However, each recommendation is not tied specifically to one population or provider type.