6.1 Supporting the Child Care Workforce

Lead Agencies have broad flexibility to implement policies and practices to support the child care workforce. 6.1.1 Strategies to improve recruitment, retention, compensation, and well-being a. Identify any Lead Agency activities related to strengthening workforce recruitment and retention of child care providers. Check all that apply: i. [x] Providing program-level grants to support investments in staff compensation. ii. [x] Providing bonuses or stipends paid directly to staff, like sign-on or retention bonuses. iii. [ ] Connecting family child care providers and center-based child care staff to health insurance or supporting premiums in the Marketplace. iv. [ ] Subsidizing family child care provider and center-based child care staff retirement benefits. v. [ ] Providing paid sick, personal, and parental leave for family child care providers and center-based child care staff. vi. [ ] Providing student loan debt relief or loan repayment for family child care providers and center-based child care staff. vii. [x] Providing scholarships or tuition support for center-based child care staff and family child care providers. viii. [x] Other. Describe: In addition to tuition supports, the Professional Development Organizations also offer eligible participants other supports to enhance their ability to access/attend coursework, to engage in coursework, and to persist in advancing their Career Pathway placement. b. Describe any Lead Agency ongoing efforts and future plans to assess and improve the compensation of the child care workforce in the State or Territory, including increasing wages, bonuses, and stipends. T.E.A.C.H. scholarships are funded through CCDF dollars. T.E.A.C.H. enters into agreements with child care providers which shares provider level funding to increase participant compensation and/or offer bonuses when the participant obtains degree. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Awards are paid to eligible child care programs designated as a Keystone STAR 2, 3, or 4. Programs have the flexibility to utilize award funds on a variety of expenses including paid staff time for breaks, lesson preparation, family conferences and more. There is also the option to supplement staff benefits and salaries, as well as issue retention bonuses. c. Describe any Lead Agency ongoing efforts and future plans to expand access to benefits, including health insurance, paid sick, personal, and parental leave, and retirement benefits. OCDEL shares on-going information about Pennie ￿ Pennsylvania’s health and dental insurance marketplace which offers financial assistance to help reduce the cost of coverage and care. During Pennie’s open enrollment period, OCDEL will share a message in the electronic newsletters encouraging providers to visit, shop and compare health coverage plans. d. Describe any Lead Agency ongoing efforts and future plans to support the mental health and well-being of the child care workforce. OCDEL consistently works to embed trauma- informed and wellness promoting approaches in all supports provided to the early childhood profession, its families, and children. OCDEL recognizes that workforce well- being as well as the mental health of the children and families served must be acknowledged and addressed, which requires intentional efforts to build a climate of support and care for learning in the ECE settings and context. The COVID-19 global pandemic significantly impacted the availability of ECE programming across the Commonwealth and licensed programs continue to struggle to retain/recruit employees given ongoing stressors. OCDEL will continue to provide access to mindfulness interventions for every early childhood professional in the state through guided apps Healthy Minds @Work Program - https://www.pakeys.org/healthy-minds-program/, professional development opportunities and coaching supports focused on workforce wellness and trauma informed care, as well as continued expansion of the mental health consultation program to support and build the capacity of the B-5 and SACC workforce. In addition, in 2024, OCDEL began to host the conference: Stable and Secure: Supporting Children Through Trauma Sensitive Approaches. This conference focused on deepening the understanding of child and adult well-being through trauma sensitive approaches. OCDEL is committed to hosting this yearly event to support secure environments for young children, families, and child care staff. e. Describe any other strategies the Lead Agency is developing and/or implementing to support providers’ recruitment and retention of the child care workforce. Preschool Development Grant (PDG) funding will be used to supplement the work of the PDOs in order to recruit high school students into the field of child care. PDOs fund partner IHEs to provide dual enrollment programs, as well as with Career and Technology Education programs to enhance child care program offerings. 6.1.2 Strategies to support provider business practices a. Describe other strategies that the Lead Agency is developing and/or implementing to strengthen child care providers’ business management and administrative practices. Currently, Training and PD aligned to CKC Knowledge Area 8, Program Organization and Administration, relates to business practices: "Early childhood and school-age professionals demonstrate knowledge of accepted business practices, legal and regulatory requirements, financial obligations, and record keeping while engaging in ongoing continuous quality improvement practices." All individuals delivering PQAS approved PD and technical assistance must submit evidence of expertise in the Competency Groups in which they are seeking approval. In the case of business practices, many of the approved instructors and consultants are individuals with backgrounds in human resources, employment law, and accounting. PD opportunities are available to all early learning practitioners in Pennsylvania. As part of the CKC revision process and adoption of the Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PSCECE) that occurred in 2021, a stakeholder group developed an initial draft of Administrator Competencies. In FY 2025, OCDEL will begin the process to further develop these competencies to replace CKC Knowledge Area 8. The current draft includes the following areas: Program Leadership; Coaching/Mentoring; Public Policy; and Business/Systems) At the STAR 3 and 4 levels, a member of a program's leadership team is incentivized to be enrolled in or have earned a PA. Director Credential or approved equivalent. Director Credential programs, delivered by accredited IHEs, include a 3-credit course on business practices. Pennsylvania supports the shared services concept, particularly as such services strengthen the business practices of small programs, and consideration of shared services models is reflected in the Keystone STARS performance standards as well as supported through outside funding opportunities to seed innovation. Programs may earn points in the Leadership and Management Performance Standard category through participating in shared services that support cost savings, greater efficiencies related to operations, and/or program quality enhancements. b. Check the topics addressed in the Lead Agency’s strategies for strengthening child care providers’ administrative business practices. Check all that apply: i. [x] Fiscal management. ii. [x] Budgeting. iii. [x] Recordkeeping. iv. [x] Hiring, developing, and retaining qualified staff. v. [x] Risk management. vi. [x] Community relationships. vii. [x] Marketing and public relations. viii. [x] Parent-provider communications. ix. [ ] Use of technology in business administration. x. [ ] Compliance with employment and labor laws. xi. [ ] Other. Describe any other efforts to strengthen providers’ administrative business: 6.1.3 Strategies to support provider participation Lead Agencies must facilitate participation of child care providers and staff with limited English proficiency and disabilities in the child care subsidy system. Describe how the Lead Agency will facilitate this participation, including engagement with providers to identify barriers and specific strategies used to support their participation: a. Providers and staff with limited English proficiency: Pennsylvania provides translated materials for child care providers through the ELRCs to both recruit and encourage participation in the subsidy system of providers with limited English proficiency. Quality improvement resources are offered to providers participating in Keystone STARS to support their quality building activities (including bi- lingual program quality assessors and quality coaches). Through the ELRCs, all child care providers regardless of type, age or capability are actively engaged and encouraged to participate in both the subsidy program as well as professional development offerings to offer responsive and appropriate care for all children. The statewide mental health consultation program has translated program documents and has a small team of bilingual consultants who provide both consultation and targeted professional development in Spanish. Continued effort will be made to add additional languages and resources to the quality system. b. Providers and staff who have disabilities: Through the ELRCs, all child care providers regardless of type, age or capability are actively engaged and encouraged to participate in both the subsidy program and PD offerings to offer responsive and appropriate care for all children. Child care providers are required to maintain facilities that are compliant with DHS child care regulations, have certificates of occupancy under the Uniform Construction Code, and are compliant with all requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As part of the child care certification process all providers must complete a Civil Rights questionnaire where they attest to having current Equal Employment Opportunity and Nondiscrimination in Services policy statements as part of their hiring practices. They also must provide information to staff and enrolled families as to how to make a complaint. ELRC agencies must also adhere to the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and/or the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act of 1955, as amended with the PHRC or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). OCDEL provides trainings and messages in multiple languages and with closed captioning when possible. ADA compliance is a standard for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.