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. TWC posts Quality Progress Reports at https://www.twc.texas.gov/programs/child-care/data-reports-plans. 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. Local Professional Development Activities Boards use a portion of their quality set aside funds to provide professional development opportunities to the child care workforce. Boards submit annual quality plans to TWC which TWC posts on its website. Texas Early Childhood Professional Development Scholarships Currently administered by the TXAEYC, this initiative provides professional development scholarships for early childhood educators who work in the licensed childcare settings across Texas. These comprehensive scholarships enable early childhood educators to take coursework leading to credentials and degrees at local community colleges and universities in Texas while continuing to work. AgriLife Online Child Care Training AgriLife provides a wide range of online child care training courses with certificates for the child care workforce looking to complete state-mandated training requirements, professional development, and CDA renewal requirements. Child Care RAPs TWC provides support for the development and implementation of new RAPs for child care. Apprentices receive classroom instruction and on-the-job training to help them advance professionally. Upon completion, apprentices receive a national, industry recognized credential. Child Care Business Coaching and Training TWC will develop a comprehensive project focused on both business coaching and business training. Services will include tailored one-on-one business coaching; assisting providers with general business support, which may include strategies for the management of their business, their financial policies and financial operations; education and training on financial stability; business management; personnel management; recruitment/retention of staff; communication, including family and community engagement; and providing information about the benefits of participating in TWC’s subsidized child care program and the benefits of pursing Texas Rising Star certification. Texas Rising Star Early Educator Conference TWC will provide two-day professional development conferences annually for Texas Rising Star early learning program staff and administrators to attend. This conference will support early learning educators in obtaining their required annual training hours, as well as gain new skills and understanding about current early childhood education trends, resources, and best practices. Child Care Workforce Strategic Plan HB 619, 87th Texas Legislature, Regular Session (2021), added §302.0062 to the Texas Labor Code, requiring TWC to prepare a child care workforce strategic plan for improving the quality of the infant, toddler, preschool, and school-age child care workforce in Texas and to update the strategic plan every three years. The bill requires the strategic plan to include recommendations and best practices, including how to improve, sustain, and support the child care workforce. ii. Developing, maintaining, or implementing early learning and developmental guidelines. [x] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [ ] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. 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. Texas invests heavily in our mandatory QRIS program. TWC has the following goals for high-quality, subsidized child care in Texas: Improve child care services by assisting child care providers in achieving quality standards such as Texas Rising Star certification; Increase access to quality child care for families by increasing the number of Texas Rising Star-certified facilities; and Improve the quality of teacher-child interactions and learning environments by increasing professional development opportunities for child care and Pre-K teachers who work in early childhood education. Texas Rising Star Four-Year Review TWC reviews the Texas Rising Star program every four years per CCS rule §809.130(e). TWC is in the process of concluding its most recent review that began in July 2023. To help inform the review, TWC established the Texas Rising Star 2023 workgroup. The workgroup developed recommendations, which TWC shared with additional stakeholders through public stakeholder meetings held in the Spring 2024. Based on this input, TWC will develop recommendations for changes to the Texas Rising Star Guidelines, and for proposed rule changes. These recommendations were presented to the Commission in April 2024 and are expected to be finalized in September 2024. The next four-year review is scheduled for Summer of 2027. Mentoring Supports On June 13, 2023, TWC’s three-member Commission approved an increase to the Texas Rising Star Staff Support budget for BCY’24 to $27 million. This additional funding allows Boards to hire more Texas Rising Star mentors to support the implementation of HB 2607, 86th Texas Legislature, Regular Session (2019), which requires CCS providers to participate in the Texas Rising Star program. Mentors provide TA and coaching to support child care programs in obtaining and maintaining Texas Rising Star certification, which includes creating an online Continuous Quality Improvement Plan within the Texas Rising Star assessment platform, Engage. TWC will continue to provide dedicated mentor funding to the Boards to support increased mentoring supports for programs participating in Texas Rising Star, from Entry Level designation to certification. Centralized Assessors In July 2023, TWC competitively procured a Centralized Assessment Entity to oversee the Texas Rising Star assessment process. CLI was awarded the contract and began assessment functions October 1, 2023. Local Activities to Support Quality Improvement Boards use a portion of their quality set aside funds to provide quality improvement supports to the child care programs they mentor. Boards submit annual quality plans to TWC which TWC posts on its website. 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. Texas Infant Toddler Specialist Network (ITSN) In March 2020, TWC provided $3 million through a competitive procurement process to establish a statewide infant and toddler specialist network. CLI was awarded the contract and has been implementing a network that provides teachers and administrators of infant and toddler programs with professional development, technical support, and opportunities to participate in professional learning communities. This continued work will help to enhance the quality of care provided to infants and toddlers across the state, as well as elevate the skills and competencies of the infant and toddler professionals who participate. TWC continues to monitor the effectiveness of this program and use that information to inform any future initiatives. Effective January 15, 2024, each Board is required to designate an Infant Toddler Specialist to participate in the Texas ITSN. This specialist will be able to support the local child care providers in their area with improving the quality of care provided to infants and toddlers in those programs, as well as elevate the skills and competencies of the infant and toddler teachers. Statewide FCCN The statewide FCCN is designed to provide specialized services and technical assistance to support and address the needs of family home-based early childhood educators by improving their business practices, meet health and safety standards and increase the quality of their programs. FCCNs provide one-on-one coaching as well as facilitated peer learning communities. This is a regional-based system that supports and coordinates the work of family child care programs (registered or licensed) by creating a community of professional development and peer support to better the experiences for the children and families they serve. The FCCNs offers free resources, training, and services, including mentoring and coaching. Local Activities to Improve the Quality of Care for Infants and Toddlers Boards use a portion of their quality set aside funds to support activities that improve the quality and availability of child care for infants and toddlers. Boards submit annual quality plans to TWC which TWC posts on its website. v. Establishing or expanding a statewide system of CCR&R services. [x] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [ ] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. 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. As part of a larger supply building effort in 2022, TWC invested $1 million to support a new Child Care Navigator team. The CCR Navigators are strategically placed in different parts of the state to help support new child care providers build and sustain their child care business. The Navigators partner with new child care applicants, assisting them through the application process, providing them with available resources in their community or region, and connecting them with their CCR representatives. TWC will continue this investment using PDG B-5 and CCDF funding. Local Activities to Support Compliance with Health and Safety Standards Boards may use a portion of their quality set aside funds to support compliance with state health and safety standards. Boards submit annual quality plans to TWC which TWC posts on its website. 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. Local Activities to Support Evaluation and Assessment Boards may use a portion of their quality set aside funds for activities that evaluate and assess the quality and effectiveness of child care services in their local areas. Boards submit annual quality plans to TWC which TWC posts on its website. Planning for Individualized Instruction Through a statewide initiative, TWC grants funding to an entity that supports child progress monitoring and provider training on how to use the data to inform lesson plans and intentional learning activities. viii. Accreditation support. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. Local Activities to Support National Accreditation Boards may use a portion of their quality set aside funds to provide mentoring to help child care providers attain national accreditation. Some Boards provide fee assistance for attaining national accreditation. Boards submit annual quality plans to TWC which TWC posts on its website. 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. TWC will use CCDF funding to implement Texas Rising Star program changes based on the 2023 Texas Rising Star 4-year Review workgroup recommendations. TWC will continue to provide funding to the CLI, who manages the Texas Rising Star online tool, to support enhancements and maintenance of the tool, including the continuous quality improvement plan generator. 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. Prekindergarten Partnerships TWC supports a PKP program to assist Texas Rising Star programs with a three- star certification or higher to establish PKPs with local school districts and charter schools. TWC also collaborates with TEA to develop joint strategies to expand the development of PKPs throughout the state. TWC’s PKP program aims to increase the number of children enrolled in PKPs by generating interest and increasing the number of partnerships between child care providers and LEAs such as school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. PKP Specialists support the development of PKPs throughout the state by informing and engaging potential partners; supporting child care providers and LEAs during negotiations; identifying partnership models that best meet the unique needs of the programs and families; coordinating efforts with stakeholders; capacity building and systems development for the sustainability of partnerships. Through this program, TWC will provide eligible child care programs awards of up to $25,000 for each new partnership classroom to assist with the costs associated with the new PKP classroom, including: teacher compensation, curriculum, furniture, equipment, and training materials. TWC is measuring the outcomes by examining the number of new PKP classrooms that receive funding awards, and whether those classrooms sustain PKP instructional services long- term in support of a more robust mixed-delivery system. Shared Services Alliances Since June 2022, TWC has funded support to plan and implement SSAs. The goal of this initiative is for SSAs to become self-sustaining, as the programs realize savings through the shared services model. Alliances may offer various services to member providers, such as: accounting support, marketing support, legal support, digital literacy support, human resources support, health benefits, and child care business management software. In FY’25, TWC will issue a new Request for Applications to solicit a grantee to administer this initiative. TWC will measure outcomes by monitoring child care provider participation and implementation of alliance sustainability plans. Wage Supplements As described in Section 6.1, in FY22 and FY23, Boards used COVID stimulus funding to provide incentives (bonuses, stipends or other wage supplements) for 8,588 staff at 907 Texas Rising Star-certified providers. Boards may use their regular CCDF child care quality funds to support child care workforce compensation, which may include providing funding to Texas Rising Star-certified providers for wage compensation or pay stipends or retention bonuses directly to the providers’ staff. TWC will measure outcomes by monitoring the number of child care subsidy providers and staff that receive the wage supplements. Data Systems TWC will make several systems improvements during FY25 through FY27. In FY24, TWC funded a website usability study of TECPDS. During the plan period, TWC will support improvements to the system in response to the recommendations from the study. TWC will look at usage metrics before and after the site improvements to measure impact. In FY25, TWC will use PDG B-5 funding to procure a vendor to develop an online interagency Eligibility Screener to help parents determine their potential eligibility for programs that serve young children, such as CCDF, public Pre-K, and HS. The system will include functionality to capture usage metrics which TWC will use to measure impact. TWC also plans to coordinate with the Texas Education Agency during this plan period on the development of an Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS). The ECIDS will be developed in accordance with the ECIDS Roadmap that was developed by the TELC in FY’23. Once developed, the ECIDS will support data- driven program improvements. This project is funded by PDG B-5. 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.