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 range of parents and providers were consulted, and how their views are incorporated: The Lead Agency has implemented an evaluation project to assess the base line of quality of child care in the state. The Early Care and Education Evaluation Project uses Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale-3 (ECERS-3), Infant Toddler Environmental Rating Scale-3 (ITERS-3) and the Family Child Care Rating Scale-3 (FCCERS-3) and School Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS) to assess the quality of child care centers and family home providers throughout the state. Quality activities are also evaluated through multiple methods: CCR&R agencies conduct annual regional needs assessment to child care providers to determine training needs. Quarterly reporting from CCR&R agencies on professional development participation and offerings, as well as resources provided and referrals to other services. Evaluation activities that show proof of learning from professional development activities. Proof of learning success/failure data is housed in the state training and registry system and reviewed by Lead Agency staff quarterly. Direct observation and assessment of professional development delivery by Lead Agency staff twice per year, or more frequently in case of new professional development hires. An annual statewide analysis report on all CCR&R activities by an outside contractor. West Virginia DoHS Division of Early Care and Education, in conjunction with the West Virginia Early Childhood Advisory Council had a Needs Assessment completed in November 2023. The assessment was part ot the Preschool Development Grant Birth-5 Implementation Grant. Key findings of the needs assessment confirmed that the landscape of early childhood care and education in West Virginia was complex but early childhood stakeholders had worked diligently to address many needs and gaps. Some key findings include: · In 2022, there were approximately 88,997 children under the age of five and 96,539 children between the ages of five and nine years in West Virginia. For the 2022￿2023 school year, approximately 13,520 children enrolled in preschool or pre-K and 68,199 children enrolled in K￿3rd grade. · Despite low rates of homelessness, West Virginia has substantially higher poverty rates than the national average. The state ranks sixth in the country for highest poverty rates. · People with low income are less likely to enroll their child in preschool, and about · half of students enrolled in public school are classified as low socio-economic · status (SES). · West Virginia has one of the smallest achievement gaps for race in the country, but socioeconomic status tends to play a larger role in achievement. · Nearly all children under the age of six have health insurance in West Virginia. · However, many residents do struggle with access given the less-than-ideal ratios of medical and behavioral health providers to children. · The average cost of child care in West Virginia is substantial, with some West · Virginia families spend upwards of 17 percent of their annual income to privately pay for child care. · West Virginia has the fourth-highest percentage of residents living in a child care desert among all states. More than one-half of West Virginia residents live in a census tract with more than 50 children under the age of five with either no child care providers or three times as many children as licensed child care slots. · Nearly one-third of the ECCE workforce survey respondents indicated that they plan to leave their current position within the next three years, citing low salary, lack of work/life balance, and lack of resources to do the job effectively as the top three challenges for their work. · West Virginia childcare workers have a median hourly wage of $10.47 (or an annual salary of $21,778). In comparison, positions that require no to little education requirements have higher median incomes, such as food servers (at $12.62 per hour) and retail salespersons (at $12.64 per hour). · The poverty rate for early educators in West Virginia is 23.1 percent, more than twice as high as West Virginia workers in general and 7.8 times as high as K-8 teachers. The completed needs assessment outlined potential strategic plan considerations were organized into three priority areas: structural support, support for the workforce and support for children and families. Structural support strategic plan considerations include: an integrated data system for the ￿child-serving￿ system, increase opportunities for braided/blended funding between early care and education entities, increases in public-private partnerships to fund child care and a central repository of facility inspection reports. Workforce support strategic plan considerations include: review of compensation structures for the early care and education workforce, adequate overhead and building maintenance support and professional development opportunities related to working with p0ersons from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Children and families support strategic plan considerations include a review of child care subsidy requirements for families, expansion of access for routine screenings, increased behavioral supports for children and families, expanded access to early education, creation and/or coordination of a centralized location for early care and education resources. The West Virginia Early Childhood Care and Education Needs Assessment and the resulting Strategic Plan, developed in conjunction with the Early Childhood Advisory Council, are available at https://dhhr.wv.gov/bfa/ece/data/Pages/default.aspx. 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: Based on Lead Agency observation of professional development activities, if needed, feedback on areas for improvement is provided to CCR&R professional development staff to ensure consistent service delivery across the state. Quarterly meetings with professional development staff are held to identify areas of need and develop plans to address quality improvement needs. Based on the ERS evaluation project, the ECERS-3 and ITERS-3 assessments both show that the Activity Subscale rated the lowest. Typically, this includes fine motor, art, music and movement, blocks, dramatic play, nature/science, math/number, appropriate use of technology, promoting acceptance of diversity, and gross motor. The FCCERS-3 assessment showed low scores in the Activity Subscale and Space and Furnishings. The SACCERS assessment showed the Personal Care Routines were lacking. The CCR&R professional development staff will work with programs who received their individual results of the ERS assessments and will provide targeted training, coaching and technical assistance to the areas indicated in the findings. The key findings from the November 2023 Needs Assessment were: The landscape of early childhood care and education in West Virginia is complex, with evidence indicating the state has already worked hard to address many needs and gaps. Some key findings of the assessment include: • In 2022, there were approximately 88,997 children under the age of five and 96,539 children between the ages of five and nine years in West Virginia. For the 2022￿2023 school year, approximately 13,520 children enrolled in preschool or pre-K and 68,199 children enrolled in K￿3rd grade. • Despite low rates of homelessness, West Virginia has substantially higher poverty rates than the national average. The state ranks sixth in the country for highest poverty rates. • People with low income are less likely to enroll their child in preschool, and about half of students enrolled in public school are classified as low socio-economic status (SES). • West Virginia has one of the smallest achievement gaps for race in the country, but SES tends to play a larger role in achievement. • Mathematics and reading scores for 4th- and 8th-grade West Virginia students were significantly lower than the national average. Despite achievement gaps, the state boasts one of the highest high school graduation rates in the country • Nearly all children under the age of six have health insurance in West Virginia. However, many residents do struggle with access given the less than ideal ratios of medical and behavioral health providers to children. • The average cost of child care in West Virginia is substantial, with some West Virginia families spending upwards of 17 percent of their annual income to privately pay for child care. • West Virginia has the fourth-highest percentage of residents living in a child care desert among all states. More than one-half of West Virginia residents live in a census tract with more than 50 children under the age of five with either no child care providers or three times as many children as licensed child care slots. • Coordination between ECCE services is less than ideal. Only 38 percent of surveyed caregivers indicated that coordination between ECCE programs was always or often occurring. • Nearly one-third of the ECCE workforce survey respondents indicated that they plan to leave their current position within the next three years, citing low salary, lack of work/life balance, and lack of resources to do the job effectively as the top three challenges for their work. • West Virginia childcare workers have a median hourly wage of $10.47 (or an annual salary of $21,778). In comparison, positions that require no to little education requirements have higher median incomes, such as food servers (at $12.62 per hour) and retail salespersons (at $12.64 per hour). Further, the poverty rate for early educators in West Virginia is 23.1 percent, more than twice as high as West Virginia workers in general and 7.8 times as high as K-8 teachers.