FISCAL YEAR 2017ADDITIONAL CHILD CARE QUALITY INITIATIVES AND DIRECT CARE CONTINGENCY FUNDS
DISCUSSION PAPER
The Texas Workforce Commission conducted several public meetings to solicit input on the subsidized child care system. During these meetings, the Commissioners received recommendations on initiatives that would enhance the system. This paper recommends several Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) initiatives based upon the input received. It also includes other recommendations related to CCDF reauthorization, summarized below:
Initiative / Budget1. Professional Development: Administrators and Teachers Track 76062 / $1,000,000
2. Support for the Texas Early Childhood Workforce Registry / $250,000
3. Translation of Child Care Documents and Resources / $200,000
4. CCDF Direct Care Contingency Fund / $26,550,000
Total / $28,000,000
Recommendation 1: Professional Development for Administrators and Teachers,
Track 76062
Total Budget Increase from $3,000,000 to $4,000,000
Fiscal Year 2017
Available for 24 Months
On November 16, 2016, TWC’s three-member Commission approved $3,000,000 to support a competitive procurement for training for CDAs. Staff recommends increasing this amount to $4,000,000 and expanding the professional development to include not only teachers, but also child care administrators.
Recommendation 1a:Staff recommends dedicating $2 million for the development on an RFP to fund the expansion or the creation of CDA training programs in the state.
The goals of the funding are to:
- Enhance professional development of child care provider staff and provide necessary training for child care teachers to achieve a Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™. Issued by the Council for Professional Recognition;
- Increase the number of TRS-certified providers by expanding professional development opportunities offered by entities that provide training that will lead to aCDA; and
- Address barriers to participation in professional development activity by child care staff by offering courses through a combination of on-line courses and courses offered during non-traditional hours.
Priority will be given to child care staff of institutions expressing an interest in participating in TRS and/or the High-Quality Prekindergarten Grant.
Recommendation 1b: Staff recommends dedicating $2 million to develop an RFP) to fund the delivery of intensive in-depth courses related to child care administration and business practices in order to strengthen the business practices of child care providers to expand the supply and improve the quality of child care services. The courses would focus on gaining advanced business and organizational skills specific to business leaders in the child care industry.
The courses should focus on:
- The development of leadership skills at the provider and community-level
- The importance of quality and the indicators of quality child care
- The importance of a skilled, well-trained workforce and the development of staff professional development;
- Creating a positive and productive workplace; and
- Working with parents to engage families in the early learning and child development of children.
The courses would be open to TRS 4-Star and TRS 3-Star providers.
Recommendation 2: Support for the Texas Early Childhood Workforce Registry
Total Budget $250,000
Fiscal Year 2017
Available for 24 Months
The Texas Workforce Registry (TWR) is a web-based application for early childhood education (ECE) professionalswho work with children birth to age 8, to keep track of their education and employment history, and training hours. The TWR is administered by the Texas Head Start Collaboration Office of the Children’s Learning Institute.
Additionally, the TWR allows ECE professionals to create a professional development profile, view reports, list job openings on the Job Board, and evaluate trainings presented by Registered Trainers.
The TWR includes an account for child care center directors, which includes the director’s professional development profile and details the individual’s employment, education and training. Additionally, the director has access and the option to create a center profile and to post job openings. The TWR also includes practitioner accountsthat contains a professional development profiles which details the individual teacher’s employment, education and training.
With the TWR, child care center directors have:
- Easy access to their professional development records and reports, as well as center-wide reports;
- Help with professional development planning for self and staff; and
- Help with promotion of available job openings.
And child care teacher benefit from TWR by:
- Allowing easy access to their professional development records and reports; and
- Helpings with professional development planning.
The Texas Rising Star Program will also benefit from the program. TRS certification includes measures on staff training, education and experience. Through dedicated funding, the TWR could be used to document compliance of TRS measures. Having a professional development database would benefit:
- Facility administration staff- Staff would not have to dedicate time to updating and arranging files for TRS assessments, and monitoring, when necessary.
- Assessor staff- Staff would have access to the database to document TRS compliance, eliminating the need to review staff files at the provider’s facility.
Benefits for Child Care Licensing:
DFPS CCL staff could use the Registry to document Minimum Standard compliance of education, experience and training requirements.
Recommendation:
Provide funding to support the use of Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System’s Texas Workforce Registry (TWR) by TRS certified providers or child care providers applying for and working with a TRS mentor to achieve TRS certification.
Currently, the annual registry fees are $25 for practitioner accounts and $50 for center director accounts. The funding provided by TWC would allow for:
- Additional staff support for the TWR with the goal of eliminating or significantly reducing the annual registry fees; and
- Conducting activities to increase the awareness of and the benefits of the TWR for ECE professional and child care center directors.
Recommendation 3: Translation of Child Care Documents and Resources
Total Budget $200,000
Fiscal Year 2017
Available for 12 Months
Recommendation:
Provide funding for translation services in order to translate public early childhood education and child care documents and resources into Spanish and Vietnamese. At a minimum, the following documents and resources will be translated:
- TRS Documents and Resources:
- TRS Guidelines
- TRS Application
- TRS Facility and Classroom Record Forms
- TRS Website
- Texas Child Care Solutions (parent portal)
- Texas Early Learning Guidelines (currently in Spanish)
- Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
Recommendation 4: Direct Care Contingency Fund
Total Budget $26,550,000
Fiscal Year 2017
Available for 12 Months
Recommendation:
Make funding available to Boards to provide direct child care services for the anticipated increase in the number of children receiving Choices Child Care and the number of children formerly receiving child care through child protective services due to the 12-month eligibility requirement in the CCDBG Act.
DP – FY17 Child Care Quality Initiativesand Direct Care Funds (08 08 16)Notebook1