Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care FY 2010
Department of Early Education and Care
Program and Practitioner Supports
Fund Code 395
PART I – OVERVIEW, ELIGIBILITY, FUNDING, SUBMISSION INFORMATIONBackground: / The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) provides services for children in Massachusetts through a mixed delivery system which includes child care centers, out-of-school time programs, family child care homes, public preschool programs, private school preschool and kindergarten, and Head Start programs. EEC is responsible for licensing early education and care and out-of-school time programs throughout Massachusetts and for providing child care financial assistance to low-income families with children birth to 13 years of age. In addition EEC provides support for information and referral services, inclusive programming for children with special needs, parenting and family support, and professional development opportunities for practitioners in the early education and out of school time fields. These efforts affect thousands of early education and out of school time providers, who serve more than275,000 children each day. In its broadest role, EEC also serves as a source of information to more than one million families in Massachusetts.
EEC is committed to ensuring that all children have access to quality programs. The professional development of practitioners and the accreditation of programs are critical pieces of this vision. Supporting program accreditation and ongoing workforce development are two ways that Community Partnerships for Children (CPCs) demonstrate and improve the quality of early education and care and out of school time services in their communities.
Purpose: / The purpose of this grant is to improve educational and developmental outcomes for children by improving the quality of early education and out-of-school time services. The Program and Practitioner Supports grants is a key strategy for implementing the EEC’s Board Strategic Five-Year Plan ( and in particular to addressing the following two priority key Strategic Directions:
- to create and implement a system to improve and support quality statewide; and
- to create a workforce system that maintains worker diversity and provides resources, supports, expectations, and core competencies
Goals and Priorities: / The goals of this grant for FY 2010 are to:
1.Increase the number of well trained practitioners by providing developmentally appropriate learning experiencesas well as the resources needed to achieve a related credentials, associate, and bachelor degrees; and
2.Expanding the number of programs that are accredited by theNational Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) or the Council on Accreditation (Standards for Afterschool Programs)
In FY2010 this grant has the following priorities:
- Support professional development activities that assist practitioners in meeting existing and revised licensing regulations (areas include curriculum, growth and development, inclusion, interactions, observation and recording) and help programs achieve or maintain accreditation.
- Provide mentoring, coaching, and other group-based support topractitioners in fulfilling their professional responsibilities by:
- addressing defined areas of core competency (see Appendix C)
- Movingpractitioners along a career pathway leading to CDA credentials and matriculation in a degree program by increasing the number of professional development offerings that award CEUs or college credit.
- Establishing pathways that prepare and transition practitioners to higher education.
- Ensure that the early education workforce has access to affordable education and professional development resources by requiring that all EEC-funded professional development offerings be posted on the EEC Professional Development Calendar,
- Increase the professionalism of the workforce by establishing minimum requirements for professional development offerings that do not result in CEUs or college credit (Appendix D)
- Maximize resources by reducingduplication in professional development activities planned and delivered at the local and regional levels as well as through institutions of higher ed.
Applicant Eligibility and Funding Available: / This is an application for combined Program and Practitioner Supports grant funding. Only existing CPC programs that received Accreditation and/or Professional Development grants in FY2009 are eligible to apply for this grant. Lead agencies that currently administer CPC programs are to be the lead agency for these funds. The amount of funding each eligible applicant may apply for is listed in Appendix B.
In order to maximize limited resources and to support collaboration, CPCs applying for the Program and Practitioner Supports grant are strongly encouraged to combine funding and apply with other CPCs. Joint applications must be submitted by the lead agency that will serve as both the fiscal agent and primary program contact. The lead agency must obtain the signed consent of all participating CPCs. This documentation must be on the lead agency’s letterhead and attached to the front of the Application as a cover letter. Funding is subject to FY2010 state budget appropriations and budget language.
Please note that the allocations for CPCs that applied jointly for both professional development and accreditation funds in FY2009 have been combined in FY2010 under the CPC that served as the partnership lead in FY2009. See Appendix B for the allocation amounts.
Required Services: / OBJECTIVE 1: Increase the quality of early education and out of school time programs by successfully supporting and guiding programs through the accreditation process.
- Identify and maintain a resource list of qualified consultants to work with programs seeking accreditation and working through the accreditation or reaccreditation process.
- Qualified consultants are those with: 1) at least a BA degree with relevant coursework in early childhood education or related field; and 2) at least one year’s experience working with programs on accreditation including specific examples of services provided; and
- Provide and/or connect programs to consultation and training including but not limited to:
- Orientation meetings for new programs and for those seeking re-accreditation to provide an overview and understandingof the steps in the accreditation process;
- Guidance in preparing the required components forself study including the use of self-study tools and understanding relevant standards and criteria;
- Guidance on the development of portfolios that document that the classroom(s) meets accreditation standards and the criteria over time; and
- On-site program visits to assess a program’s readiness to begin the accreditation process and guide them as they move through the different stages of the accreditation or reaccreditation process.
- Assist with accreditation costs by paying half (50%) of required fees for eligibleprograms.
- Provide and/or connect program staff and administrators to professional development that:
- meets the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC); accreditation candidacy requirements. (
- assists National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) candidates in achieving a CDA credential or required training hours(
- meets Council on Accreditation (COA) content standard areas: human resources, programming and services, program administration (
- supports gaining college credit in early education and care and out of school timecourses
- Provide mentoring, career counseling, and academic advising related to assisting practitioners to matriculate into higher education;
- Provide GED, ESOL, or related academic supports. Where applicable, content should be early education and care or child development specific;
- Promote, maintain, and provide assistance on EEC’s Professional Development calendar;
- Ensure that all newly hired practitionerscomplete an EEC-approved orientation within the established timeframe;
- Provide professional development opportunities that offer CEUs, result in college credit, or meet EEC’s requirements for professional development that does not generate CEUs or college credit (see Appendix D)in the following topics** by core competency area:
- Child growth and development (and atypical development)
- Modeling cooperation and encouraging pro-social behavior
- Positive interactions (staff/child and peer-to-peer)*
- Limit setting and positive child/youth guidance
- Making child and family referrals
- Family support, communication, and participation
- Recognizing and responding to stress in children
- Nutrition requirements and physical activity for the healthy growth and development of children*
- EEC’s Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences and Early Childhood Program Standards
- How to develop a lesson plan
- Early language and literacy development
- Scheduling activities and managing transitions
- Scheduling activities for multi-age groupings*
- Program planning and curriculum implementation*
- Cultural competence*
- Individualization of activities and accommodating the needs of diverse learners and children with developmental needs, including working with IFSPs or IEPs*
- EEC-approved assessment tools (Work Sampling, High Scope Child Observation Record, Creative Curriculum Developmental Curriculum, or Ages and Stages)
- How to interpret and use assessment data
- Program evaluation
- Progress reports to improve and individualize program activities*
- Observing and recording behavior*
- Connecting schools and after school programs
- Mentoring practitioners (for directors and supervisory staff )
- Promote, maintain, and provide technical assistance on the EEC Professional Development calendar
**Each topic must imbed content on diverse learners, which includes children with special physical, emotional, behavioral or linguistic needs or whose primary learning modality is visual, auditory, tactile or kinesthetic, who may require adaptations in environment, interaction or curriculum in order to succeed in their program.
OBJECTIVE 3: Increase the number of practitioners in early education and care and out of school time programs with a related credential or college degree.
1. Provide CDA reviewer support and training for CDA candidates towards the 120 clock hours requirement in the following topics:
- Planning a safe, healthy, learning environment
- Steps to advance children's physical and intellectual development
- Positive ways to support children's social and emotional development
- Strategies to establish productive relationships with families
- Strategies to manage an effective program operation
- Maintaining a commitment to professionalism
- Observing and recording children's behavior
- Principles of child development and learning;
- When not otherwise available, provide college courses for matriculated students pursuing a BA or AA in early childhood education or related field (excluding reimbursement for college course tuition and/or fees for an individual student);
- Establish and maintain partnerships to facilitate the transition of individual practitioners into degree-granting programs with Building Careers colleges and other two- and four- year institutions of higher education.
- Provide training for directors and supervisory staff on developing staff professional development plans;
- Provide professional support, development, and feedback for directors and administrators on:
- sharing knowledge with direct service and support staff
- integrating new skills into practice
- reflective supervision
- continuous improvement and learning
- Provide training on using child assessment and/or program evaluation data to identify needed training and design professional development for program staff; and
- Provide training on assessing teacher qualifications for programs pursuing accreditation and re-accreditation to meet the candidacy requirement
- Identify and coordinate efforts with existing and potential partners in workforce development including other CPCs, CCR&Rs, Building Careers colleges and other two- and four-yearinstitutions of higher education, public schools, and others and maintain documentation of collaborative initiatives;
- Conduct extensive outreach and open all trainings to as many early childhood and school-age staff as possible; and
- Ensure that professional development and accreditation support provided is not duplicative of resources provided by other local and regional entities.
Additional Requirements: / The following additional requirements must be met as a condition of grant funding:
- At least 75% of all professional development offerings funded in whole or in part through this grant must result in either CEUs or college credit for the participants.
- At least 15% of the grant must be used to support infant/toddler and at least 10% must be used to supportschool age-specific professional development for providers working in child care programs or family child care programs serving these age groups.
- All professional development funded in whole or in part by this grant must be posted on EEC’s Professional Development Calendar.
- Evaluations of professional development offerings must be entered in EEC’s Professional Development Calendar as well.
- Professional development funded in whole or in part by this grant must align with EEC’s Core Competency Areas.
- Understanding the growth and development of children and youth
- Guiding and interacting with children and youth
- Partnering with families and communities
- Health, safety, and nutrition
- Learning environments and implementing curriculum
- Observation, assessment, and documentation
- Program planning and development
- Professionalism and leadership
- Grantees must maintain documentation that all non-college credit bearing trainings meet either EEC Standards for Professional Development that does not offer credits or CEUs, or have been approved for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in accordance with EEC policy. EEC may randomly audit compliance with this requirement.
- Grantees must issue a certificate of completion to all students who meet the requirements for the training. The certificate must indicate the number of EEC Professional Development Hours or CEUs awarded for the training.
- Trainings (i.e. courses, classes, workshops, seminars) must enroll at least 15 students unless otherwise approved.
- Revenues from nominal fees (not to exceed $5 per EEC professional development hour or $50 per 1 CEU per student) intended to assure students’ full participation in professional development activities may only be used as supplemental income for additional professional development expenses limited to instructor/advisor salaries, instructional supplies, instructional materials, and tuition.
- All professional development funded in whole or in part by this grant must be made available to EEC staff at no charge. EEC will establish appropriate internal procedures for the approval of participation by EEC staff.
Outcomes and Performance Measures: / Funds must be used on the required services listed above, which support the five objectives of this grant program. For each performance measure below applicants must report in their application 1) their service area population, 2) their FY09 accomplishments (baseline), and 3) their target increase for FY10. During the course of the funding period EEC will assess how well award recipients are meeting grant objectives.
OBJECTIVE 1: Increase the quality of early education and out of school time programs by successfully supporting and guiding programs through the accreditation process.
Performance Measures:
1a. Number of center-based and public school programs that earn or maintain NAEYC accreditation
1b. Number of center-based and public school programs that progress at least one level* in the NAEYC accreditation process
2a. Number of family child care providers that earn or maintain NAFCC accreditation
2b. Number of family child care providers that progress at least one level* in the NAFCC accreditation process
3a. Number of school-age programs that earn or maintain COA accreditation
3b. Number of school-age programs that progress at least one level* in the COA accreditation process
* See the directions for Part IV on page 13 for accreditation levels by type.
OBJECTIVE 2: Increase the number of well-trained practitioners in early education and care and out of school time programs.
Performance Measures:
- Number of practitioners who have matriculated as a result of mentoring, career counseling, and academic advising related to assisting practitioners to matriculate into higher education
- Number of practitioners that earned EEC professional development hours from a professional development training paid for in whole or part by this grant
- Number of professional development trainings paid for in whole or part by this grant that:
- were eligible for EEC professional development hours
- addressed a school-age child care-specific topic
- addressed an infant or toddler child care-specific topic
- addressed an EEC regulatory requirement
- addressed an accreditation (NAEYC, NAFCC, or COA) requirement
Performance Measures:
- Number of practitioners who have earned a CDA as a result of support and training provided towards the 120 clock hours requirement
- Number of practitioners that earned CEUs or college credits from a professional development training paid for in whole or in part by this grant
- Number of professional development trainings paid for in whole or part from this grant that:
- were CEU-bearing
- were college credit-bearing