Quality Assurance: Making Sound Investments in Child Care Centers Using Public and Private Funds

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Quality Assurance Making Sound Investments in
Child Care Centers Using Public and Private Funds

• Stacey Walter, Quality Assurance Coordinator
• Amy Curtis, Child Care Consultant
• Mary Jo Madvig, Early Childhood Consultant
• Maureen Tiffany, United Way of Central Iowa
• Kate Bennett, Polk County Empowerment

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Early Childhood Business Case Four Universal
Needs

• Brain development and child development research
  have identified four universal needs of young
  children to insure healthy development during the
  first years of life. They are
• Health Mental and Physical
• Family Support/Parent Education
• Quality Child Care for Low Income Children
• Quality Preschool for Low Income Children

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School Readiness Partnership

• Result Children enter school developmentally on
  track in terms of literacy, social, emotional and
  intellectual skills.
• Indicator Children (3-5) with a quality
  preschool experience
• Strategy 1 Coordinate school readiness
  marketing and provide materials to families where
  they pay, play, and pray.
• Strategy 2 Increase community awareness around
  importance of quality pre-school and early
  education opportunities.
• Strategy 3 Establish a comprehensive training
  and professional development system for Polk
  County to address a continuum of caregiver skills
  and learning styles.
• Strategy 4 Connect parents and caregivers to
  literacy rich environments that focus on school
  readiness and child development.

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Community Partners

• Child Care Resource and Referral
• VNS Visiting Nurse Services
• Des Moines Public Library
• Des Moines Public Schools
• Orchard Place/Child Guidance
• Iowa Association for Education for the Young
  Children

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Iowa Quality Rating System

• Began 2006
• Voluntary Participation
• Leveled Ratings 1 to 5
• Rating valid for two years
• Monetary incentives for achieving levels
• Categories for Level 3-5
• Professional Development
• Health and Safety
• Environment
• Family and Community Partnerships
• Leadership/Administration

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Early Childhood Coalition

• Who do we serve
• 11 Centers located in Des Moines, Iowa
• Population App. 200,000
• Urban Programs serving children birth 5
• Programs have a high percentage of families on
  Child Care Assistance
• Approximately 830 children
• 36 White
• 30 African American
• 21 Hispanic
• 13 Other
• 79 Free/Reduced Lunch
• 180 Teachers and Assistant Teachers
• 15 hold CDA
• 2 hold AA in ECE
• 5 hold BA in ECE
• 16 hold BA in unrelated field

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Early Childhood Coalition

• Center Eligibility
• Center agrees to be licensed by the Department of
  Human Services and maintain said licensure in
  good standing. Any change in licensing
  designation or written licensing violations must
  be documented with a report regarding this change
  to the Early Childhood Quality Assurance
  Coordinator within ten (10) days of notification.
• Center agrees to offer a minimum of 50 of
  licensed capacity to families eligible for
  Department of Human Services Childcare Assistance
  funding.
• Center must be willing to participate in and
  advance to the highest level attainable in the
  Iowa Quality Rating System.

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• Facilitate strategic evaluation of center
  facility, including a financial analysis, to
  enhance center performance.
• Support the Center Director to ensure the
  maintenance/completion of all program reports,
  child and staff records and evaluations.
• In cooperation with the child care center,
  support planning, implementing and evaluating
  program content related to QRS in order to ensure
  maximum effectiveness and efficiency.
• Provide leadership and coaching to the Resource
  Team to assure accountability, timeliness, follow
  up and the identification of barriers.
• Assist in the development of various resources
  for program support such as policies and
  procedures and professional development in order
  to ensure efficient and effective programming.
• Work collaboratively and effectively with
  schools, community agencies, and other Quality
  Assurance Team members.
• Contract compliance and remediation plans
• Establish protocols for Resource Team Performance
  Measures

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? Provide QRS support ? Provide assistance with
center evaluations ECERS, ITERS ? Assist Center
Director in the areas of policies and procedures,
licensing, business practices, educational
practices, CACFP and Health and
Safety ? Identify needs of program and work with
Quality Assurance Team to provide
training ? Work Collaboratively and effectively
with schools, community agencies, and other
Quality Assurance Team members
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? Facilitate strategic evaluation of center
facility, personnel plans, and classroom
design ? Provide coaching assistance for lab
school participants ? Provide leadership and
coaching to staff and Director ? Provide
instruction and coaching on Creative
Curriculum ? Identify needs of program and work
with QA Team to provide training
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? QRS Health and Safety tools ? Immunization
Training and Implementation of Record
Keeping ? Assist with Developmental Screenings
and Services ? Work with Resource Team to
identify areas of concern in Health and
Safety ? Training
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? Classroom Observations and Consultation for
Behavior Management ? Training on Behavior
Management Positive Behavior Support ? Individu
al Consultation with Identified Children ? Work
with staff and families to address needs of
child ? Assist classroom teachers with referrals
to outside programs ? Assist classroom teachers
with behavior screening tools
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? Provide college and scholarship counseling to
TEACH recipients ? Monthly contacts with TEACH
recipients ? Process applications for
recipients ? Recruits new participants in TEACH
program
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? Read Alouds in preschool (3-5 years)
programs ? Models age appropriate literacy
activities ? Selects appropriate books for read
aloud ? Monthly book program every family gets
new book
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? Coordinates the Universal Pre-K programs in
child care centers ? Offers professional
development opportunities to centers ? collaborate
s on Zack Hamlett lab school ? Offers support to
Center Directors
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? Support to centers on state billing ? Support
to centers on CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food
Program) ? Provide training opportunities ? Track
s scholarships from WLC, Empowerment, and Harkin
grants ? One-on-one training for directors on
billing, food program, and financial documents
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Benefits to Program/Center

• Materials
• Training
• Salary Supplement Program
• Quality Dollars tied to QRS Rating
• Consultation
• Facility Upgrades
• Community Partnerships
• Networking

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Assessment, Consultation, Data Collection

• Program
• Center Profile
• DHS (Department of Human Services) Licensing
  Report
• ITERS/ECERS
• Nursing Tools (Iowa Department of Public Health)

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Assessment, Consultation, Data Collection

• Child
• Ages and Stages Questionnaire
• Ages and Stages Social Emotional
• IGDIs (Individual Growth and Development
  Indicators) for literacy
• Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum
• Health Screenings Immunizations, Vision, Dental

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Resources

• Stacey Walter, Early Childhood Quality Assurance
  Coordinator
• stacey.walter_at_me.com
• Kate Bennett, Polk County Empowerment
  Coordinator
• kbennett_at_unitedwaydm.org
• Amy Curtis, Child Care Resource and Referral
• acurtis_at_orchardplace.org
• Mary Jo Madvig
• mjmadvig_at_hickorytech.net
• Maureen Tiffany
• mtiffany_at_unitedwaydm.org
• www.dhs.state.ia.us
• www.unitedwaydm.org