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The Office of Child Care strongly recommends CCDF Lead Agencies use funds to expand access to high-quality child care by increasing the use of contracts or grants. This issue brief provides an overview of the benefits of using contracts for child care slots, how to address hurdles in the use of contracts for slots, considerations for implementing contracts, how to communicate the need for the use of contracts, and how to access technical assistance. This resource supports the COVID-19 response.
Apprenticeships are industry-driven career pathways that combine classroom instruction, on-the-job training (paid work experience), and mentorship, generally leading to a nationally recognized credential or degree. They are gaining momentum in Out-of-School Time (OST) as an alternate career pathway that supports equity in the workforce. In this guide, you will learn why apprenticeships are a useful strategy for OST staff, programs, and field leaders. The guide also identifies challenges to address and explores key elements of an apprenticeship program and promising practices. The companion webinar can be found at: https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/ncase-resource-library/strengthening-out-school-time-workforce-guide-developing-apprenticeships
The Bipartisan Policy Center conducted an analysis of 184 of the Tribal Child Care Plans and other data to identify ways to better meet the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native children, both living on and off reservations. Recommendations from the review include using a data-driven method to determine funding needed, funding and technical assistance for mental health consultation, streamlining the Tribal CCDF plans, and strengthening culturally relevant curriculum. This resource supports equity.
This issue brief from the Center for American Progress highlights strategies that will provide transformative structural change to equitably reach all families who need care. The strategies include compensation and better working conditions; improving data systems to identify inequities and measure impacts of targeted resources; partnering with providers and parents; targeting funds to underinvested communities; and calibrating the true cost of care.
This report includes 34 standards for social-emotional learning practices in school-age settings from the Weikart Center for Program Quality, the Forum for Youth Investment, and the Wallace Foundation. There are 6 domains of standards: (1) emotion management, (2) empathy, (3) teamwork, (4) responsibility, (5) initiative, and (6) problem solving, plus a section on curriculum features. Each domain includes anecdotes from staff in the 17 Bright Futures sites in Michigan that participated in the development of the standards and there are case studies about the implementation of the standards in 3 program sites.
This 3-part podcast series on social-emotional learning (SEL) explores with researchers from Harvard's EASEL program: (1) What Is SEL and How It Has Evolved, (2) High-quality SEL and the New Navigating SEL Guide, and (3) The Intersection of SEL and Equity. Although primarily focused on schools, the ideas apply to OST, too. The companion SEL program guide can be found here.
This issue brief by Temescal Associates and the How Kids Learn Foundation is designed to help AfterSchool staff understand and respond to the needs of youth who are grieving or experiencing loss due to the pandemic, the opioid crisis, or rising gun and racial violence. It reviews topics such as prevalence, effects on young people, grief-responsive teaching, and self-care for adults. There is also an in-depth webinar that features the author and panelists.
In this town-hall-style webinar from February 2, 2022, the American Camp Association (ACA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Association of Camp Nursing (ACN) cover the latest information on the coronavirus. Panelists reviewed recent changes to CDC guidance, and current information related to testing, quarantining, and vaccination.
Given the growing momentum for a better approach to rate setting, Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies (P5FS) has developed this guide to using cost estimation modeling to set subsidy rates, informed by experience working with New Mexico and the District of Columbia as well as dozens of other states and communities in recent years. The guide reviews costs to be included in a cost estimation model. It outlines a 4-stage process states can use including stakeholder engagement, data collection, model building, and scenario development. See this related webinar on Home-Based Child Care and Cost Estimation Modeling.
First 10, a project of Education Development Center, focuses on coordinated, cross-sector efforts to improve teaching, learning, and care during the first decade of children’s lives. This blog explores how First 10 Transition to Kindergarten communities are funded, how they are advancing equity by using this funding to support children and families who live in low-income households, and how some partnerships are combining First 10 with anti-racism efforts.