SEARCH FOR RESOURCES
Given the prominence of the child care licensing system, it is important to determine how it can be more equitable on behalf of the providers, and the children and families it serves. This issue brief provides questions for licensing administrators and their staff to help identify and consider inequities in the licensing systems. The questions are organized into eight sections: (1) licensing leadership; (2) licensing staff; (3) communication; (4) provider and family voices; (5) data and evaluation; (6) regulations; (7) pre-licensure and initial support for providers; and (8) provider training and technical assistance.
See the excellent related webinar, Role and Responsibility of Licensing in Achieving Equity in the Early Childhood System
This issue brief outlines eight strategies with state examples for improving child care compensation: (1) compensation scales and standards; (2) wage stipends and bonus payments, (3) tax credits for child care educators; (4) ARPA stabilization subgrants; (5) child care assistance; (6) benefits; (7) apprenticeships; and (8) Pre-K parity for child care. Although focused on early childhood, these strategies are applicable to the school-age field too. There is also a webinar, Child Care Compensation Counts: 8 Strategies, with panelists from IL, DE, and PA to share work they are doing on compensation scales and wage stipends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDHxRseiRa8
BUILD hopes to hold provide more events on the other six strategies. This resource supports equity.
This issue brief, published by Temescal Associates and How Kids Learn Foundation, outlines how out-of-school time (OST) programs can provide a professional pathway into relieving the national teacher shortage, which has worsened during the pandemic. There are advantages to this pathway such as: (1) knowledge and skills that OST professionals gain are similar to those required of teachers; (2) many OST professionals are people of color who bring a unique understanding of the communities youth come from; and (3) surveys show that OST professionals are interested in this pathway. The brief includes interviews with system planners and participants in teacher pathway programs. A companion webinar can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct95g7qPaAY&ab_channel=HowkidsLearn
Every Hour Counts is a national network of 28 city intermediaries who have launched a Workforce Development Workgroup to identify strategies to recruit, retain, and support the workforce during the current staffing crisis. Ideas include increasing compensation, creating cooperatives to provide benefits, offering sabbaticals and family medical leave for those experiencing burnout, and finding a way to increase supports to directors who are also experiencing burnout.
This revised IACET accredited professional development module developed by the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) in collaboration with the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning (NCECDTL) addresses several aspects of Out-of-School Time (OST): history of the field, children and families' needs, workforce needs, and qualities and responsibilities of an effective OST professional.
IACET stands for the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training – this module provides .2 Continuing Education Units which is 2 contact hours.
Inequity is commonly associated with groups that suffer from discrimination related to their race, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, class, gender, sexual orientation, or disabilities. Out-of-School (OST) programs and organizations can explore implementing accountability strategies to help reduce inequities that are a result of limited access to resources and services.
The Equity Planning Checklist is designed to support OST programs and organizations in fully assessing policies and practices that foster equity. This checklist includes guiding questions to consider during system-wide equity planning and implementation.
On November 30, 2021, NCASE hosted the webinar, “Addressing Equity in Out-of-School Time.” During the webinar participants had the opportunity to: learn about and share initiatives that support equity in Out-of-School Time (OST); gain an understanding of a culturally rooted Tribal OST program that supports children, family, and community, and explore a new brief and multiple resources designed to support Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) lead agencies, State Afterschool Networks, OST program providers, and technical assistance (TA) providers in building and sustaining equitable systems and practices for OST.
The National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) recognizes the importance of supporting system-level leaders and program professionals as they develop resources and opportunities to address racial equity and inclusion in serving school-age children and their families.
The following selected resources address racial equity and inclusion, with a focus on leadership roles, and provide ways to implement these ideas systematically and programmatically.
When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person schooling during the 2020-2021 academic year, children participated in school from the classroom, from home, and from out-of-school time (OST) programs on remote learning days.
This brief explores the creativity and resourcefulness of federal and state agencies, OST program providers, and other community partners who helped to ensure that children remained connected to caring adults and had safe, nurturing environments in which to engage with online classes and schoolwork.
This document is also available in Spanish.
The 2011 NAA national Core Knowledge and Competencies (CKCs) have been revised in 2021 with an eye toward equity and culturally responsive practices. The retitled Core Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies (CKSCs) reflect updated research and best practices in promoting equity, inclusion, access, and antiracism in youth work. There are 10 content areas, which each have a rationale, as well as skills and competencies that are grouped into three categories: identify, apply, and amplify. The 2019 companion self-assessment tools and guide on practices that support effective social-emotional learning can be found at SEL to the Core: Building from Foundational Youth Development to Support Social and Emotional Learning.