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Child care providers must view their meaningful work as a business and plan and prepare for its sustainability and growth. This tip sheet will provide ideas and resources to support sustainable, quality school-age care. Readers will gain a fundamental understanding of budgeting, marketing, and staffing business practices. Additionally, this tip sheet provides a resource that aids in writing survey questions that will accurately measure the opinions, experiences, and behaviors of the communities providers serve.
This issue brief captures lessons learned from a learning community about early educator compensation in seven states (WA, IL, MA, NC, NM, VT, WI) sponsored by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. It explored how we can create sustainable strategies on compensation as the deadline for spending ARPA funds approaches. The strategies and examples include laying groundwork for compensation reform; salary scales and cost modeling; funding mechanisms to address compensation; and building capacity for data collection. A three-page executive summary called State Actions on Early Educator Compensation is also available here https://cscce.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Executive-Summary-Table_Learning-Community-Brief-2023.pdf
This slide deck shares the first findings released from the National Summer Learning and Enrichment Study conducted by Westat about school-run summer programs in 2021 and plans for summer 2022. The representative findings are drawn from 309 Local Education Agencies. 94% of schools offered some kind of summer programming, serving 18% of students enrolled in school the previous year, with finding staffing as the biggest challenge. 76% used ARP funding, with 75% focused on learning recovery and 57% supplementing with social-emotional learning. 80% also indicated plans to offer programs in summer 2022. A final report will be shared in mid-2023.
On March 23, 2023, the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment hosted “Using Data to Support Equity in Out-of-School Time” webinar to introduce a new NCASE brief designed to support CCDF lead agencies and partners in their collaborative work to expand equitable access to school-age child care for families using child care subsidies. Participants also learned about and shared examples of the types of data that can be used to promote equitable access to school-age care, and gained an understanding of promising practices shared by statewide afterschool leads and the National Workforce Registry Alliance.
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) agencies are required to consider cost information when setting payment rates. Many meet these by doing a narrow cost analysis. This three-part series of issue briefs includes helpful information on: (1) Defining narrow cost analysis; (2) Approaches to narrow cost analysis including cost models and cost surveys; and (3) Using a narrow cost analysis to inform payment rates. These resources can help OST leaders understand how CCDF is moving toward the true cost of quality, equitable staff compensation, and increasing payment rates. This resource addresses equity.
This issue brief from the Sperling Center for Research and Innovation (SCRI) explores qualitative findings from surveys with summer 2021 staff to identify strategies to help in recruiting and retaining staff. Strategies include a focus on relationships and collaboration, supportive leadership, ensuring flexibility and autonomy, opportunities for personal and professional growth, and additional support staff. A companion toolkit called the Staff Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention Guide includes tip sheets, a rubric for hiring enrichment staff, and other planning tools; it can be found here. https://www.sperlingcenter.org/resource/staffing-toolkit-for-out-of-school-time-learning-programs/
The Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School Time (VPOST) developed a map of OST programs and the relationship with population density, poverty, and Social Vulnerability Index in Virginia as a way to highlight gaps in the availability of programs. The OST Access Map project is now being used as an advocacy tool to expand access to more children. This project could serve as a model for other states.
In this BUILD Initiative webinar, speakers from Migration Policy Institute and Civitas Strategies share fiscal and policy supports that would be beneficial for refugee and asylum families and children. Strategies include language access, increased workforce diversity, accessible two-generation approaches, coordination with refugee resettlement agencies, and trauma-informed practices. This resource supports equity.
The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with the National League of Cities, has created a map and a chart that shows where states, cities, and school districts are investing COVID-19 relief funds. The charts show how funds are being used, including American Rescue Plan, ESSER III, and local recovery funds. The majority of funds are being used to increase access to afterschool and summer programs, and in addition for teen jobs programs, technology, and staff supports.
For the first time, this analysis of America After 3PM data provides an in-depth look at the afterschool experiences of Native American children and youth, including the availability of afterschool programs, qualities Native American parents care most about in afterschool programs, and potential areas of growth for the afterschool field to reach more Native American young people.