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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.
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/
This user-friendly toolkit includes a wealth of resources and examples needed to start or grow a program. It has four sections: (1) Starting a program; (2) Running a program; (3) Sustaining a program; and (4) Getting help. Within each section there are links to existing program start-up guides, connections to curriculum and professional development, funding, marketing and media, and partnerships. This resource supports equity.
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.
This webinar by Grantmakers for Education: OST Impact Group provides in-depth look into one organization’s journey to address its history of appropriating Indigenous culture and then moving ahead on its commitment to equity, putting youth in the lead. Camp Fire shares how it has partnered with local affiliates and youth to develop new traditions and practices, and how it is moving forward to create transformational partnerships with Indigenous leaders and organizations to support young people together. It includes examples from AK and OK, as well as its work with the National Indian Education Association. This resource supports equity.
This Bipartisan Policy Center webinar explores what cost modeling is and how it can inform investments in child care. Experts highlight why both cost modeling and market rate surveys are useful to increase the access, quality, and sustainability of the child care sector. It includes examples from IL, MA, and DC. There is an associated report, Charting the Path Forward for Child Care: Using Cost Modeling to Design New Solutions.
The Improving Child Care Compensation Video Series provides interviews with leaders whose work is covered in the Improving Child Care Compensation Backgrounder 2021, which is also in the NCASE library. There are multiple videos for each state, and include examples of strategies that increase workforce equity such as creating salary scales, raising salaries, providing benefits, and building partnerships. Entities included are CA, CO, DE, IL, LA, NM, NC, PA, WA and D.C. This resource supports equity.
The Provider Cost of Quality Calculator (PCQC) helps providers estimate the annual costs and revenue of operating a center or home-based child care program at different quality levels. The calculator can help evaluate rate changes, sliding fee scales, benefits, and salary scenarios. In addition, there is a user guide to support the estimation process here https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/resource/provider-cost-quality-calculator-user-guide