Early Care and Education Forward is a broad initiative funded by Westchester County, spearheaded by the Child Care Council, to strengthen the early care and education industry in Westchester. The initiative was developed in early 2007, in response to findings from the Westchester County 2006 Child Care Utilization Study and has included:
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Business management improvement through training, technical assistance
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Mini-grants to address program and business/administration quality
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Facilitation of collaboration with school districts on Universal Pre-K
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Quality improvement initiative: Quality Forward
- In-depth assessment of program and business/administration quality via nationally normed assessment tools
- Development of Program Improvement Plan to address key assessment findings
- Short-term targeted technical assistance
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Strategic Planning for evolution of early care and education in Westchester involving business, schools, government, philanthropy and child care providers
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Collaboration with DSS to advocate for improved policies and procedures, and provide services of subsidy specialist to enhance subsidy application and recertification process for providers and families
Although funding for ECE Forward ended in June 2009, other quality initiatives are underway. These include:
QUALITYstarsNY is New York State’s quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). This system is voluntary and offers a clear and structured approach to assess, improve and communicate the quality of an early care and education program to parents, funders and all modalities of care.
During 2010, New York State piloted QUALITYstarsNY to over 200 programs, providers and school districts in thirteen communities throughout the state. With the completion of all field test activities, the lessons learned from the field test will be used as a guide to make revisions to the system and ultimately shape how QUALITYstarsNY will be implemented.
Once implemented, New York State will join 20 other states that currently operate a statewide quality rating and improvement system. The development of QRIS throughout the nation guarantees that young children will have the opportunity to attend high quality programs, increasing the positive effects on their lives and academic outcomes.
Westchester Steps to Stars Grant is funded by JP Morgan Chase Bank Foundation and assists QUALITYstarsNY field test participants make quality improvements in their programs. Funding is available for technical assistance, training and eCDA scholarships and provides field test participants the opportunity to address suggested improvements identified in their Program Improvement Plan. This allows for a higher program quality and better positions these programs for the full implementation of QUALITYstarsNY.
The grant funds provided by the JP Morgan Chase Bank Foundation Grant fall into three categories:
- Programmatic or administrative technical assistance from a consultant arranged by the Child Care Council of Westchester;
- Free Council workshops on budgeting and finance;
- Partial scholarships that will cover most of the cost of the Child Care Council of Westchester’s on-line CDA (eCDA).
These professional development activities will run through the Spring of 2010.
Intensive Technical Assistance for Preschool Classrooms using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) Through the Child Care Council’s work in Quality Forward and the School AgeQuality Initiative, the Council found that intensive technical assistance and training, based on the results of an assessment, produces measurable results in improving program quality. Under this new initiative, a Council specialist will evaluate preschool classrooms using the ECERS. The results of the assessment will form the basis for the resulting program improvement plan and targeted technical assistance.
The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale is an evaluation tool that was designed to be used in classrooms that serve young children from 2 ½ through 5 years of age. This instrument gauges how well a program is meeting the needs of this age group. It is a nationally recognized and widely used assessment tool that will be employed when evaluating the learning environments of programs who apply for QUALITYstarsNY.
To learn more about these initiatives contact Mary Ann Brendler
at 914-761-3456 x172 and maryannb@cccwny.org |
Born Learning is a United Way public engagement campaign with the goal of inspiring everyone who impact young children to make the best possible decisions to boost school readiness. The Child Care council of Westchester, Inc. is partnering with United Way of Westchester and Putnam, Inc. to promote Born Learning throughout the county. Designed as a tool for long-lasting community change that supports young children, Born Learning helps parents, caregivers grandparents – everyone who works with young children – explore ways to turn everyday moments into fun, learning opportunities. Geared for children ages 0 – 5, Born Learning has three cornerstones:
- Awareness: provides important information about how young children learn
- Education: provides easy, fun, action steps that parents, caregivers and grandparents can use every day
- Action: provides a visible platform for public policy and action that helps a community’s early learning efforts.
NACCRA Quality Assurance
The Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc. has embarked on a voluntary, national certification program for the field of Child Care Resource and Referral. Quality Assurance is a comprehensive validation process that guides and enables us to become validated in all service areas. This process moves the Council towards continuous quality assurance and excellence in our service delivery. Function areas that are assessed included: Core Competencies, Parent Services, Provider Services, Business & Community Services, and Subsidy Management The Quality Assurance process is divided into different phases: Self-Study, which is completed; Submission, which goes from November 2010 through October 2012; and Validation, which runs from November 2012 for up to 6 months. The Quality Assured Phase lasts up to 5 years.
To learn more about Born Learning and NACCRA Quality Assurance
contact Susan M. Edelstein
(914) 761-3456 ext. 127 and susane@cccwny.org |
eCDA
The Council is excited to be offering its very first online professional development opportunity! In partnership with Teaching Strategies, we will be the first organization in New York State to offer eCDA. Teaching Strategies is a nationally recognized organization that specializes in publishing early childhood materials. eCDA is an online CDA program which was created with early childhood educators in mind. It is a great tool for staff who work in early care and education programs full time. The eCDA is the newest form of distance learning with many interactive modules. Our model will be a hybrid version of the CDA that will include technical support from Master’s level professionals who will be conducting the in person portion of the eCDA on a monthly basis. Our goal is to begin the first round of classes in March.
To learn more about eCDA contact Idie Benjamin at
(914) 761-3456 ext.219 or idieb@cccwny.org. |
