Youngstar

Wisconsin Department of Children and Families

Building the Future By Investing Early

Governor Doyle’s Commitment to

Wisconsin’s Children

• Expansion of four-year-old kindergarten

• Providing more school breakfast programs

• Created the Wisconsin Covenant

• Launched BadgerCare Plus

• Created Department of Children and Families


The Road to Improving Child Care


Safety Fraud

• Background

checks

• Dangerous

programs

• Links to drug

trade

• Assess quality

indicators

• Provide support to

child care

programs

• Reward quality

programs

• Better assist

families find child

care

• Millions of dollars

of fraud

• Fictional jobs

• Fictional child

care

What is “high” quality? Research suggests:

• Teachers with four-year college degrees

• Teachers well-compensated, have ongoing training

• Smaller teacher-child ratios

• For three- and four-year-olds, use of a curriculum

• Interventions with families such as home visits

• Monitoring and site visits


Why is Quality Important?

• Higher school readiness

• Improved cognitive ability and social skills

• Lower use of special education classes

• Lower rates of grade retention

• Higher labor force participation

• Higher high school graduation rates

• Lower use of welfare

• Higher wages earned --> higher tax contributions

• Lower juvenile delinquency and lifetime participation in crime

• Lower rates of teen pregnancy and out-of-wedlock births


Development of YoungStar

• Proposal is grounded in 2005 Quality Cares for Quality

Kids proposal

• Reflects input from 15+ listening sessions held

statewide since July 1, 2008

• Several changes reflective of feedback:

– Micro-grants

– Training and Technical Assistance Resources

– Quality link to reimbursement rates

– Incorporation of health and wellness points


Elements of Strong QRIS Systems• Clear Goals and Expectations

• Incentives for meeting standards, consequences for not meeting standards

• Monitoring of performance

• Evaluation of program performance

• Encouraging improved performance through quality improvement support, technical assistance and financial incentives.

Rand Corporation, 2009


YoungStar will…

• Support child care providers in WI

• Help parents make child care choices

• Align Shares payments with quality

• Prevent fraud


Wisconsin Is Building on Strength

Regulation: Licensing & Certification

Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards

Courses &

Credentials

The

Registry

Child Care

Information

Center

T.E.A.C.H.

Scholarships

REWARD

Stipends

Strengthening

Families

Center for the

Social and

Emotional

Foundations

DHS Physical

Activity

Initiative

Supporting

Families

Together

Association

Child Care

Food Program

Training &

Education

Quality

Improvement


0-10 Points

11-22 Points

23-32 Points

33-40 Points

Regulated and in regulatory compliance

Regulated but not

in compliance

Regulated programs


Support Child Care Providers with…

• Training

• Technical Assistance

• Grants


Regional Service Delivery

• DCF will select six regional entities to administer YoungStar

• Entities will be expected to build partnerships and connections to

support providers and parents

• Emphasis will be placed on entities that can leverage additional

resources and have strong partnerships in place to deliver services

• Regional entities will be responsible for:

– Child care assessments

– Administration of quality microgrants

– Training and technical assistance

– Assisting parents find child care

– Working with DCF and other key partners for YoungStar


Service Delivery Areas


Child Care Quality Indicators

• Educational Qualifications

• Learning Environment and Curriculum

• Health and Well Being of Children

• Professional Business Practices


Quality Indicator Point Totals

Possible Points

Category for Earning Points Family Group

Education Qualifications - Family Provider 0-14 N/A

Education - Group Teachers N/A 0-9

Education of Group Director N/A 0-6

Learning Environment and Curriculum 0-14 0-13

Professional Practices (business practices, staff

benefits, parent involvement

0-7 0-7

Health and Wellness 0-5 0-5

Total 0-40 points 0-40 points


Educational Qualifications

• Teacher or provider education is one of the strongest predictors of providing high quality early care and education.

• Center director education is also linked to quality.

• The Group and Family Child Care models provide opportunity for recognition of education levels, credit based work beyond high school, and credentials. Group Center director’s education is also an opportunity to acquire points.

• Wisconsin will work with The Registry to verify educational credentials.


Learning Environment and

Curriculum

• Quality Improvement Plan

• Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale

• Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards

• Improving Child Outcomes


Business and Professional Practices

• Child Care Business Practices

• Practices to support teaching staff and provider

• Benefits for Program Staff

• Involving Parents in Program


Child Health and Well-Being

• Nutrition

• Physical Activity

• Strengthening Families and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

• Supporting inclusion of all children

• Promoting social and emotional health


Participating in YoungStar

• Programs who receive Wisconsin Shares will be required to participate

• YoungStar contract with program will be required to participate

• All programs must agree to timely and accurate reporting of Wisconsin Shares to participate

• For programs not in Wisconsin Shares, participation is voluntary


Participating in YoungStar

• How do programs accumulate points?

• What are options for gradually increasing points?


Example 1: Emily’s Family Child Care

• The provider has the Infant-

Toddler Credential

• Program has signed YoungStar

contract and has established

timely and accurate reporting of

Wisconsin Shares – required

for participation (no points

earned)

• She participates in the Food

Program

Category Points

Earned

Provider

qualifications

3

Health and Wellness 1

Total 4

Stars


How program could move to 3 StarFor Emily’s program to move to a 3 star

program from original 4 points, she could:

• Develop a quality improvement program* – self assessed. (1 pt)

• Incorporate Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards into programming (1 point)

• Demonstrate that she’s received WMELS training (1 point)

• Demonstrate physical activity standards in program (1 point)

• Document yearly budget planning and program financial assessment (1 point)*

• Document strong parental involvement (2 points)

*Required for 3 Star

Three Stars

Education Infant Toddler Credential*

Learning

Environmen

t

Quality Improvement Plan in place

(self assessment) – adds 1 point*

Curriculum aligned with WMELS –

adds 1 point

Full WMELS training received – adds

1 point

Health and

Wellness

Food Program

Demonstrate that program meets

physical, health and wellness

standards (+1 points)

Business

and

Professiona

l

Practices

Budget planning - adds 1 point*

Parent involvement – demonstrate 3

or more practices - adds 2 points

Total Points 7 new points added to original 4 = 11

points for level 3

Star Level


How program could move to 4 StarFor Emily’s program to move to a 4 star

program starting from 11 points, she

could add to her portfolio:

• Administrator Credential – adds 6

points)

• Use a research-based instrument for

quality improvement plan (1 point)

• Have an independent entity verify

quality improvement plan (2 points)

• Score an average of 5 on Family Child

Care Environmental Rating Scale with

no subscale less than 3. (3 points)

• Document parent handbook spelling

out policies for vacation, holidays and

sick leave for program staff and

related family attendance policies. (1

point)*Required for 4 Star

Four Stars

Education Receive Administrator’s Credential* –

adds 6 points

Learning

Environmen

t

Quality Improvement Plan using research

based tool – adds 1 point

Quality Improvement Plan verified by

outside entity – adds 1 point

FCCERS Assessment Score – adds 3

points*

Health and

Wellness

Receives Strengthening Families training

– adds 1 point

Business

and

Professiona

l

Practices

Family handbook – adds 1 point*

Total Points 13 plus original 11 = 24 points

Star Level


Example 2: 3 Star Licensed Group Center –

Rainbow Preschool

Education

12 teachers: 6 teachers have 6 credits and

6 teachers have AA degrees

Director has a related Associate Degree and an

Administrator’s credential

Learning Environment

Quality Improvement Plan has been developed.*

Curriculum is aligned with WMELS

Business and Professional Practices

Ongoing yearly budget review*

Demonstrates 3 of or more best practice for

professional development (2 points)

Health and Wellness

Participates in CAFCP (1point)* Required for 3 Star

Category Points Earned

Teacher qualifications

Director Qualifications

6

4

Learning environment and

curriculum:

WMELS

Quality Improvement Plan

1

1

Business and Professional

practices

2

Health and Wellness 1

Total 15

Stars


Moving to 4 StarThe chart on the left shows two

different paths for accumulating

points to move the center from a 3

to a 4 Star tar program. Required

criteria for 4 Star include:

• ECERS Score

• Written copy of employment

policies and procedures

• Lead Teachers with infant/toddler

or inclusion credentials for 50% of

classrooms

* Required for 4 Star

Path 1 – starting with

15 points

Path 2 –

starting with 15

points

Education Director with Bachelor’s

Degree – adds 2

6 teachers with credits

receive credential – adds 1

Director with

Bachelor’s Degree –

adds 2

6 teachers with credits

receive credentials –

adds 1

Learning

Environment

ECERS score of 5 with no

subscale less than 3 – adds

3*

Program has identified

ways to improve child

outcomes – adds 1

ECERS – adds 3*

Quality Improvement

Plan verified uses

research-backed tool

– adds 1

Professional

Practices

Employment policies and

procedures manual – adds

1*

Employment Policies

Manual – adds 1*

Documents strong

parental involvement

policies - adds 1

Health and

Wellness

Strengthening Families and

protective factors training

adds 1

Inclusion training or

equivalent –adds 1

Additional

Points

Adds 9 points bringing total

to 24

Adds 10 points

bringing total to 25

points

Stars


How will parents get information?

• Individual child care provider ratings will be posted

on-line

• Information on quality child care will be provided by

regional entities and Child Care Resource and Referral

agencies in their community

• www.dcf.wisconsin.gov


http://www.dcf.wisconsin.gov/

Additional Resources

• More detailed information is available on-line –

www.dcf.wisconsin.gov

• Updates will be ongoing to website as implementation occurs

• Questions can be director to the Wisconsin Child Care Information Center – [email protected]

• 608-224-6173 or 1-800-362-7353


mailto:[email protected]

www.dcf.wisconsin.gov

Youngstar

Documents

Transcript of Youngstar