JANUARY 12th, 2012 - EC Directors Group

Join Us for the Monthly Center Directors Group

THURSDAY, January 12^th  - What’s Ahead for Early Childhood

                                              Programs in 2012?

MN Recently Won $45 Million in Race to the Top Funding and instituted an Office of Early Learning. What Could This Mean for Your Program?

10:00 AM – 12:00 noon  -  RCC West office – 2021 E. Hennepin Ave., Mpls

Speaker:  Barb Yates, RCC executive director and

Chair of the Governor’s Early Learning Council

On January 12^th we’ll hear about the plans for Minnesota’s $45 million in Race To The Top funds.  Barbara Yates, Chair of the Governor’s Early Learning Council and executive director of Resources for Child Caring, will discuss the Race To The Top and the plans for statewide expansion of  Parent Aware Ratings, scholarships for high need children in top rated programs and the policy directions of the Governor’s Early Learning Council and the newly created Minnesota Office of Early Learning.

All center directors and assistant directors are invited to RCC’s FREE directors networking groups on the second Thursday of the month.

SAVE  February 9^th  -  Meeting Topic: Children with

                        Challenging Behavior

Need strategies and resources for working with children with challenging behavior? Colleen Dockendorf, Special Needs Consultant, will join us on February 9^th to discuss how directors can support their staff and engage with parents of children with behaviors that are challenging.

March 8^th Meeting Topics  -  Meet the NAZ   

                                         Successful Parent Conferences

April 12^th Meeting Topic  -  Trends in Schoolage

                                               Child Care

Questions? Call Nancy Johnson, 651-233-2260 or

email  njohnson@resourcesforchildcare.org

DECEMBER MEETING - Center Directors Group

Come join colleagues and friends for center news, information sharing, stimulating discussion and holiday treats:

Thursday, December 8^th from 10:00 AM – Noon

Resources for Child Caring - WEST Office  Suite 250

2021 East Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis  55413

RCC’s networking group for center directors is free and open to all directors
and assistant directors.

                          December Meeting Agenda

Minnesota’s Professional Development Registry

Kellie Cecili-Medina, Registry Specialist for the Minnesota Center for Professional Development, will give an overview of the Registry and answer your questions including those raised at our November meeting:

·         What are the Registry’s benefits for center staff?

·         Why are original transcripts required?

·         What’s the process for becoming an approved trainer?

·         How are courses approved by the Registry?

Center Holiday Traditions  

•  Does your center celebrate any winter holidays?
•  How are children’s experiences included in your planning for holidays?
•  What do you do to engage parents from different backgrounds in your   holiday plans and traditions? 

Policy Update for the 2012 Legislative Session

• The outlook for child care policy at the 2012 Legislative Session
• Update on union representation for family child care providers

Please call Nancy Johnson with questions or to RSVP: 651-233-2262

Notes from the November Directors Group:

Scholarships for Professional Development

Shelly Hendricks and Erin Young from the Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network presented information about T.E.A.C.H  Scholarships, CDA college credit scholarships, the Judy Lindman Memorial Scholars forgiveable loan program and Retain Awards. Applications are currently being accepted and the next deadline is April 1st, 2012.

For more info: http://mnchildcare.org/TEACH/index.php

Or contact Shelly Hendricks - 651-290-9704 Ext.106;  shellyh@mnchildcare.org; Erin Young - 651-290-9704 ext.109; eriny@mnchildcare.org

Twin Cities Child Care Center Pay Scale Survey Results 

A total of 18 metro area centers completed the survey. 94.4% are licensed programs, 4 are NAEYC Accredited and 4 receioved 3 or 4 Level Ratings from Parent Aware. Most (38.9%) enroll 41-70 children with 5 small programs (less than 40) and large centers (more than 71).

Most centers in the survey (83%) serve both preschoolers and toddlers and are open year-round. The survey included questions about pay scales for teaching staff, how programs determine wage increases, what percentage of salary is considered for raises, the types of experience and education considered in hiring new employees and employee benefits including paid health insurance, child care, and the number of holidays, in-service days, sick, vacation and PTO days.

   

A few highlights from the survey include:

• Starting rate for lead teacher - 4 centers at $10-11.99;                          7 at $12-13.99;  3 at $14-15.99;  3 at $16-17.99.
• A majority of centers who answered this question give 1-2% of employee's salary in raises.
• The most common percentage for the centers (9) was a 25-74% health insurance subsidy.
• 7 centers provide 7-10 paid holidays, 6 are closed for 1-3 days for in-service, and most programs have no floating holidays. Also, most programs (9) provide 4-6 days or less for paid sick leave. 
• While 6 programs didn't answer this question, 4 programs capped vacation at 15-20 days.

Copies of the complete survey will be available at the December meeting. You can also email Nancy Johnson at njohnson@resourcesforchildcar.org for a copy of the survey.