Join Us for the Monthly Center Directors Group

THURSDAY, January 12^th  - What’s Ahead for Early Childhood
                                              Programs in 2012?

MN Recently Won Race to the Top Funding. 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 at RCC offices at 2021 Hennepin Ave. E., Mpls., 55413.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Notes from the December 7^th, 2011  Center Directors Meeting

Child Care WORKS preview of the 2012 legislature 

 Chris Breva-Erickson

CCW Advocacy Agenda is available at: www.childcareworks.org

2012 Action Items include supporting efforts to expand the Parent Aware quality rating and improvement system statewide, fully fund Basic Sliding Fee Child Care Assistance and increase family income eligibility to 75% of the state medium income, and support publication and use of an early childhood report card.

The MN Child Care Association will be taking the lead on trying to restore the 2.5% reimbursement rate cut to providers.

The cut in absent days from 25 to 10 per year for licensed providers and to 0 for FFN providers is also a hot issue. 
=================================================================

The MNCPD Registry

Kellie Cecil-Medina and Wai Yang, Registry Specialists from the MN Center for Professional Development, MNCPD, provided an overview of MNCPD and a “walkthrough” of the Training Registry.  The vision for Minnesota’s Professional Development System is a seamless, integrated system that raises the capacity and competencies of those providing early care and education for children beginning at birth, aligns with K-12 education and links to higher education to support child development and school success. The ultimate goal of the PD System is to improve positive outcomes for children.

In 2007 the Minnesota Legislature authorized DHS, in cooperation with the Departments of Education and Health, to develop and phase in the implementation of a Professional Development System for providers serving children in early childhood and school-age programs.

Over a 16-month planning period, DHS sought input from a broad array of stakeholder groups to inform, guide and shape system development.

The PD System has been designed around a framework of five interconnected components:

§  Quality Assurance

§  Core Knowledge

§  Qualifications and Credentials

§  Outreach and Access

§  Funding Support

The Annual Report of the Minnesota Professional Development System for Early Childhood and School-age Practitioners (2010) provides details on 25 key indicators of that effort's progress.

After giving a “virtual tour” of the Registry website, Kellie and Wai answered directors’ questions including how to become an “approved trainer (applications on the website),” how trainers are evaluated (by participants), why original transcripts are required (need the information on the back of the transcript), and whether licensors recognize MNCPD approved training by an approved trainer (yes, they’re supposed to).

Kelli and Wai noted that MNCPD and licensing are working towards the Registry training records fulfilling the licensing requirement for evidence of staff qualifications.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * * *

How Do Centers Handle Holiday Traditions and Celebrations ?

Focus on the traditions of families and children in your program

Several directors suggested that a starting place is to ask families to share what they do around holidays

Use the time as an opportunity for community service or sharing

Remember that people aren’t “props”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Department of Labor Alert:  A director noted that in a recent training about legal and labor issues for child care businesses, it was reported that the Department of Labor recently hired an additional 100 investigators and that they’re cracking down on employers without proper I-9 Forms for every employee, including every employee who worked there in the past 3 years.

Directors requested that one of our upcoming speakers be an expert in labor laws covering child care centers.

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.

November 10th, 2011 Early Childhood Directors Meeting

Hi Center Directors,

Join us for the next center directors meeting THIS THURSDAY from 10 am - 12:00 noon and find out how other directors in the metro area answered our wage, benefits and salary scales survey:
Metro Area Center Directors Meeting THURSDAY - November 10th
10:00 am - noon - Resources for Child Caring, WEST office
2021 East Hennepin Ave., Suite 250, Minneapolis

If you haven't taken the 10 minute wage and benefits survey, check out the Early Childhood Directors Blog from the October meeting: http://ecdirectorsgroup.blogspot.com/

Or go directly to the survey URL below:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L3538TG

This Thursday, we'll also hear about scholarships for CDA credentials and the T.E.A.C.H. MN Program. You'll have time to share concerns, strategies and tips with other directors and make suggestions for topics for the monthly meetings in 2012.

Hope to see you on Thursday.
Nancy Johnson

October Meeting Minutes

Meeting
October 13th, 2011
10am-12pm

Guest speakers: Dena Roberts and Amy Dimmler, Accreditation Facilitation Project

Amy and Dena came and presented a power point on the expanded services offered by the Accreditation Facilitation Project (AFP). AFP has a goal of helping 350 centers become accredited in the next 3 years. They will work with any DHS-approved accreditation (not just NAEYC) and help cover fees, offer monthly consulting, resources, training, and support. If you are interested, you can set up a meeting and someone from the project can come out to your center to provide information and consulting. Services are FREE if you have at least 1 child considered at risk (Special needs, IEP, CCAP or other scholarship, ESL/ELL, Free or Reduced meal on food program).

For more information, see this flyer or visit the MNAEYC AFP website.
To apply, you can submit this application.

We talked about pay scales and setting teaching staff rates and came up with a survey that we would LOVE for you to complete. It will probably take 15-20 minutes but we will sit down and discuss all the data at our next meeting so please take the time so you can benefit from the information gathered. Please share this with other directors you may know!

We also welcomed Nancy Johnson from Resources from Child Caring today who will be taking over the directors group and blog this December so Nicole can focus on directing. Nancy has a lot of great experience in the field and will bring a wealth of resources and insight to the group. Nancy can be reached at njohnson@resourcesforchildcare.org.

Meeting Reminder

Don't forget to come to our next meeting. October 12th, 2011 starting at 10am and goes until 12 noon at the Minneapolis Resources for Child Caring location. The Accreditation Facilitation Project will be there to talk about the services they offer to child care centers looking to become accredited. We will also work together to create a survey for followers and members regarding employee wages, benefits and costs to attend child care in your area. 


See you there!

September Meeting Recap

Greetings Directors! Here is the recap from our September meeting.

 

1. Sandy Myers, RCC - came to speak about several offerings from RCC including:

• The Getting Rady Project (see this flyer)
• Pathways to Professionald Development (for really committed staff who may be stuck at aide or assistant teacher level because they are missing some core skills to advance; there are scholarships available to help them get basic ed and assessments completed; cohort-based program) - contact Micki Lechner-Riehle 651-233-2276
• Building Quality (similar to Getting Ready for those outside the Parent Aware pilot area, statewide, RCC is looking to start a list of interested programs who would like money to help with training and equipment needs; sites should serve a significant number of at risk families) - contact Carol Stromme 651-641-6644

2. Cory Woosely, Eager to Learn - came to speak about programming for directors

• Free webinars - sign up for email list by contacting coryw@mnchildcare.org
• Director's Crediential cohort starts in January, $940, NAEYC-credential
• CDA program, 10 months, $600, all online, community based.

3. Upcoming training on the Go Green rating scale! See flyer for more info.

4. Cathy Clair, RCC - came to talk about changes with the Debra S. Fish library

• You will now need to register your library card if you don't have a St. Paul Public Library card in order to check out books - Cathy will be here next month from 11:30-12:30 to help directors register their cards.
• You can pick up, return and request books at any public library using the online system.
• Some flyers about the changes: flyer 1 and flyer 2 (sorry, scans are kind of cut off)

5. Linda Magle, Mn Child Care - came to talk about available grants and scholarships

• TEACH
• RETAIN - FREE money for child care providers to be used however they wish $1,000-$3,500. Rewards longevity and professional development. Must have a CDA or degree.
• Check out mnchildcare.org's scholarship page for more info on other available grants and scholarships.

6. Alicia Frosch, Child Care Works - came to talk about 2011 legislative outcomes.

• Check out this great summary sheet.
• Reimbursement rates will actually change starting November 28th not October 31st.
• No exceptions to new absent day policy.
• They may make some changes in the $20 background study fee related to returning staff.
• QRIS (Parent Aware) will probably be moved through by the Administrative Branch (Gov Dayton) and not the legislature.
• Hannah's Law PASSED. As of 8/1/11 all Assistant Teachers and Teachers should be trained in CPR within 30 days of employment.

7. Discussion

• Job Description hints, tips and practices:
• Give out when fill out the application so they know what they are applying for
• Include in employee handbook
• Include the key phrase, "And other duties as assigned by director"
• Include cleaning, daily maintencnace tasks, team work
• If staff aren't following, one way to give a reminder is to highlight area in question on job description and hand to them.
• Break down by classroom and title (i.e. Infant aide, Infant lead, Preschool assistant teacher, etc)
• Insurance agent may be of help when developing this.
• Including "Must see and hear"....ADA questions...
• Employee Reviews hints, tips and practices:
• Have employees do a self evaluation using the same form (can be harsher on themselves)
• Areas commonly assessed: general job performance (on time, dress code, cooperation); relations with kids; relations with parents
• Good time for goal setting (where do you see yourself in ...? Training plan fo the following year)
• Mixed opinions on giving raises for review result.
• Mixed opinions on giving reviews on anniversary or all at once (some do new staff at 90 days, 6 months, 1 year and then annually at a year round review process)
• Probationary periods - risky because can give staff past the period a false sense of security in an at-will employment state

8. Suggestions for next month:

• A more in-depth survey on rates and pay scales for teachers
• See if we can get the information collected by CCR&R broken down by city.
• Discuss a salary cap and other compensation (PTO, Training)