Using Workforce Investment Act grant funds from the South Carolina Department of Commerce -- and working in concert with other workplace initiatives stemming from the Education and Economic Development Act -- First Steps launched a targeted, child care workforce development project in 2007 as a companion to the Centers of Excellence expansion. The project is designed to improve the quality of child care in South Carolina’s rural communities, with a goal of positively impacting the early learning experiences of high-risk children.
By improving the early childhood credentials of participating center staff (along South Carolina's’s Early Care and Education Career Ladder), the project aims to improve classroom quality, increase teacher-child interaction, and advance children’s physical, cognitive and social/emotional development.
BACKGROUND:
South Carolina T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps), operated by the Center for Child Care Career Development (First Steps' subsidiary office funded exclusively by South Carolina Department of Social Services with federal dollars via Child Care and Development block grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), has subsidized tuition costs and offered course completion bonuses for child care professionals taking college courses leading to early childhood degrees since 2002.
Unfortunately, many rural child care professionals face barriers to participation, including cost, access to local coursework, and the need for basic skills remediation.
PROJECT GOALS:
Through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) grant, First Steps has redoubled its efforts to overcome these barriers to increasing staff educational credentials. The Child Care Workforce Development Pilot is designed to benefit child care teachers and staff working in the 17 Centers of Excellence across 11 South Carolina counties. The project encompasses four major strategies:
Strategy 1: Increase access of child care workers to education, training, and related services by:
Linking child care workers to their local One-Stop Center.
Providing substitute workers and paid release time so that child care workers can access training and other services
Ensuring early childhood courses, particularly those offered at rural/satellite campuses, are not cancelled due to low enrollment.
Strategy 2: Leverage all available funding resources with project funds to eliminate cost barriers to post-secondary education by:
Submitting early childhood education courses and training to local workforce boards for the State WIA Eligible Providers List.
Filling gaps in funding for training among the various sources available: Pell grants, T.E.A.C.H. scholarships, WIA-funded professional development, etc.
Strategy 3: Provide assessment and remediation in education and workplace skills to improve job performance and prepare for post-secondary courses in early childhood by:
Assessing all COE staff using WorkKeys to identify skill deficiencies for remediation and determine whether they are prepared to enroll in technical college.
Identifying additional training needs in child care-specific workplace skills (Infant/Toddler First Aid and CPR, etc.) and provide training.
Providing adult learning laptop workstations at each COE for self-paced basic skills remediation/GED preparation, computer skills training, and language learning.
Partnering with local adult education providers to refer participants who need personalized remediation.
Strategy 4: Recruit new workers for COE whose qualifications best match available positions, and increase the retention rate of COE staff who improve their education and workplace skills, by:
Registering job opportunities and desired WorkKeys assessment levels with local One-Stops for permanent and temporary/substitute positions at COE centers.
Exploring possible OJT (on-the-job training) agreements with local One-Stops for employing new child care workers on a trial basis.
Developing a wage and bonus schedule for COE staff that rewards workers who advance their education level or workplace skills.
Linking workers to a support network of workshops and additional training.
Year One Participant Results
Amongst the 180 child care staff working in First Steps’ Centers of Excellence
106 staff members have earned the South Carolina Early Childhood Credential during the project, bringing the credential completion percentage (or its equivalent) for COE staff to nearly 100%.
67 staff members -- fully one-third of the COE workforce -- have completed college courses in early childhood education beyond ECD 101.
63 staff members are working toward (or have completed) an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.
Industry-Wide Results
First Steps’ workforce project has resulted in:
Creation of the first WorkKeys profiles for South Carolina’s child care workforce, creating a standard profile for staff positions that can be used by other centers to recruit qualified workers and improve skills of existing staff.
Improved access to higher education. Several technical colleges –- Florence/Darlington, Midlands, Piedmont, and others –- have begun offering courses in more accessible locations and have visited centers to assist workers with enrollment and financial aid applications.
Increased T.E.A.C.H enrollment in areas of the state where few child care teachers had previously taken advantage of the program.