improving the compensation and retention of effective … · 2019. 12. 6. · compensation task...

Recommendations of the Moving the Needle onCompensation Task Force

Improving the Compensationand Retention of EffectiveInfant/Toddler Educators in Rhode Island

December 2019

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toddlers which included arecommended state priority todevelop and implement strategiesto improve the wages ofprofessionals who work with infants and toddlers. The RhodeIsland Family Home VisitingStrategic Plan for 2019-2024, whichwas developed in collaboration withEarly Intervention stakeholders,identifies the need to improve staffrecruitment, retention, and qualityas one of the top three priorities tostrengthen services for families.

In 2018, Rhode Island KIDS COUNTand the Rhode Island Associationfor the Education of Young Children(RIAEYC) convened a Task Force toreview the current data oncompensation and develop a set ofrecommended strategies toimprove the compensation ofinfant/toddler educators who workin child care, family home visiting,and Early Intervention. The TaskForce received support from ZEROTO THREE’s Think BabiesTM

Campaign and the Moving theNeedle on Compensation initiativeled by the T.E.A.C.H. EarlyChildhood National Center,including help from nationalexperts.

It should be noted that the TaskForce did not examine or developrecommendations on employer-provided benefits that may beavailable to the infant/toddlerworkforce, such as healthinsurance, retirement plans, paidtime off, or reduced costs for childcare. In addition, the Task Force didnot examine or developcompensation recommendationsfor educators working withpreschool-age children (ages 3 to

5). Task Force members recognizethat compensation challenges areendemic across the early childhoodworkforce and that resources areoften not adequate to retaineffective preschool educators orprogram directors, in addition toinfant/toddler educators. Thecompensation goals, target wagescale, and strategies to improvecompensation that were developedfor infant/toddler educators couldalso be applied to preschooleducators and program directors.

“Young children thrivewhen they have secure,positive relationships withadults who areknowledgeable about howto support theirdevelopment and learning.The science of childdevelopment and earlylearning makes clear theimportance and complexityof working with youngchildren from infancythrough the earlyelementary years.” Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, 2015.

Introduction Rhode Island is working to build astrong, coordinated system ofprograms and services thatsupport the learning anddevelopment of young childrenfrom birth through age eight sothat more third graders can read atgrade level and are poised tosucceed in school and life. The firstthree years of a child’s life lay afoundation that has consequencesfor children’s school and lifelongsuccess. How we elect to supportinfants, toddlers, and their familiesmatters to the entire Rhode Islandcommunity. Rhode Island has donea laudable job of establishing somekey supports in the areas of childcare, Early Intervention, and homevisiting that are highly valued bythe families who use these servicesand recently new federal fundinghas been allocated to increase andestablish tiered quality rates forthe Child Care Assistance Program.But more attention needs to bepaid to the qualifications andcompensation of infant/toddlereducators. This workforce is poorlypaid and, particularly for child care,lacks the education and trainingthat is needed to best support theunique learning needs of infantsand toddlers, as identified byresearch. Thus, this report focusessquarely on the infant/toddlerworkforce.

In 2016, the Rhode Island EarlyLearning Council identified apriority recommendation todevelop wage enhancementstrategies to improve recruitmentand retention of effective earlyeducators. The Council alsoendorsed a set of policy prioritiesto promote the learning anddevelopment of infants and


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“Of all that brain sciencehas taught us over the last30 years, one of theclearest findings is thatearly brain development isdirectly influenced bybabies' day-to-dayinteractions with theircaregivers.” J. Ronald Lally & Peter L. Mangione,Young Children, 2017.

“The early care andeducation workforce is atrisk financially, emotionally,and physically, subject to avicious cycle of inadequateresources, low qualificationexpectations, loweducation levels, and lowwages that is difficult tobreak.” Institute of Medicine and NationalResearch Council, 2015.

The Workforce and theCompensation ProblemThe early childhood educators whoprovide the day-to-day services forinfants and toddlers participatingin Rhode Island’s child care, EarlyIntervention, and family homevisiting programs are supportingthe development of healthy brainarchitecture upon which all futurelearning and development is built.Infant/toddler child care, familyhome visiting and EarlyIntervention are the gatewayprograms for Rhode Island’seducation system, and the qualityof these initial services have aprofound, immediate, and long-term impact on our state'syoungest citizens and theirfamilies.

Infant/toddler educators establishand leverage strong, positiverelationships with children andfamilies. Their knowledge aboutand expertise in child developmentand learning promotes the healthygrowth, development, and learningof children. High-qualityinfant/toddler child care is possiblewhen the educator has a deep,lasting relationship with each ofthe children in his/her care andeach of the families. These day-to-day interactions literally build brainarchitecture. In a child careprogram, each time an infant ortoddler babbles, gestures, or cries,and her teacher respondsappropriately with eye contact,words, or a hug, neural connectionsare built and strengthened in thechild’s brain. Family home visitingand Early Intervention programsdeliver most of their services tofamilies in their homes and userelationship-based coachingstrategies to help families learnnew ways to support theirchildren’s growth anddevelopment.1,2,3,4

A landmark report released by theNational Academy of Sciences in2015, Transforming the Workforcefor Children Birth Through Age 8: AUnifying Foundation recommendsthat all educators who are

responsible for children from birththrough age 8 have a bachelor’sdegree. This report found thateducators of young children,including babies, need the samehigh level of knowledge andcompetencies as teachers of olderchildren in order to addressopportunity gaps and promoteearly learning and development.However, the current earlychildhood workforce is under-qualified and under-compensated.A follow-up consensus reportreleased by the National Academyof Sciences in 2018, Transformingthe Financing of Early Care andEducation, calls for new financingstructures to support high-qualityearly childhood programs as apublic good with salaries for earlychildhood educators equivalent toK-12 teacher salaries.5,6

Ensuring that our state’s infant andtoddler educators are adequatelycompensated is an absolutelyessential element needed to deliverconsistent high-quality child care,family home visiting, and EarlyIntervention services that improveoutcomes for our children andpromote Rhode Island’s economicfuture.

The disturbing reality is that acrossthe United States, and in RhodeIsland, the early childhoodworkforce is characterized by verylow levels of education and pay,and high turnover. There isgrowing recognition that improvingaccess to high-quality earlychildhood programs requires amajor investment in improvingeducation credentials and wagesfor the early childhood workforce.The economic penalty for teachingyoung children is steep – educatorswho work with the youngestchildren have very low wages, closeto minimum wage. Nationally,infant child care teachers make lessthan one-third of what kindergartenteachers earn. Infant/toddlereducators also make less than


Table 1: Median Wage Comparisons, Rhode Island, 2017 RHODE ISLAND PROFESSIONAL ROLE HOURLY ANNUAL STANDARD OF NEED

CHILD CARE $11.82/hour $24,580

EARLY INTERVENTION $13.50 to $28,080 to $20.00/hour $46,000

FAMILY HOME VISITING $14.63 to $30,430 to $20.00/hour $46,000

ALL RI OCCUPATIONS $19.45/hour $40,460

PUBLIC SCHOOLTEACHER KINDERGARTEN $38.45/hour $66,640

PUBLIC SCHOOLTEACHER ELEMENTARY $41.02/hour $71,100

Workers withyoung childrenneed earningsbetween $63,000and $68,000 peryear to meetbasic needs.

Sources: Child care, public school teachers, and all RI occupations from Whitebook, M., McLean, C., Austin, L. J. E., & Edwards, B. (2018). Earlychildhood workforce index 2018. Berkeley, CA: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. Early Intervention data from Rhode Island ExecutiveOffice of Health and Human Services. Family Home Visiting data from Rhode Island Department of Health. Standard of need information from The2018 Rhode Island Standard of Need. (2018). Providence, RI: Economic Progress Institute.

“I can’t keep teachers in the infant/toddlerprogram very long. Assoon as they earn a CDAand demonstrate goodteaching practices in the infant or toddlerclassrooms, they eithermove up to preschoolchild care classrooms orleave because they got ajob in Early Head Start orHead Start.” Rhode Island child care provider

preschool teachers, even with thesame degree. Wage discrepanciesgrow as education levels increase,making it particularly difficult toattract and retain educators withbachelor's degrees ininfant/toddler programs.7

Infant/toddler professionals inRhode Island are the lowest paideducators in the state. Pay falls wellbelow the Rhode Island Standardof Need, an estimate of the pre-taxearnings required by families withchildren to meet basic needs($63,000 for a single parent withtwo children and $68,000 for atwo-parent family with twochildren in 2018).

In 2017 in Rhode Island, the medianhourly wage was $11.82 for childcare teachers, which translates to$24,580 per year. While EarlyIntervention and family homevisiting professionals do somewhatbetter, their situation falls short aswell. For Early Interventionists thepay range is between $13.50 and$20 hour, or $28,080 to $46,000annually. For family home visitors,the range is $14.63 to $20 an hour,or $30,430 to $46,000 annually.

Within the infant/toddlerworkforce there is a sharp dividebetween the qualifications andcompensation of child careteachers who work directly with

children (many children spend upto 10 hours per day 5 days perweek in child care) and staff whowork with families in EarlyIntervention and family homevisiting programs where a typicalfamily receives one 90-minute visitper week.

The majority of family homevisiting direct service staff havebachelor’s degrees or higher andextensive training to implement amodel intervention. Some homevisiting staff are licensed socialworkers or registered nurses. Themajority of Early Interventionistshave bachelor’s degrees and aretrained to assess children fordevelopmental delays anddisabilities and provide coaching tofamilies and to child care providersto promote young children’slearning and development andaddress developmental issues.Some Early Intervention providershave advanced degrees and arelicensed therapists (physical,occupational, speech).

In contrast, infant/toddler childcare teachers may have only a highschool diploma although some dohave a bachelor’s degree. A 2014Rhode Island study found thatinfant/toddler teachers in RhodeIsland have wages ranging from$9.70/hour for those with a high

school diploma or less (24% of theinfant/toddler teachers in thestate) to $13.00/hour for thosewith a bachelor’s degree (15% ofthe infant/toddler teachers in thestate), with an average wage forinfant/toddler teachers of$10.50/hour. The same studyfound that 84% of family child careproviders earn less than$40,000/year.8

The reality is that staff who work ininfant/toddler child care, EarlyIntervention, and family homevisiting are part of the samefemale-dominated labor pool that

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“When my home visitorchanges, I have to explaineverything about my childand our family all overagain and start from thebeginning.” Rhode Island family

“I really worry about theturnover in my son’s childcare classroom. I neverknow which teacher isgoing to be there at dropoff. Sometimes I can’t evenremember the name of theteacher.” Rhode Island mother

has expertise in working withchildren and families and isculturally and linguistically diverse.Educational and pay inequitieswithin these systems will driveindividuals to change jobs in orderto maximize their earnings. Forexample, an infant/toddler childcare teacher who successfullyearns her bachelor's degree maynow see that she can do better ifshe joins one of Rhode Island’sEarly Intervention or family homevisiting programs. Likewise, EarlyIntervention specialists are knownto have sought positions in familyhome visiting programs in order toimprove their compensation. And,across all three of theseinfant/toddler programs, staff whogain additional credentials, such aspublic school teaching certificates,can do much better by moving onto teach in RI Pre-K or in publicschools.

The job movement is troubling fortwo reasons. First, from a childdevelopment perspective, itundercuts core capacity for qualityservice delivery by depriving theinfants and toddlers who are beingserved of reliable staff who canbuild relationships with them thatare essential to the quality of theservices delivered. Second, also

from a child developmentperspective, it means thatdeveloping “master” infant/toddlereducators is difficult when stafflack economic incentives to stay inthe infant/toddler segment of theearly childhood profession. Infantsand toddlers have uniquedevelopmental needs, and tosupport them being on track forschool readiness by age three, the educators who interact withthem must master a completeunderstanding of infant/toddlerchild development, how to formstrong relationships, and uniqueapproaches to learning aimed atchildren of this age.

Rhode Island already has twoinitiatives that address earlychildhood teacher compensation:the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhoodworkforce development programand RI Pre-K. The T.E.A.C.H. EarlyChildhood national model wasimplemented in Rhode Islandstarting in 2010 and helps childcare teachers complete associate'sand bachelor's degree programs bypartnering with employers toprovide tuition assistance, releasetime, money to cover book andtransportation costs, small wageincreases or bonuses ascoursework is completed, and a

commitment by scholarshiprecipients to continue working intheir classroom for a year. RI Pre-K,offered through a mixed deliverysystem of child care programs,Head Start agencies, and publicschools, is recognized nationallyfor meeting all 10 nationalbenchmarks for quality, includinghaving preschool teachers withbachelor’s degrees and earlychildhood teaching certificates andteaching assistants with ChildDevelopment Associate (CDA)credentials or 12 college credits inearly childhood education. Thestate funds the program andrequires that lead teachers are paidsalaries equal to the startingsalaries of kindergarten teachers inthe public schools. Rhode Island’scommitment to the RI Pre-Kworkforce should be extended tothe infant/toddler teachingworkforce with strong supports toensure educator qualifications andeffective infant/toddler practicesare rewarded with compensationequivalent to kindergarten teachersin the public schools.9


“The deficiencies in thecurrent system are hurtfulto all children and familiesin need of early care andeducation options and tothe adults who are earlycare and educationpractitioners and educators – who arethemselves often inextreme economicdistress.” National Academy of Sciences,Engineering, and Medicine, 2018.

Financing ImprovedCompensation for theInfant/Toddler WorkforceImplementing the Task Forcerecommendations will requireexpanded financial commitment.Rhode Island has relied on federalfunding to grow its commitment toquality child care, EarlyIntervention and home visiting.Additional revenue generatingstrategies beyond federalinvestment are needed, includingexpanding state investments. Forchild care, state funding hasdeclined from $56.2 million/year to$10.0 million/year between StateFiscal Year 2005 and State FiscalYear 2020.10 Restoring statefunding for child care is a criticalnext step to ensure child care ratesmeet federal standards for equalaccess and to fund wagesupplements to attract and retaineffective infant/toddler educatorsin child care programs that sevelow- and moderate-incomefamilies. Family home visiting andEarly Intervention programs do notrely on tuition paid by families sowages can be more directlyimpacted through state contractsand Medicaid rates that enableprograms to pay competitivewages. The Task Force anticipatesadditional revenue generationstrategies will be needed at thestate level to address theinfant/toddler educatorcompensation crisis. In consideringthe role of the private andphilanthropic sector, theirinvestment approaches—whileimportant—are not generally

conducive to the ongoingoperating monies needed toelevate and sustain improvedcompensation for theinfant/toddler workforce. A primefocus must be placed on elevatingthe commitment to and investmentin the infant/toddler workforcewho provide these backboneprograms in child care, EarlyIntervention, and home visiting,and expanding the funding basebeyond the current state andfederal commitments.

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KEY TO LEADERSHIP ROLES FOR IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS

State agencies (e.g., Governor’s Office, Department of HumanServices, Department of Health, Executive Office of Health andHuman Services, Department of Labor and Training)

Advocates (e.g., Rhode Island Association for the Education ofYoung Children, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, Economic ProgressInstitute, unions, etc.)

Employers of infant/toddler professionals

State legislators

Four Cross-SectorRecommendations1) Adopt and use a statewide target

wage scale linked to educationlevels for infant/toddlereducators, Early Interventionists,and family home visitors. •

2) Conduct a public educationcampaign designed to show thevalue of infant/toddler educatorsand the need for improvedcompensation. •••

3) Establish an Infant/ToddlerEmployer Group facilitated by the Rhode Island Department ofLabor and Training. ••

4) Establish a working group todevelop and introduce an EarlyChildhood Workforce InvestmentAct in 2020. ••••

Two Infant/ToddlerChild CareRecommendations1) Commit to meeting federal rate

guidelines for the Child CareAssistance Program throughtiered quality rates. ••

2) Fund an infant/toddler wagesupplement demonstrationproject to help child careprograms retain qualified andeffective infant/toddlereducators. ••

Three Early InterventionRecommendations1) Leverage existing billing

opportunities to support EarlyIntervention. ••

2) Establish a compensation-basedincentive pool. ••

3) Review and update EarlyIntervention reimbursement rates. •

One Home VisitingRecommendation1) Incorporate the infant/toddler

educator wage scale into familyhome visiting contracts. ••

Task ForceRecommendationsIn response to ongoing challengesidentified by programs thatstruggle to attract, develp, andretain effective infant/toddlerprofessionals, the Rhode IslandAssociation for the Education ofYoung Children and Rhode IslandKIDS COUNT co-chaired a TaskForce to develop strategies toimprove compensation across childcare, Early Intervention, and familyhome visiting. This cross-sectorTask Force consisted ofrepresentatives from state,community, and private partners.The Task Force met eight times to review national guidance andeffective practices in other states and to develop theserecommendations, which aresummarized below. Theserecommendations providesignificant opportunity for manyleaders in the public and privatesectors to contribute to thedevelopment of an appropriatecompensation approach for theinfant/toddler workforce thatprovides critical child developmentsupports through child care, EarlyIntervention, and family homevisiting. Recommendations arecolor-coded to indicate the keyleaders who will need to worktogether to achieveimplementation.


CROSS-SECTOR RECOMMENDATION 1:

Adopt and use a statewide targetwage scale linked to educationlevels for infant/toddler educators,Early Interventionists, and familyhome visitors.•Early in the process, the Task Forcedeveloped an aspirational targetwage scale, shown in Table 2 below,for infant/toddler educators in childcare centers, Early Head Start, andfamily child care, EarlyInterventionists, and family homevisitors (Parents as Teachers,Healthy Families America, and EarlyHead Start). We note the NurseFamily Partnership programrequires a minimum credential ofBachelor’s in Nursing and sorequires a different wage scale. Thewage scale model illustrates targetsfor compensation reform associatedwith an individual’s education. Theeducational levels of the model arealigned with the BrightStarseducational requirements at StarRating 3, 4, and 5.

The Task Force urges the publicsector to use the target wage scalewhen developing contracts withand setting rates for infant/toddlerservice providers. The Task Forcealso recommends that evidence ofeffective practices be incorporatedinto wage scales. Research hasshown that college degrees andknowledge of child developmentare linked to improved practices,but they are not a guarantee. TheRI Pre-K program requires teachersand teaching assistants to havecertain educational credentials andto achieve target scores on validand reliable measures of classroompractices. Both of theserequirements are nationallyrecommended standards. The RIPre-K program provides ongoingsupport to teachers and theiremployers to reach these targetscores.

It is important to note that theTarget Hourly Wage and TargetAnnual Salary represent the “floor”for compensation, not the ceiling ormaximum amount. These amountsmay increase based on anindividual’s work experience and/orother credentials (e.g., Infant MentalHealth endorsement). Currently weacknowledge that the vast majorityof infant/toddler service providers(the employers) cannot meet thesetargets due to a lack of resources.

The “Level 1” target hourly wage waspurposefully set at $16 – one dollarabove a target minimum wage of$15 per hour (the target hourlywage for those working in childcare with a high school diploma –the minimum qualificationsrequired by state licensing). Inaddition, while these targets weredeveloped for infant/toddlereducators, they could also beapplied to professionals workingwith preschool–age children.

RecommendationsCROSS-SECTOR RECOMMENDATIONS

Table 2: Compensation GoalsInfant/Toddler Educator Target Wage Scale, Rhode Island, 2019

TARGET 12-MONTH TARGET HOURLY WAGE ANNUAL SALARYLEVEL EDUCATION FLOOR FLOOR

1 CDA credential or 3 ECE credits $16 $33,280

2 12 ECE credits $17 $35,360

3 Associate's degree $19 $39,520

4 Associate's degree & 24 ECE credits $20 $41,600

5 Bachelor's degree $22 $45,760

6 Bachelor's degree & 24 ECE credits $24.15 $50,240

* Assumes that these amounts will need to be adjusted over time to account for inflation/cost ofliving. Note: level 1 is $1 more than the target for the minimum wage of $15/hour and level 6 isequivalent to the starting kindergarten teacher salary in Rhode Island in 2017-2018 ($41,869)11

adjusted to a 12-month schedule.

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Conduct a public educationcampaign designed to show thevalue of infant/toddler educatorsand the need for improvedcompensation.••Rhode Island demonstrated a deepunderstanding of the importanceof its preschool teachers when itset up its RI Pre-K initiative, settingfunding at a level that wouldprovide Pre-K teachers with payparity to entry level K-2 educators.However, the public'sunderstanding of the importanceof the infant/toddler workforcelags behind. A concerted publiceducation campaign is needed tohelp policymakers and otherinfluencers understand that thequality of infant/toddlerprogramming is tied to the state’sschool readiness and early gradesgoals, and that adequate wagesare needed to ensure programs can attract and retain high-qualityinfant/toddler educators, like theapproach the state uses for RI Pre-K teachers.


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Establish an Infant/ToddlerEmployer Group facilitated by theRhode Island Department of Laborand Training.••The Rhode Island Department ofLabor and Training (DLT) has beenan active member of the TaskForce and shared informationabout how they work withemployers across the state tosupport recruitment, development,and retention of qualified staff. DLTunderstands the infant/toddlerworkforce is predominantly female,culturally diverse, and poorlycompensated – even wheneducation credentials are attained.DLT also understands that manyemployers struggle to recruit,develop, and retain qualifiedinfant/toddler educators, familyhome visitors, and EarlyInterventionists with the resourcesavailable, and that this struggle cancause waiting lists and limit accessto child care, family home visiting,and Early Intervention programsfor families throughout RhodeIsland.

DLT typically works in partnershipwith employers to solve a variety ofworkforce development needs –including helping employers meetdemand for talent throughinternships and apprenticeships,finding and training new hires, and updating the skills of currentemployees. DLT’s work is demand-driven, collaborative, flexible, andbusiness-led.

The Task Force recommends thatan Infant/Toddler Employer Groupbe convened to work with DLT, theGovernor’s Workforce Board, andthe Department of Human Servicesto identify and implement creativesolutions to current infant/toddlerworkforce needs. This may includerecruitment, training, and/orsystems-change sectorimprovements, such as establishinga registered apprenticeship modelfor the infant/toddler workforce.

The Task Force also discussed thefeasibility and value of developinga state-endorsed early childhoodeducation career pathway as a toolto support the workforce and helpemployers. The state has

developed workforce careerpathways to support numerousfields (e.g., Hospitality, STEM,Manufacturing, and many more).Currently, DLT is engaged in aHealthcare WorkforceTransformation initiative thatincludes “Build Healthcare CareerPathways to Develop Skills thatMatter for Jobs that Pay” as its firstpriority. The state is also working toestablish a teaching careerpathway for high school studentsto earn an endorsement on theirhigh school diploma and currentlyoffers child development andinfant/toddler college courseworkto high school students throughthe Advanced Course Network. Atthis time, it is not clear to the TaskForce whether resources devotedto developing a Rhode Island earlychildhood educator career pathwaywould significantly advance thecompensation of infant/toddlereducators due to marketlimitations that do not reward skilldevelopment with wage gains.12

The state and advocates shouldcontinue discussions with DLTrelated to recruitment, development,and retention of the infant/toddlerworkforce in Rhode Island.



Establish a working group todevelop and introduce an EarlyChildhood Workforce InvestmentAct in 2020.••••Rhode Island has been able toadvance Pre-K, family homevisiting, Early Intervention, and theBrightStars Quality Rating andImprovement System throughlegislative action. Several stateshave drawn attention andresources to the early childhoodworkforce through legislativestrategies to promote governmentaction that addresses challengesfacing the early childhoodworkforce – including educationaland career advancement andcompensation. A working groupconsisting of representatives fromthe legislative and executivebranches, together with advocatesand providers, should reviewlegislation that has beenintroduced in other states and atthe federal level and develop aRhode Island Early ChildhoodWorkforce Investment Act. This work will yield a strongunderstanding of the needs of the infant/toddler workforce, andprovide a forum to work togetherto move forward the overallrecommendations from the Task Force and importantly, toinclude consideration of revenueenhancements that will be neededto support the infant/toddlerworkforce.

The Rhode Island child care systemis a private market with parentsshouldering the majority of thecosts. The Rhode Island Child CareAssistance Program (CCAP),provides a subsidy forapproximately 10,000 children ofeligible, low-income families.Parents may enroll their child(ren)in any licensed program in thestate that accepts CCAP payments.CCAP payments are made directlyto child care programs that submitinvoices for reimbursement. In2018, Rhode Island increased andbegan tiering CCAP rates toincentivize quality with higher ratespaid to programs with higherquality ratings. Tiering rates topromote quality is a commonpractice across the U.S. Parentswith incomes above the federalpoverty level are responsible formaking co-payments directly tothe child care provider.

State child care licensing standardsset the minimum standards requiredto legally operate a child careprogram, including staff: child ratios.

BrightStars is the state’s QualityRating and Improvement System forchild care and early learningprograms, providing a pathway forlicensed child care programs toachieve research-based qualitystandards that promote children’sdevelopment and learning. Althoughmany child care programs in RhodeIsland have made progress atachieving high-quality standards, asof January 2019, only 8% of infantsand toddlers in CCAP and only 12%of licensed infant and toddler slotsin the state were in a high-qualityprogram (with a 4 or 5 star rating).Attracting, developing, andretaining qualified and effectiveeducators has been a significantbarrier for programs that areworking to improve theirBrightStars quality rating.The two recommendations that arespecific to infant/toddler child careshould be addressedsimultaneously as co-equalpriorities. Because rates for theChild Care Assistance Program arebased on private market rates paidby middle-income families for child

RecommendationsINFANT/TODDLER CHILD CARE RECOMMENDATIONS

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“Any steps that woulddecrease turnover in thefield will lead to improvedsupport for families.” Rhode Island Family Home VisitingStrategic Plan 2019-2024


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care and because children receivinga CCAP subsidy are enrolled inprograms and classroomsalongside the children of middle-income families paying privatetuition, increasing CCAP rates alonewill not provide sufficient revenueto increase educator wagesadequately. At the same time, weknow that Rhode Island’s child careprograms are in financial distress. Acurrent analysis by LISC shows thatonly 30% of programs reviewedmet established financial ratios forfiscal strength and stability;similarly, a very high percentage ofcenters surveyed have no cash onhand to deal with an emergency.Despite allocating 60% of revenuesto teacher pay, programs do notpay their staff more because theylack the resources overall toincrease wages.13 So, while theongoing commitment to improveCCAP rates to meet federalbenchmarks is essential so thatlow-income families can haveaccess to the same child caremarket that middle-income familiesare using, it must becomplemented by a significantstrategy to address educatorcompensation, as outlined in thesecond recommendation. Thissecond strategy is designed tosupport infant/toddler educatorsworking in programs that includeboth low-income children in theCCAP program and middle-incomechildren by providing a financialaward directly to qualified andeffective infant/toddler educatorson top of the wage they earn fromtheir employers. This financialincentive is designed to help earlychildhood programs retain qualifiedand effective infant/toddlereducators. The Task Forcerecommends phasing in the secondrecommendation through acarefully conducted demonstrationproject that will allow a model tobe developed and refined beforethe final cost model and scalingapproach is adopted.

INFANT/TODDLER CHILD CARE RECOMMENDATION 1:

Meet federal rate guidelines forthe Child Care Assistance Programthrough tiered quality rates.••The federal Child Care andDevelopment Block Grant Act,which provides core funding forRhode Island’s Child CareAssistance Program (CCAP),requires the Rhode IslandDepartment of Human Services tocertify that the rates it is paying forCCAP services are sufficient toensure eligible children have equalaccess to child care servicescomparable to those provided tochildren who are not eligible toreceive CCAP. The benchmark forequal access established by thefederal government are rates at orabove the 75th percentile of thecurrent child care market with baserates set at or above the 25thpercentile. Currently, CCAP ratesfor infants and toddlers in childcare centers and family child carehomes that meet BrightStars 5-starstandards meet the federalbenchmark based on the 2018market rate survey conducted bythe University of Rhode Island.However, base CCAP rates fall wellbelow the 25th percentile and donot meet the equal accessprovision.14,15

Rhode Island should meet federalexpectations for CCAP rates sothat low-income children haveequal access to the care availableand high-quality programs canafford to serve children with aCCAP certificate. However, we notethat adequate rates alone will notensure adequate pay to attract,develop, and retain qualified andeffective child care teachers. CCAPrates are determined using aprivate market rate that issuppressed due to low rates paidby middle-income families as theystruggle to afford the true cost ofquality care.

Rhode Island’s recent adoption in2018 of tiered quality rates forchildren under age six enrolled incenters provides a strong incentivefor programs to make qualityimprovements. Setting the top tierrate at or above the federalbenchmark for access to qualitycare (75th percentile of marketrate) resulted in a 33% CCAP rateincrease for infants and toddlers in5-star programs. This importantpolicy victory is helping programssustain quality improvementactivities, including small wageenhancements for teachers, and isproviding parents with morepurchasing power so they canenroll their children in higherquality programs. Now, companionstrategies to support thedevelopment and retention ofindividual infant/toddler teachersare needed – including support forprograms with lower-quality ratingsthat are on a path toward qualityimprovement.

The projected cost for FY 20-21 tomeet federal equal access ratestandards for all children in theChild Care Assistance Programexceeds $7 million.16 Assumingfederal child care dollars remainstable, additional state resourceswill be needed to meet thesebenchmarks for low-income familiesto have equal access to programs.

Improving CCAP rates are a necessary butinsufficient strategy toadequately raise childcare teacher wages andprovide access to high-quality child care. Childcare programs areeconomically integratedand rates for middleincome families cannot beraised much higher thanthey are now – parentscannot afford to pay moreand teachers cannotafford to get paid less.


INFANT/TODDLER CHILD CARE RECOMMENDATION 2:

Fund an infant/toddler wagesupplement demonstration projectto help child care programs retain qualified and effectiveinfant/toddler educators.••The most widely adoptedapproach to addressing teachercompensation in the United Statesare wage supplements paiddirectly to individual earlychildhood teachers, primarily viastipends. At least 15 states providetargeted wage supplements tochild care teachers, but thesesupplements reach less than 2% of the workforce.17 To help providean incentive for attaining highereducation levels and skills, stemthe tide of turnover as teachersachieve these credentials, andincrease teacher continuity,ongoing salary supplements are provided to early educatorsbased on education achieved,demonstrated skills, and thecontinuity of care provided.

The Rhode Island Department ofHuman Services should allocatefunding to pilot a demonstrationproject of education and retentionawards for effective teachers whowork with infants and toddlers toincrease workforce retention,education levels, effective teachingpractices, and compensation. ThisTask Force developed ademonstration project proposal,“Starting Right Teacher Education& Retention Awards.” Theproposed program will rewardchild care educators (center-basedteachers and family child careproviders) who have demonstrateda commitment to the field byachieving higher educationalcredentials and quality teachingpractices. Awards will be given toinfant educators working inCCAP/BrightStars programs thatare seeking to move up to the nextstar level or maintain their 5-star

rating. Every six months, qualifiedteachers will receive a graduatedsupplement tied to the level oftheir education and effectiveteaching practices (aligned to theInfant/Toddler Educator TargetWage Scale). Participants mustcontinue working with infants/toddlers in CCAP for the durationof the demonstration project andwill receive practice-basedcoaching and technical assistance.

This recommendation is modeledon the strategy used to launch theRI Pre-K program through a two-year demonstration project with a national expert evaluation. The RI Pre-K demonstration projectstarted with seven classrooms(seven teachers and seven teachingassistants) and was funded to meetnational quality standards and payteachers wages equal tokindergarten teachers.

Findings from the Starting RightTeacher Education and RetentionAwards Program would inform thelong-term design of a Rhode Islandinfant/toddler wage supplementstrategy, including its cost modeland a revenue generation model, as well as national efforts to addressthe infant/toddler teachercompensation crisis. A morecomplete description of theproposed demonstration is foundin Appendix 3.

Note: The Task Force consideredseveral options before selectingthe direct teacher wagesupplement strategy. Two otherstrategies that are in use in someother states and still could beconsidered for implementation inRhode Island are:

1) Contract with child careprograms that serve CCAP childrenand provide additional funding and support to meet or sustainprogram quality targets and payinfant/toddler teachers wages thatmeet or exceed the target wagescale. This option did not make the final list because Task Forcemembers believed it would belimited to programs that have highconcentrations of CCAP children,potentially excluding programs thatwere more economically integrated.

2) Develop strong refundable statetax credits for teachers who workwith infants/toddlers in child careprograms to supplement theirwages and promote increasededucation, strong teachingpractices, and retention. This optiondid not make the final list becausethe Task Force believed it would bedifficult to pilot a tax credit programand significant infrastructure wouldbe required for the RI Departmentof Revenue to verify teacheremployment, education credentials,and teaching practices.

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The Rhode Island Early Intervention (EI) system is primarily funded by Medicaid (public insurance) and private healthinsurance. Early Intervention service providers submit bills (claims) to Medicaid and private insurance forreimbursement on a fee-for-service basis. In addition, the EI system receives a small allocation of federal IDEA Part Cfunds, and a portion of these funds are provided to individual programs to support quality. Parents with children inEarly Intervention do not pay anything toward the cost.

EARLY INTERVENTION RECOMMENDATION 1:

Leverage existing billingopportunities to support EarlyIntervention.••The Executive Office of Health andHuman Services (EOHHS) is thelead state agency responsible forthe administration of the EarlyIntervention (Part C) system toserve infants and toddlers withdevelopmental delays and disabilities.EOHHS is also responsible for thestate’s Medicaid program. The statePart C team is currently reviewingthe billing practices of EarlyIntervention service providers toensure all allowable activities undercurrent codes are being utilized andconsidering other additional activitieswithin the definition of these codesto promote quality and enhancedservices. This is a promisingstrategy that should be fullyexplored and executed.


Establish a compensation-basedincentive pool.••The Executive Office of Health andHuman Services (EOHHS) shouldconsider using limited Federal IDEAPart C grant funds to create anincentive pool aimed at improvedcompensation. Incentives may bepaid to individual EI front line staffthat meet identified targets (e.g.,productivity and possibly qualitymeasures). Potentially, additionalincentives may be provided forenhanced compensation of EImanagers for meeting overallprogram targets.


Review and update EarlyIntervention reimbursement rates.•The overall Early Intervention rateshave not been increased since the 3%Medicaid rate cut in 2009. Medicaidreimbursement rates should bereviewed utilizing the originalmethodology that based the rates oncurrent market rates of EarlyIntervention specialists andtherapists. If rates are determined tobe inadequate to support qualityservices with wages adequate toattract and retain qualified EI staff,adjustments should be considered.

RecommendationsEARLY INTERVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS

Currently in Rhode Island, Family Home Visiting is funded through contracts from the Department of Health toservice providers offering the Nurse Family Partnership, Parents as Teachers, and Healthy Families Americaprograms. In addition, the federal government funds Early Head Start home visiting services through directcontracts. Families enrolled in home visiting programs do not pay anything to participate.

RecommendationsFAMILY HOME V IS IT ING RECOMMENDATIONS

FAMILY HOME VISITING RECOMMENDATION 1:

Incorporate the infant/toddlereducator wage scale into familyhome visiting contracts.••Similar to the existing RI Pre-Kcontracts described above, statecontracts with Family Home Visitingservice providers should provideadequate funding and mandateminimum compensation for qualifiedhome visiting staff aligned with theInfant/Toddler Educator TargetWage Scale that is detailed in thefirst cross-sector recommendation.


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LeanneBarrettRhode Island KIDS COUNT

Kristine CampagnaRhode Island Department of Health

Susan DicksteinRI Association for Infant MentalHealth

Casey FerraraMeeting Street

Maryann FinamoreChildren's Friend

Rachel FlumEconomic Progress Institute

Leslie GellReady to Learn Providence

Catherine GreenGenesis Center

Cara HarrisonOffice of the Governor

Amy HendersonRhode Island Department ofHuman Services

Lisa HildebrandRhode Island Association for theEducation of Young Children

Robert KalaskowskiRhode Island Department of Laborand Training

Jennifer KaufmanRhode Island Executive Office ofHealth and Human Services

Cindy LarsonLISC

Khadija Lewis KhanBeautiful Beginnings

Zoe McGrathRhode Island Department ofEducation

Tara McHughChildren’s Friend

Caitlin MolinaRhode Island Department ofHuman Services

Sarah NardolilloRhode Island Department ofHuman Services

Nicole O'LoughlinSEIU 1199

Sheila Grant OrphanidesCenter for Early LearningProfessionals

Alyson PanzarellaRhode Island Association for theEducation of Young Children

Larry PucciarelliRhode Island Department ofHuman Services

Courtney ReadCommunity College of RhodeIsland

JosephRobitailleTrudeau Center

Marinel RussoRhode Island Association for theEducation of Young Children

Sharon TerreaultCenter for Early LearningProfessionals

Lori WagnerRhode Island Child Care Director’sAssociation

Appendices APPENDIX 1 : L IST OF TASK FORCE MEMBERS


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APPENDIX 2 : DATA ON THE RHODE ISLAND INFANT/TODDLER EDUCATOR WORKFORCE ESTIMATES INFANT/TODDLER CHILD CARE FAMILY HOME VISITING EARLY INTERVENTION

# Children 2,433 infants and toddlers 1,278 2,219 in Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)

5,790 infant/toddler slots in centers

914 infant/toddler slots in licensed family child care homes (estimate)

# Educators 1,158 infant/toddler 98 home visitors, 280 direct service staff, teachers (estimate) including supervisors equal to 200 FTE

457 family child care providers

# Employers 205 centers licensed to serve 13 contracted agencies 9 certified EI agencies infants and/or toddlers

457 self-employed family child care providers licensed to serve infants and toddlers

Typical $11.82/hour median wage for $14.63 to $20.00/hour, $13.50 to $20.00/hour,Compensation child care center teachers, i.e., $30,430 to i.e., $28,080 to i.e. $24,580 annually $46,000 annually $46,000 annually

84% of family child care Note: Nurse Family providers report income Partnership requires BSN < $40,000/year with 3-5 years public health nursing, $28.54/hour

% Female 98% center teachers 99% Not available 99% family child care

% Educators 20% centers 69% Not availableof Color 70% family child care

% Bachelor’s 15% infant/toddler 90% Degree or Higher teachers in centers

14% in family child care homes

Annual Turnover 27% for teaching staff 22% 15% with a range from 5%-30% in licensed centers depending on the individual agency

Sources: Data on infant/toddler child care teachers from Whitebook, M., McLean, C., Austin, L.J.E. & Edwards, B. (2018). Center for the Study of Child CareEmployment, Early Childhood Workforce Index 2018. Berkeley: CA Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California at Berkeley;Oldham, E. & Hawes, S. (2014). Rhode Island Early Learning Workforce Study. Providence, RI: Rhode Island Early Learning Council.; Data on licensed childcare programs from the RI Department of Children, Youth and Families; Data on the Child Care Assistance Program from the RI Department of HumanServices; Data on the Early Intervention program from the RI Executive Office of Health & Human Services; Data on family home visiting programs from theRI Department of Health.

Master’s degree or higher: 50.6%

Bachelor’s degree: 37.3%

Less than bachelor’s degree: 4.6%

Missing info: 10.6%

NOTE: Beyond the Early Interven-tionist role discussed in this report,many specialized areas require amaster’s degree


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APPENDIX 3 : INFANT/TODDLER WAGE SUPPLEMENT DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

Starting Right Infant/Toddler TeacherEducation and Retention Awards ProgramSummary: The Task Force proposes a two- or three-year demonstration project to increase workforce retention,education, effective teaching practices, and compensation of infant educators in child care centers and familychild care homes. The Starting Right Teacher Education and Retention Awards program will reward infant childcare educators who have demonstrated a commitment to the field by achieving higher educational credentialsand quality teaching practices. The awards will be given to infant educators working in, and sponsored by,CCAP/BrightStars programs that are seeking to move up to the next star level or maintain their 5-star rating.Every six months, qualified teachers will receive a graduated financial award (wage supplement) tied to the levelof their education, demonstration of effective teaching practices, and continued employment as an infanteducator in their sponsoring program.

The Task Force suggests that the demonstration project be open to participants statewide and marketed to allprograms that serve CCAP infants. Each interested and qualified teacher would apply and participants would beselected through a state-supervised random lottery, just like children are currently selected for RI Pre-Kparticipation. A random lottery would also provide an opportunity to conduct a rigorous evaluation of the impactof these wage enhancements on the teachers, the programs, the families, and the children.

Criteria: The teacher/family child care provider must:

•Work as an infant teacher in a center or family child caresetting serving children under age 18 months (childrencan be in mixed-age classrooms ages birth to 3 or infamily child care). NOTE: The Task Force recommendsstarting with infant teachers and expanding to reachteachers of toddlers and 3-year-olds in the future.

•Be sponsored by and have the support of her/hisemployer and agree to remain in the program workingdirectly as a teacher for infants under 18 months(mixed-age classrooms OK), including infants in theCCAP program. Employers are expected to supportimproved teaching and program practices, includinghaving adequate furnishings and materials in theclassroom/program and adjusting program schedulesand policies to improve scores on the valid and reliableprogram observation measures.

•Work in a BrightStars-rated program that is activelyworking to move up in star level or sustain a 5-starrating. Recruitment efforts should include teachers fromprograms with lower star ratings to help these programsretain more qualified and effective educators whichshould help programs achieve higher quality ratings.

•Work in a center or family child care program thatcurrently serves at least 25% children in CCAP and has acommitment to prioritizing enrollment of CCAP infants.

•For centers, participating teachers would need to beassigned to a classroom with at least 25% infantsreceiving CCAP funding. Family child care providerswould need to meet the 25% CCAP program-level criteriaabove and have at least 1 infant receiving CCAP funding.

•Work a full-time schedule (a minimum of 35 hours perweek).

•Meet the educational requirements in Table 1 below.

•Meet or exceed a target score on a valid and reliableclassroom/program observation tool. The target scoresare to be determined by the state. The Task Forcerecommends the use of the Infant Toddler EnvironmentRating Scale (ITERS) for center-based teachers and theFamily Child Care Environment Rating Scale (FCCERS)to align with the tools used in the BrightStars QualityRating and Improvement System. On-site coaching forinfant teachers and family child care providers isneeded to support continuous improvement ofpractices to reach the national benchmark score of 5on these tools, just like the state provides for RI Pre-K.

•At a minimum, be paid $12/hour (The federal Bureau ofLabor Statistics (BLS) estimates that the median wagefor child care workers in Rhode Island in 2017 was$11.82/hour. This minimum base salary would beadjusted biannually with BLS median wage data forchild care workers). Family child care provider incomewill be verified using the same protocol used by theT.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood model.

•Earn no more than 15% above the target annual salaryfor that teacher, as identified in Table A below.


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Administration & Evaluation: The demonstration project will be administered by an intermediary organization thatwill develop and monitor contracts with participating teachers and their employers. The intermediary will payeducation and retention awards directly to participating educators every six months to close the gap between the wages paid by the employer and the target wages for the education and skill level of the educator.

The intermediary will track eligibility criteria for each participant. Sponsoring programs will submit their program'ssalary scale and may not reduce wages for participating teachers. Sponsoring employers will be required to providethe same regular wage increases to participating teachers as are provided to other teachers in the program.

Resources: Allocated funds will be used primarily to pay education and retention awards to participants. Somefunds will be used for program administration including administration of the valid and reliable classroom/programobservation measure for each participant.

Additional funds will be needed to provide on-site technical assistance and coaching to the participating teachersto improve classroom/program observation scores; this may be available through existing contracts with qualityimprovement programs (Center for Early Learning Professionals, Ready to Learn Providence). State leaders willseek a national evaluation expert and funder for the evaluation of the demonstration project, similar to how theevaluation of the RI Pre-K demonstration project was funded at no cost to the state (Pew Charitable Trusts fundedthe National Institute for Early Education Research to conduct the evaluation).

TABLE A :PROPOSED STARTING R IGHT TEACHER EDUCATION & RETENTION AWARDS

STARTING RIGHT ESTIMATED TARGET TARGET TEACHER EDUCATION & HOURLY ANNUAL LEVEL EDUCATION RETENTION AWARD WAGE FLOOR SALARY FLOOR

1 CDA credential or 3 ECE credits $4/hr $16/hr $33,280

2 12 ECE credits $5/hr $17/hr $35,360

3 Associate's degree $7/hr $19/hr $39,520

4 Associate's degree & 24 ECE credits $8/hr $20/hr $41,600

5 Bachelor's degree $10/hr $22/hr $45,760

6 Bachelor's degree & 24 ECE credits $12.15/hr $24.15/hr $50,240

TABLE B :ANNUAL EST IMATED BUDGET FOR THE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

STARTING RIGHT TEACHER LEVEL # OF PARTICIPANTS AMOUNT

1 4 $33,280

2 4 $41,600

3 4 $58,240

4 2 $33,280

5 2 $41,600

6 1 $25,272

Classroom/Program Observations 17 teachers ($650) $11,050

General Administration 2 $10,000

TOTAL 17 teachers $254,322


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Child Population Reached: Assuming 17 teachers/family child care providers are selected, we estimate that 120infants and families will benefit from higher-quality, more stable care (14 center-based teachers x 8 infants + 4family child care providers x 2 infants), at a cost of approximately $2,120 per child ($254,322/120). Due to the factthat child care programs and classrooms are economically integrated, approximately 31 - 62 of these infants wouldbe in the CCAP program and the other children who would benefit would be infants of middle income familieswho pay full tuition or very low-income children from the Early Head Start program.

Implementation Steps:1) Identify intermediary to manage the Starting Right

Infant/Toddler Teacher Award program, whichincludes work to develop policies, applicationmaterials, identification of eligible programs, conduct outreach, administer lottery for participation(if applicant pool exceeds available revenue),implement the program, and provide overall supportand problem solving. This would include

•Developing policies and application materials.

•Determining any unintended consequences as part of policy development, e.g., determine ifaward would be counted and used in eligibilitydetermination process for participants, thuspotentially making them ineligible for RIte Care,CCAP, the Supplemental Nutrition AssistanceProgram (SNAP), etc.

•Identifying CCAP programs that are eligible andhold information sessions for directors and staff.Make individual site visits to some programs toencourage participation.

•Establishing the application period with deadlinefor applications.

•Holding a stratified lottery to select qualifiedparticipants (to ensure we have some family childcare homes and some infant teachers in centers,some at various star levels, some with variousdegrees)

•Contracting with participants and providingfinancial guidance to ensure the teacher knows the stipend is taxable income and will end in 12-24months (although our goal is to develop financingstrategy so project can be expanded andsustained)

•Administering all financial awards in a prompt andtimely manner with appropriate controls andaccountability

2) With partners, develop an evaluation plan to measurethe impact of improved compensation on theteachers, the programs, the families, and the children.Identify philanthropic partners and potential nationalexpert evaluators. Work with partners, the identifiedevaluator, and the intermediary to design andconduct the evaluation and share and disseminatefindings.

3) Establish an advisory group for the demonstration(consider using the Moving the Needle onCompensation Task Force).

Remaining Considerations:

•Need to conduct program observations in first 6months before the first payment?

•Will teachers have more than one observation peryear to demonstrate effective practices? Note: RIPre-K teachers have 2 chances per year and on-sitecoaching to reach target scores.

•Should there be a minimum target for firstobservation and higher target for 2nd observation?


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We thank our funders for this project, ZERO TO THREE’s ThinkBabiesTM Campaign and the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood NationalCenter's Moving the Needle on Compensation Initiative.

ZERO TO THREE created Think Babies to make the potential of everybaby our national priority. Early experiences shape how a baby’s braindevelops, laying the foundation for future learning, behavior andhealth. The Think Babies Campaign brings nationwide attention towhat babies and families need to thrive. Rhode Island KIDS COUNT isleading Rhode Island’s Think Babies campaign to develop and advancepolicies benefiting infants and toddlers with support from ZERO TOTHREE.

The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center created the Moving theNeedle on Compensation Initiative in 2017 to raise awareness aboutthe early childhood workforce compensation crisis and to help statescreate new or significantly expand existing policies and fundingstrategies to improve the compensation of early childood educators.Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children is theMoving the Needle lead organization for Rhode Island.

We thank Harriet Dichter and Tammy Camillo for their facilitation,thought partnership, and support, as well as the Planning Committeeof Leanne Barrett, Lisa Hildebrand, Kristine Campagna, AmyHenderson, and Jennifer Kaufman.

Acknowledgements

References1 Lally, R. J. & Mangione, P. L. (2017). Caringrelationships: The heart of early braindevelopment. Young Children, 72(2), 17-24.2 National Collaborative for Infants &Toddlers. (2019). Strengthening the infant-toddler child care workforce: A messagingtip sheet. Washington, DC: Zero to Three andPritzker Children’s Initiative.3 Ullrich, R., Cole, P., Gebhard, B., & Schmit, S.(2017). Early Intervention: A critical supportfor infants, toddlers, and their families.Washington, DC: Zero to Three and Centerfor Law and Social Policy.4 Cole, P., Henry-Spires, D. & Spires, M. J.(2016). The next horizon for home visiting: Awhite paper on policy discussions amongstakeholders. Washington, DC: Zero to Threeand the Dalton Daley Group.5 Institute of Medicine and National ResearchCouncil. (2015). Transforming the Workforcefor Children Birth Through Age 8: A UnifyingFoundation. Washington, DC: The NationalAcademies Press.

6,17 National Academies of Sciences,Engineering, and Medicine. (2018).Transforming the Financing of Early Care andEducation. Washington, DC: The NationalAcademies Press.7 Whitebook, M., McLean, C., Austin, L. J. E., &Edwards, B. (2018). Early childhoodworkforce index 2018. Berkeley, CA: Centerfor the Study of Child Care Employment.8 Oldham, E. & Hawes, S. (2014). RhodeIsland early learning workforce study.Providence, RI: Rhode Island Early LearningCouncil.9 Friedman-Krauss, A. H. et al. (2019). Thestate of preschool 2018. New Brunswick, NJ:National Institute for Early EducationResearch.10 Rhode Island House Fiscal Office. RhodeIsland Budget as Enacted, FY2005 –FY2020. 11 National Education Association Center forAdvocacy. (2019). State teacher salarybenchmark data highlights for 2017-2018.Retrieved November 5, 2019, fromwww.nea.org

12 Cheng, I. et al. (2018). Career pathways inearly care and education. Bethesda, MD: AbtAssociates.13 Personal communication, Cindy Larson,Rhode Island LISC, July 2019.14 National Center on Child Care SubsidyInnovation and Accountability. (n.d.). CCDFpayment rates: Understanding the 75thpercentile. Retrieved July 12, 2019, fromhttps://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/15 Christian, S. (February 5, 2019). Letter toDirector Courtney Hawkins, Rhode IslandDepartment of Human Services regardingconditional approval of Rhode Island’sFY2019-FY2021 Child Care and DevelopmentPlan. Washington, DC: U.S. Department ofHealth & Human Services, Office of ChildCare.16 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT calculationswith rates for one star programs at the 25thpercentile, rates for five star programs at the75th percentile, and intermediate rates forprograms in the two to four star range, June2019.


“The bottom line is that the hour-to-hour, day-to-day

early experiences of babies and young children have

a profound, lasting impact on the rest of their lives.

And when children’s early environments are

unsupportive or even damaging, the repercussions

persist for decades, compromising their development

and limiting their capacity for success in school and

in work.”

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Workforce of Today, Workforce ofTomorrow: The Business Case for High-Quality Child care (2017)


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