The Compass

Pointing the Way to the Stars

NC DHHS Division of Child Development and Early Education Newsletter

NC Department of Health and Human Services

Fall 2013

In This Issue

Be On The Safe Side: Supervision

New DCDEE Customer Service Efforts

CRC Fact Sheet for Providers

Resources for Working with Families

Training Topic: Family Engagement Hubs

Don't Forget! Annual License Fees are Due

Approved Curricula and Formative Assessment Tools

NC Foundations for Early Learning & Development

Tuberculin Shortage and Revised Recommendations

Quick Links

Division of Child Development and Early Education website

What's New

NC Pre-K

SEEK

Contact DCDEE:

919.662.4499

800.859.0829

(in state only)

fax: 919.661.4845

webmasterdcd@dhhs.nc.gov

mailing address:

2201 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-2201

physical address:

319 Chapanoke Road

Raleigh, NC 27603

From the Director's Desk

Dear Early Education Partners,

Welcome to our Fall 2013 issue of The Compass.

Are there topics you want to read about in this newsletter? Use our contact information to share your suggestions and concerns. We look forward to hearing from you.

As summer has rolled into fall--and as we look ahead to 2014 --DCDEE is clarifying priorities for our work. We will be focusing on the long-term impact of NC Pre-K on academic outcomes, and on building upon progress already made in improved quality in regulated care. Both of these are important for providing a strong foundation for NC's children.

As you are aware, the federal shutdown in October impacted DCDEE's ability to deliver services. In addition, the Subsidized Child Care Program and the counties and local purchasing agencies that manage funding for those services faced difficult decisions regarding how long they could continue providing subsidies. Thankfully we were able to avoid suspensions of subsidized child care services in most counties because community partners worked together to minimize the impact to families. Thank you for these efforts and all that each of you did to help support them and work cooperatively. I realize this was a difficult time not only for DCDEE, but also for providers, families and other partners.

All of this to say that DCDEE remains committed to working hard to provide top-quality service to you, even as we face mutual challenges such as those resulting from the federal shutdown. We are constantly thankful for the work that you do and appreciate the heart and soul that you pour into your work for NC's children. Best wishes to all of you in the upcoming holiday season.

Early Education and Care MATTERS

We begin EVERY issue with this statement, because it can't be said enough:
early education and care truly matter - for children, for families, for communities and for the future prosperity of our society. What children learn in their early years plays a critical role in their success throughout life.

Be On The Safe Side

In every issue we bring you information to keep children safe. This month we're emphasizing Appropriate Child Supervision.

Find out more about how to always be on top of supervision in your classroom. Links are included for supervision rules for Family Child Care Homes, Child Care Centers and School-Age Care.

Did you know that:

DCDEE investigated 181 reports of child abuse/neglect that included at least one allegation of inadequate supervision.

DCDEE investigated an additional 377 complaints regarding inadequate supervision of children that did not rise to the level of child abuse/neglect.

DCDEE issued 52 administrative actions against child care facilities due to inadequate supervision.

We're here to serve YOU!

The North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education has begun the process of automating how we distribute publications and printed materials. As a DHHS entity, our mission is to provide quality customer service to our external partners. By automating documents we are better able to serve our customers in a more timely and efficient manner.

Learn more about a new Customer Service tab on the DCDEE website, sharing your email address to receive information directly from the Division and Changes to the Annual Fire Inspection Packet.

CRC Fact Sheet for Child Care Providers

In order to work in child care, a PRE-SERVICE criminal record check (CRC) is now a requirement, and anyone employed at a child care facility must have a criminal record check every three years after initial employment. What does this mean for you?

All child care employees must have a valid Qualification Letter prior to employment and must submit a complete packet for re-qualification every 3 years thereafter while employed in a child care facility. Once a criminal history request is submitted to DCDEE, a determination is made of the child care employee's fitness to have responsibility for the safety and well-being of children based on their criminal history. Individuals that do not have a criminal history of concern will be issued a Qualification Letter from the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE). The Qualification Letter is valid for 3 years from the date of issuance. A copy of the Qualification Letter must be provided to the child care employer upon employment and must remain on file during the individual's employment. DCDEE will accept 3 year re-qualification requests from an individual at any time.

Learn more about the CRC process and everything you need to know to stay in compliance here.

Resources for Working with Families

Children in care come from all kinds of families with a wide variety of backgrounds. Do you know how to talk to a child in your care who has a family member or loved one involved in the correctional system? Melissa W. Radcliff shares her knowledge as Executive Director of Our Children's Place, a non-profit agency committed to the children of incarcerated parents, on this complicated issue.

Read Talking to Children About Incarceration (through a link from Action for Children) to learn how to address this difficult subject and access tools that you can use.

Child Care Providers Receiving Family Engagement Training

If you work in early care and education in North Carolina, you know that you're encouraged to keep learning and meeting higher standards in your professional practice.

Licensed child care providers across NC have been receiving training from Head Start programs on effective strategies for engaging the families of the children they serve, specifically related to building their capacity to comply with new family engagement standards that could be incorporated into North Carolina's child care regulations.

Read more here about Head Start's efforts with Family Engagement TA Hubs-

Don't Forget! Annual License Fees are Due~

Each year, in accordance with NCGS � 110-90,

the Division of Child Development and Early Education invoices child care homes and centers for their annual license fee.

The payment of this fee is required by child care law and applies to the current calendar year (January 2013 - December 2013). Invoices have already been mailed to programs from the DHHS Controller's Office--if you have not received yours, let us know. A cover letter is included to further explain the fee and offer payment options. The fee does not apply to facilities owned by local public schools, universities or colleges and religious sponsored programs operating under a GS 110 Notice of Compliance (in lieu of a star-rated license).

The 2013 annual fee must be paid by December 13, 2013 in order to avoid administrative action, up to possible revocation of the child care license.

The fee schedule is as follows:

Family Child Care Homes - $52

Centers (0-12 capacity) - $52

Centers (13-50 capacity) - $187

Centers (51-100 capacity) - $375

Centers (101+ capacity) - $600

NC Approved Curricula and Formative Assessment Tools

The NC DCDEE is pleased to announce a list of approved curricula and formative assessment tools for use in early childhood and education programs. This list is the result of a comprehensive and rigorous review process conducted by a panel of experts and approved by the NC Child Care Commission.

To learn more about the process for approval of curricula and the list in its entirety, read more here. Stipulations and additional information about the approved curricula and formative assessments can be found on the DCDEE website.

North Carolina Foundations for Early Learning and Development

In 2011 the North Carolina Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) funded and launched a project combining Infant-Toddler Foundations and Preschool Foundations into a single document, the North Carolina Foundations for Early Learning and Development. This document provides a common set of goals and developmental indicators for children at each age level - infants, toddler and preschoolers. The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute is in the process of distributing the documents via mail to different early childhood entities. A limited

number of documents were printed due to funding. At this time there are no plans to print additional copies to purchase. The document is accessible online
at:http://ncchildcare.nc.gov/providers/pv_foundations.asp.

Tuberculin Shortage and Revised Recommendations

To be consistent with recommendations for all non-health related employees during the Tuberculin

shortage, the state TB Controller/Medical Director has revised recommendations for administrative testing of Tuberculosis (TB). All individuals who work in child care facilities are required to go to their local health department or health care professional for a TB risk assessment to determine if a tuberculin skin test or other test is necessary. Instead of immediately requesting a TB test, individuals will now be required to answer a list of questions. If the responses given are negative, then the individual will be certified as not having tuberculosis in the communicable form.

For the list of questions and more information about further action if responses are positive, and a memo regarding child care and TB testing from the state TB Controller/Medical Director read here.

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Parting Thoughts

Each of us must come to care about everyone else's children. We must recognize that the welfare of our children and grandchildren is intimately linked to the welfare of all other people's children. After all, when one of our children needs lifesaving surgery, someone else's child will perform it. If one of our children is threatened or harmed by violence, someone else's child will be responsible for the violent act. The good life for our own children can be secured only if a good life is also secured for all other people's children.

~ Author unknown