2006-2007 QUEST Program Goals
- Expand investments in Quality
- Expand resources to meet the commitments of Keystone STARS Since its establishment in 02-03, Keystone STARS has become a nationally recognized child care program improvement, support, and recognition system. Participation in STARS has grown impressively, yet the quality of early care and education in Pennsylvania continues to be uneven; still only 4.8% of our youngest children have access to high quality programs. While overall funding of STARS has increased to meet growing demand, 73% of the grant levels were reduced for 06-07 by amounts up to 44%. Providers across the state are concerned about their ability to meet the increasingly vigorous standards with reduced supports.
- Maintain and expand the T.E.A.C.H. scholarship program for child care providers Building teacher credentials through T.E.A.C.H. and improving compensation and retention through the Education and Retention Awards (ERA) – two cornerstones for improving child care quality – provide incentives for staff to obtain higher levels of education, thereby reducing staff turnover while rewarding service longevity. Progression in STARS relies on programs and providers having staff with both credentials and degrees in their classrooms, and as providers begin to move through STARS there is a need for additional scholarship funding.
- Fund an Infant-Toddler Specialist in each Regional Key In the first three years of life, children grow faster than they ever will – physically, cognitively, socially, and neurologically. Poor quality child care, in any setting, can actually harm a child’s development. There is a need across the Commonwealth for specialized expertise to support child care providers in creating optimized, high quality environments for the infant and toddlers in their care. • Place Infant/Toddler specialists in each regional key to provide support to programs moving through the Keystone STARS system: $500,000
- Expand Investments in Subsidized Child Care
- Increase access to subsidized child care With more than 65 percent of all available parents working outside the home, high quality, affordable child care still remains out of reach for many of Pennsylvania’s low-income families. The cost of child care for two children at a private program is more than $16,000, exceeding the annual salary of a parent earning minimum wage ($6.25 per hour on January 1, 2007). Despite expanded investment, over 6,500 children are currently on the waiting list for subsidized child care in Pennsylvania. Changes in federal law requiring higher work participation to obtain Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) could substantially increase demand for such care.
- Adjust subsidy payments levels to the 75th percentile Access to child care subsidy does not guarantee a low-income family a broad array of choices in every community, and care that is high quality is often limited, due to low maximum child care allowances. While child care rates were adjusted in July, based on a market rate study conducted this past spring, ceilings are still artificially low and inadequate to support the delivery of high quality care.
• Restore all STARS award levels to FY 2005/2006 levels (while keeping the one award – Support or Merit – per STARS level): $7,000,000
• Expand resources for Keystone STARS to assure that it can provide the supports committed to providers as they improve their quality: $3,000,000
• Maintain the 951 scholarship slots in T.E.A.C.H: $3,173,200
• Expand funding to add 500 scholarship slots for staff from new Keystone STAR programs: $1,762,500
• Expand funding to add 100 slots for specialized credentials and certificates such as infant/toddler and director certificates: $450,000
• Increase access to and reduce subsidized child care waiting lists for an additional 5000 children, by creating 3000 slots: $15,000,000.
• Increase regulated providers’ maximum child care allowances across every category to the 75th percentile: $55,000,000