The Duke Endowment Model Child Care Initiative Year 5 Evaluation Report

October 2004 (Through July 2004)

Bonnie Dahlke & Rita O’Sullivan Evaluation, Assessment, & Policy Connections (EVAP)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ritao@unc.edu/919/843-7878

Overview

Established in 1999, The Duke Endowment’s Model Child Care Initiative provides grant funds to qualified childcare agencies and/or United Methodist churches to enhance the quality of childcare in North Carolina. Funded agencies develop new or strengthen existing childcare centers to serve as demonstration sites. These centers promote best practices within their own childcare facilities as well as develop and deliver outreach services to other childcare providers. They are intended to reflect current research on best practices in early childcare, education, and development. Outreach components of the program are intended to further enhance quality childcare efforts around the state. Grants, awarded subject to annual review, provide annual funding between $150,000 and $300,000.

During 2004 The Duke Endowment supported two centers that completed their fifth year of the grant (Thompson Children’s Home’s Child Development Center in Charlotte and the Methodist Home for Children’s Jordan Center in Raleigh), one center (Barium Springs’ Wagner Family & Child Development Center) engaged in its first year of full operation, and two centers (Albemarle in the eastern and Region A in the western parts of the state) continued in the planning stages. During this time, Evaluation, Assessment, & Policy Connections (EvAP) continued in its fourth year as external evaluator of the Model Childcare Initiative and its grantees.

As the Initiative evaluator, EvAP worked collaboratively with individual sites to: • Develop and, where needed, help implement evaluation plans; • Develop and implement studies pertinent to The Duke Endowment’s and

grantees’ needs; • Provide technical assistance to grantees in database development, data

management, and data collection, analysis, and reporting; and • Meet with grantees as requested and attend Initiative meetings. The Duke Endowment established key evaluation questions at the onset of the

Initiative that addressed the progress of programs toward achieving the Endowment’s

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goals. The first three years of EvAP’s evaluation of the Model Childcare Initiative focused on collecting data to address these questions:

A) Questions regarding the development and/or enhancement of model programs –

1. To what extent has the initiative increased the availability of childcare in the

Carolinas? 2. To what extent has the initiative increased the quality of childcare in the

Carolinas? 3. To what extent has the initiative increased the accessibility of childcare in

the Carolinas?

B) Questions regarding outreach and technical assistance – 1. To what extent has the initiative increased outreach services to community

childcare organizations? 2. To what extent have outreach services improved the quality, availability, and

accessibility of childcare? 3. To what extent have outreach services created sustainable changes in quality

childcare? As expected, model center outreach programs evolved throughout their first four years of funding. In their fifth year of funding, The Duke Endowment and EvAP worked together to re-focus evaluation questions that would more appropriately address the effectiveness of current model site and outreach practices:

C) Questions regarding advanced outreach and technical assistance – 1. What outreach model(s) have initiative sites developed? 2. To what extent has the initiative served childcare centers that are currently

underserved? 3. How have initiative sites collaborated with other organizations? 4. To what extent are initiative sites achieving sustainability and leveraging

funds from other sources? As appropriate, this report addresses progress in each of these key evaluation areas for the Thompson, Methodist, and Barium Springs Home for Children Centers. Progress in Region A and Albemarle has not advanced sufficiently to allow for their inclusion in this report.

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A. Model Site Outcomes

In program year five, the two original model sites (Thompson and Methodist) and

Barium Springs continued to increase the availability, quality, and accessibility of childcare in North Carolina. An overview of questions regarding the development and enhancement of model programs (section A Evaluation Questions above) begins our evaluation report. A1. Model Center Availability Increases

Each initiative member has worked to increase the number of children served through model sites from a total of 342 in 2003 to 532 spaces in 2004. This 190 child increase in one year was accomplished mainly through maintaining capacity at the existing sites, the addition of the Barium Springs demonstration site, and the openings of a signature outreach sites for the Methodist Home and Barium Springs. Thompson Child Development Center (TCDC) continued operating at capacity with approximately 123 spaces, as did Thompson’s signature outreach center, The Child Development Center at Hope Haven (CDCHH), with 96 spaces. This year the Jordan Center expanded its services to 135 children. In fall 2003, the center was operating at capacity (120 spaces) until it began a half-day preschool collaboration with Wake County Public Schools to provide spaces for 4 year old children in the state-funded More at Four program. The preschool addition allowed for 12% more childcare spaces than were previously available; eight of these were filled by special needs children. The additional spaces made possible through this collaboration were filled over the summer of 2004, thus allowing the Jordan Center to operate at its new, higher capacity. Additionally, in August 2003, the Methodist Home for Children acquired ownership of Walnut Terrace Child Development Center as its second early childhood site. Located in a low-income housing development in South Raleigh, 56 additional high-quality childcare spaces have been made available to this unique population.

The Wagner Family & Child Development Center, operated by the Barium Springs

Home for Children, began its second year of funding from The Duke Endowment in this program year. The center has made remarkable strides in its first full year of operation serving 86 children at its home site while opening its original signature outreach site, Wings of Hope, in February of 2004. During the summer of 2004, Wings of Hope was reopened in a new building as Springs of Faith Child Development Center. This strictly More at Four program serves an additional 36 children.

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Model Center Availability of Childcare

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Childcare spaces: Thompson Children’s Home Thompson Child Dev. Center 123 123 123 123 123 Child Dev. Center at Hope Haven 96 96 96 96 Methodist Home for Children Jordan Center 115 123 135 Walnut Terrace Child Dev Center (Center added in Oct. 2003—

availability to be tabulated in 2004)

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Barium Springs Children’s Home Wagner Family & Child Dev Center

86

Springs of Faith 36 TOTAL CHILDREN SERVED 123 219 334 342 532 A2. Model Center Quality Ratings Each model site has reached and continues to maintain the highest possible state licensure rating at the 5-star level. The Child Development Center at Hope Haven and Walnut Terrace, with the help of their respective original model sites (Thompson and Jordan Centers) achieved 5-star ratings in 2004. Because Springs of Faith was opened during the summer of 2004, it is under a six month temporary license until its first licensure rating visit in late Fall 2004. The Thompson Child Development Center and Wagner Family & Child Development Center have both received national (NAEYC) accreditation while Hope Haven, Jordan Center, and Walnut Terrace remain in the process of seeking accreditation.

Model Center Quality of Childcare Center: Licensure Level NAEYC Accreditation Thompson Child Dev. Center 5-star Yes Child Dev. Center at Hope Haven 5-star In process Jordan Center 5-star Completed self-study Walnut Terrace Child Dev Center 5-star In process Wagner Family & Child Dev Center

5-star Yes

Springs of Faith 6-month temporary license

No (too new)

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A3. Model Center Accessibility Increases

A goal of each model site since the inception of The Duke Endowment funding has been to increase accessibility of high-quality childcare throughout North Carolina. Throughout the evaluation of this initiative, accessibility has been defined as providing affordable, needed services in locations most in need of assistance based on the demographics of the area population. In program year five the evaluation of this aspect of the initiative has shifted from a focus on simply increasing accessibility to an inquiry regarding service to groups not served through other childcare avenues in North Carolina. Therefore, this area will be examined under the first key evaluation question for 2003-04.

The model centers along with their signature outreach sites have specifically focused on children with special needs, children at risk for developmental delays (through More at Four), and children from low-income families as underserved populations. To better serve these populations, the sites have worked to improve access to quality care and to enhance affordability both at the model sites and through outreach work. The table below provides percentages of special needs children served and percentage of children receiving DSS subsidy for childcare costs from 2002 to 2004 for all model and signature outreach sites. Clearly, all of the model centers have focused on providing quality childcare and support for families with limited opportunities for quality care.

Model Center Accessibility to Special Needs & Subsidy Eligible Children

Special Needs Children 2002 2003 2004 Thompson Child Dev. Center 28% 28% Child Dev. Center at Hope Haven 34% 34% Jordan Center

30-35% for all

centers 37% 28% Walnut Terrace Child Dev. Center 34% Wagner Family & Child Dev. Center 10% 28% Springs of Faith 20% currently

diagnosed, expecting more

Children Receiving Subsidy Thompson Child Dev. Center 57% 55% 55% Child Dev. Center at Hope Haven 75% 76% 77% Jordan Center 21% 27% 30% Walnut Terrace Child Dev. Center 95% Wagner Family & Child Dev. Center 30% Springs of Faith 100%

(More at Four)

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Serving Children with Special Needs Each Duke Endowment funded site has made serving children with special needs a

priority. Currently, approximately one-quarter to one-third of all children cared for at these centers have been diagnosed with special needs ranging from learning and behavioral disabilities to autism. Springs of Faith is in the process of diagnosing its 36 More at Four children and expecting a dramatic increase in the percentage of children served with diagnosed special needs. The Thompson, Jordan, and Wagner Centers all serve More at Four children as part of their populations.

At the Jordan Center, this focus on serving the underserved has contributed to the

development of the Autism Inclusion Project, serving 9 children with Autism within the Center and increasing the accessibility of quality care for Autistic children at other centers in the Raleigh area through outreach. In 2003-04, EvAP staff worked with the leaders of the Autism Project to further develop instruments to evaluate the on-going activities of this program as it continues to expand. Through its commitment to serving children with special needs, the Center also has partnered with the Lucy Daniel’s Center to provide mental health services to children and to educate teachers on mental health issues in early childhood. The Jordan Center further works to serve the underserved by providing rental space for the Pediatric Society of America’s program for medically fragile children, currently caring for 10 children who could not be served by any other center in the region. In program year five, two of these children were successfully transitioned into regular Jordan Center classrooms.

Serving Children with Limited Resources

Beyond providing care for children with special needs, the model centers and their outreach sites also have served underserved populations by providing care for children from low-income families. The Methodist Home for Children, by acquiring Walnut Terrace Child Development Center, has made great strides in serving an extremely underserved, low-income population in south Raleigh. At Walnut Terrace 95% of the families receive DSS subsidy. This center is a clear example of how the initiative has helped provide quality care for families who otherwise could not afford this type of care. Hope Haven, through its location in a rehabilitation community, plays a special role in providing care for children whose parents could not otherwise provide or pay for quality care for their children. Each year, approximately 75% of children at Hope Haven come from low-income families. Springs of Faith is a unique program in that it serves a population of entirely More at Four children, thus each child is subsidized through that the State of North Carolina; Jordan’s More at Four children come from similar backgrounds and receive similar support. Thompson, Hope Haven, and the Jordan Center also give scholarships for families based on sliding income scales in order for their children to attend the centers, while some children receive NC Department of Social Services subsidy. This type of personal attention to families’ needs allows high-quality childcare accessibility to children and their families at all income levels.

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B. Outreach and Technical Assistance

B1. Increased Outreach Services

All three sites have developed outreach models that mix intensive services (usually referred to as Level I services for Thompson) with more broad-based services (Level II, III, or IV services for Thompson) to conserve resources and maximize outcomes. A detailed description of the outreach models appears in section C1. of this report. Outreach and technical assistance efforts of Thompson and Jordan are summarized in this section of the report. As Barium Spring was in its first year of outreach services, their information will be reported for next project year. Thompson served 430 childcare staff and Jordan served 117. These staff members, in turn, were responsible for 2,858 and 580 children respectively.

Overall, a telephone survey of outreach site directors in Spring 2004 once again

rated the outreach services provided by the model center outreach teams as high quality. Of the 28 sites interviewed, 25 directors rated the outreach services as excellent while three rated them as good. No site rated the outreach provided as fair or poor. The table below outlines the number of children and staff members directly affected by these high quality outreach activities through Thompson and Jordan outreach teams in program year five:

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Children and Staff Served by Outreach Activities

Model Site

Outreach Site Number of Children

Served Number of

Staff Served* Thompson

Level I Childcare Network, Inc. #121 125 12 Dixon Academy Northeast 100 14 Handle with Care CDC 72 6 Humpty Dumpty 40 6 Kiddie Farms CDC 82 10 Kiddie Farms CDC Inc. II 87 7 Kids Only CDC 162 21 Sons of God CDC 75 7 Sunshine Station @ Sardis 147 20

Level II Berean CDC 29 3 Carter’s Child Care Center 5 2 Dilworth CDC 86 24 Dixon Academy CDC 120 19 Early Learning Center 56 13 Mulberry Baptist CDC 140 30 Presbyterian Hospital CDC 195 30 Robinson Presbyterian Pre-School 96 10 Selwyn Presbyterian CDC 95 21 Walls Memorial CDC 95 9 Woodlawn Baptist Church CDC 100 23 World of Wonder Daycare 8 2

Level III Johnston YMCA 8 2 Level IV Chapel of Christ the King 16 2

Dixon Academy I 199 16 Pal-A-Roo’s CDC 237 27 St. Paul Baptist Church CDC 86 10 Seigle Avenue CDC 40 6 Sunshine Station CDC 99 19 Tender Care Academy 44 5

Model Sites TCDC 120 31 Hope Haven CDC 94 23

Thompson Total Served: 2,858 430 Jordan

Intensive Sites Salem UMC 81 21 Franklinton UMC 49 9 Clark Street 74 5 Stokes Child Care Center 68 16 Spring Hill Child Care Center 48 8 Solid Start 69 13

Model Sites Jordan Center 135 35 Walnut Terrace 56 10 Jordan Total Served**: 580 117

*Total of teachers plus director(s) **Numbers reported for Jordan outreach include only intensive (Level I) outreach sites. The total number of children and staff members affected by Jordan outreach activities was unavailable for the reporting period.

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B2. Improved Quality, Availability, and Accessibility of Childcare through Outreach Continuing with work begun in 2003-04 to better describe and assess the effects of the Outreach and Technical Assistance components of the Model Child Care Initiative, EvAP staff conducted phone interviews in Spring 2004 with outreach site directors of the Thompson and Jordan outreach sites to evaluate changes in quality, availability, and accessibility of childcare due to outreach activities. Barium Springs outreach sites were not included in this round of interviews, because the outreach team was just beginning its outreach program. As the Barium Springs staff works to further develop and refine their outreach model and activities, while building their client base, it is expected that these sites will be available for comment during the 2004-05 program year.

Directors were asked to describe and rate the services they had received from outreach teams including whether or not they receive these type of services from any other source, talk about changes in quality, and report on the number of children/teachers served through outreach (See Appendix A for protocols). The interviews reached 17 of 23 Thompson outreach sites (74% response) available at the time including seven of seven Level I sites (100%), four of seven Level II sites (57%), and six of nine Level III and IV sites (67%). During this time, 11 of 19 Jordan outreach sites (58% response) were interviewed. Four of seven intensive outreach sites were contacted (57%) while seven of twelve (58%) secondary activity sites were interviewed. A recurring response during the phone interviews of outreach sites was that the Model Child Care Initiative outreach was their only source of this intensive and focused type of help.

According to outreach site interviewees, the model center outreach teams are

providing the following services: 1) technical assistance regarding licensure and star ratings, 2) assistance with program assessment tools such as the ITERS/ECERS, 3) training on how to improve center quality, 4) advice and guidance on the process of opening a center in the community, 5) training for serving children with special needs, and 6) workshops for teachers. Several directors commented that this type of support was not available through other avenues (See Appendix B for comments). One director stated, “They give us great support in every possible area. I’ve never had that in 22 years of childcare work,” while another commented, “Some of our teachers did Smart Start workshops for credit hours, but the Thompson help is different in terms of availability, high level of professionalism, and high quality service.”

Childcare directors were eager to describe the services that the outreach teams

provided beyond the categories listed above. One director who had worked with the Jordan team commented, “Jordan staff have been a big help in our process to hire a new director. They have helped us re-develop our policy manual, handbook, and by-laws. Also, they have worked one-on-one with a child with Autism so we have seen skill improvements and are better able to provide services for the child and parents,”

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while another working with the Thompson team described, “Our work with Thompson has really increased the morale of the teachers since they have been very involved in the quality improvement process. There have been great networking opportunities for me as the director.”

Outreach teams continued to provide advice and guidance on opening a childcare

center in North Carolina. The table below shows the increase in available quality care spaces through outreach activities of each of the model centers in this program year. Interestingly, the two start-up sites for the Thompson outreach team extended from original outreach work started in their first program year. Two of their original Level I outreach sites, both of which have since graduated to Level IV status in their outreach model, opened new satellite sites in program year five with Thompson help: Dixon Academy and Sunshine Station. This marks the third site run by Dixon Academy since the inception of the Model Childcare Initiative and the second by Sunshine Station. Both directors stated that they would never have attempted to open another center if the outreach services and support provided by the Thompson team over the last several years had not been made available to them.

Outreach: Increases in Availability of Childcare

2003 2004 Center

# of Start-up consultation

sites

Childcare spaces created

through outreach

# of Start-up consultation

sites

Childcare spaces created through

outreach

Thompson 1 70 2 247 Jordan 1 78 2 102 Barium Springs

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Total Increase from 2003:

237

2003-2004 Outreach Services Provided

As mentioned previously, telephone surveys of outreach site directors revealed numerous services provided by the model center outreach teams throughout the reporting period. The type and scope of services provided by all initiative sites has continued to evolve and expand in program year five. The programs for each, however, became more focused based on the developed outreach models during 2003-04.

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Outreach support from the Thompson team for Level I sites includes: 1) environmental assessment using the ITERS/ECERS, 2) collaboratively drafting plans of action with each center, 3) assistance in applying for higher star-rated licensure or national accreditation, and/or 4) providing environmental upgrades, literacy curriculum development, parent involvement programs, and other activities as requested. Level One through Level Four sites were able to participate in teacher workshops held at the Thompson Center and Hope Haven and conducted by teachers from those centers. A chart of Thompson’s outreach team accomplishments by site is included on the following pages. These services expanded to touch more centers in program year five, especially in Union and Cabarrus Counties (rural areas), while also being modified to fit the quality improvement needs of the new and existing outreach sites.

Outreach site directors described the Jordan outreach team as providing the

following services: 1) technical assistance regarding licensure and star ratings, 2) assistance with program assessment tools such as the ITERS/ECERS, 3) training on how to improve center quality, 4) advice and guidance on the process of opening a center in the community, 5) training for serving children with special needs, and 6) workshops for teachers. As with the Thompson outreach model, as the outreach program has grown to include more sites with varying needs along with new collaborative partners, the type and scope of services provided has also evolved and expanded. A chart of Jordan’s outreach team accomplishments by site also is included on the following page. The team, with the addition of a training specialist in August 2003, focused specifically on providing training and professional development opportunities for the early childhood community in and around Wake County in its fifth program year.

Thompson Outreach Activities by Site August 2003-July 2004

Code: 1=Technical Assistance regarding quality improvements (may be phone consultation) 1a= Technical Assistance specifically in applying for licensure and star-ratings 2= Environmental Ratings Scales (ITERS/ECERS) 3= Advice on opening a center in the community 4= Monthly (or other) workshops for Directors and Teachers 5= Mentor Teachers 6= Advice for serving special needs children 7= Plan of Action 8= Environment Upgrades (e.g. toys/supplies) 9= Literacy Curriculum Development (e.g. March Madness participation) 10= Other (evaluation/curriculum, NAEYC accreditation, non-profit status, apply for grants) Outreach Site 1 1a 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Quality Change Barium Springs CDC Network meeting- 2004 Berean CDC X Center is currently relocating Carter’s Child Care Center

X

Chapel Hill Trainee’s X Chapel of Christ the King X X X X X X X X X(grant

app.) Maintained 4 star license 2004, awaiting naeyc validation visit

Childcare Network #121 X X X X In process Dilworth CD C X Dixon Academy I, West blvd.

X X X X X X X X X(naeyc) Received 5 star license 2004, awaiting naeyc validation visit

Dixon Academy II, Harrisburg

X X X X X X X Received 5 star license 2003

Dixon Academy III, Northeast

X X X X X X X Received 5 star license 2004

First Ward CD C X Handle With Care CDC X X X In process

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Outreach Site 1 1a 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Quality Change Harvest CDC Center has not participated- no longer

serving Holy Comforter Weekday School

X

Hope Haven CDC X X X X X X X X X (naeyc)

Received 5 star license, awaiting naeyc validation visit

Humpty Dumpty Academy

X X X X X X X X X X(curriculum)

Received 4 star license 2004

Johnston YMCA Center X X Jordan Center Network meeting 2004 Kiddie Farms CDC I X X X X X X X X X (non

profit) Maintained 4 star license 2004

Kiddie Farms CDC II X X X X X X X X X(naeyc) Awaiting results of validation visit. Maintained 4 star license 2004

Kids Only CDC X X X X X X X In process Lakewood preschoo l X Little Lambs Day Care X Mulberry Baptist CDC X X Naeyc National Conference

Presentation “Collaborative Connections- quality improvement”

Naeyc Professional Devel. Conference

Presentation “A systematic approach to quality improvement”

National Smart Start Conference

Unable to present due to inclement weather

Pal-A-Roos CDC X X X Maintained 4 star license 2004 Presbyterian Hosp CDC X R & R presentation 2 Presentations for FPG- duke endowment

TA experience Region A Robinson Presbyterian X Selwyn Presbyterian X

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Outreach Site 1 1a 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Quality Change Siegle Avenue Preschool Co-op

X X X X X(grant app.)

Maintained 4 star license 2003, awaiting naeyc validation visit

Sons of God CDC X X X X X X X X In process St. Paul Baptist Church X X X X X X X X Received 4 star license 2003 Sunshine Station at Sardis

X X X X X X X X X(grant app.)

Received 5 star license 2004

Sunshine Station, Indian Trail

X X X Received 5 star license 2003, naeyc accreditation 2003

Tender Care, Indian Trail

X X X X X X X X X X X (non profit)

Received 4 star license 2003

Thompson CDC X X X X X X (naeyc)

Center maintained 5 star license 2003, naeyc accreditation 2004

Uptown North YWCA X X X X Center closed /corporate decision 5/2004 Walls Memorial CDC X X Woodlawn Baptist Church CDC

X X

World of Wonder Daycare

X

Youth & Family Services**

X

Total 21 17 18 5 31 9 6 9 13 22 10 *Spot Technical Assistance for special projects **Special Project with State Department of Youth & Family Services

Jordan Outreach Activities July 2003-August 2004

Code: 1=Technical Assistance regarding quality improvements (may be phone consultation) 1a= Technical Assistance specifically in applying for licensure and star-ratings 2= Environmental Ratings Scales (ITERS/ECERS) 3= Advice on opening a center in the community 4= Monthly (or other) workshops for Directors and Teachers 5= Mentor Teachers 6= Advice for serving special needs children 7= Model Work Standards/Action Plan 8= Guided Observation of Demonstration Site 9= Consultation on community collaborations and funding 10= Other (e.g. Environment Upgrades, Literacy Curriculum Development, Parent Involvement Programs) Outreach Site 1 1a 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Quality Change Walnut Terrace CDC X Franklinton UMC X X X X X X Changed from G.S. 110-106 to licensed 2-

Star Center The Growing Child X 2 trainings, 32 participants Primrose Scho ol X Memorial Baptist Church X X X X X X Met 3 Model Work Standard goals Spring Hill Child Care Center

X X X X Consultation on Model Work Standards; Action Plan; Training for staff

Sharon UMC, Kinston X X Campus Child Care X Pleasant Grove UMC X Front Street UM C X g 6 participants for team building trainin Bellemont UMC, Burlington

X

Garner UM C X All God’s Children X X X Plymouth UMC X X X X Preschool Program Startup - Day long training

on Creative Curriculum

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Outreach Site 1 1a 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Quality Change First UMC, Morehead City

X

Carr UMC, Durham X Centenary UMC, New Bern

X

Our Learning Playhous e X Bunn UM C X UCP/QE and Harnett Co. Partnership

X X X X X

Hope Chapel, Ape x X Clark Street CDC X X Raised Program quality by 1 1/2 points;

Maintained 4-star rating Salem UM C X X Changed from 3-Star to 4-Star License Solid Rock UMC X X X Childcare Program Start-up with 3-Star

License LaGrange UM C X Oxfor d X Wake Co. Partnership for Children

X

Wake AEY C X Emergency Preparedness Advisory Bd.

X

Macedonia Baptist Church

X

Union UMC, Fayetteville X Resurrection UMC, Durham

X

Page Memorial UM C X Faison/Goshen Child Care Center

X

Calvary UMC X

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Outreach Site 1 1a 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Quality Change Jarvis Memorial UM C X Windsor UM C X Christ Episcopal Churc h X Epworth UM C X First Presb. Church, Winston-Salem

X

Alamance Partnership for Children

X Training Day for Quality Enhancement program, 45 participants

NC Partnership for Children: Early Childhood Coordinating Council

X

Project Enlightenment X FPG-ITERS-R Training - Group Leader

X

FPG-ECERS-R Training - Group Leader

X

Monday Nights at the Jordan Center

X s 8 classes, 73 participant

Early Childhood Professional Series

X s 4 classes, 51 participant

Autism Series X 3 classes, 55 participants Walnut Terrace Staff Series

X s 4 classes, 38 participant

Walnut Terrace Parent Series

X s 3 classes, 18 participant

National Training Institute for Child Care Heal Consultants

X s 24 participant

Tender Health Care X 4 classes, 23 participants

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Outreach Site 1 1a 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Quality Change NC Conf. Children’s Ministry Team

X Annual conference - 120 participants; JC staff presented 5 workshops

Meredith Colleg e X s 2 Interns in Infant Clas Meredith College X Taught Infant Curriculum Class Fall Semester Wake Co. Smart Start X 2 days of training for Quality Enhancement

Collaborative, 71 participants Project Enlightenment X N. Raleigh Prescho ol X Outdoor Learning Environments

X

Eastern Region Early Intervention Training & T. A. System

X s 2-day conference, 54 participant

Mt. Olive College - Child Development

X 19 participants, training on inclusion of kids with special needs

Nortel - employee "Lunch & Learn"

X s 30 participants for parenting clas

Wake Interfaith Coalition

X 35 participants in day-long conference on including children with special needs into faith communities

Total 19 6 6 14 22 1 4 3 4 9 2

C. Advanced Outreach and Technical Assistance C1. Outreach Model Development

Throughout the Model Childcare Initiative, each model site has expanded and solidified its model for outreach, thereby incorporating more sites while adding new funding and other partner sites each program year. Each initiative site has developed different foci for outreach based on local needs and populations. However, the sites report similar outreach model components focusing on a manageable number of sites for intensive service while providing training and professional development opportunities to a large number of additional sites. The model developed by each site is described below: Thompson Children’s Home

Since the onset of the Early Childhood Outreach Program through the Thompson Children’s Home, the number of outreach centers served has grown nearly fourfold increasing from 8 to 31 centers. The Thompson outreach model has evolved as the number of outreach sites has increased and sites have moved through the various stages of quality improvement. In program year five, the Thompson team settled into a four-level model of outreach support to continue into the future. Level I centers receive intensive training and supervisory visits from Thompson mentor teachers at least weekly; Level II sites attend monthly trainings while having the option of accessing follow-up telephone consultations with mentor teachers; Level III sites are former intensive contact sites moving toward graduation from outreach services; Level IV sites have officially graduated from outreach services but remain eligible to attend trainings, director lunches, professional development sessions, and receive technical assistance if needed. Several Level IV sites have, or are looking into, opening satellite sites based on the assistance provided to them through the Thompson team over the lifetime of outreach services. For example, Sunshine Station and Dixon Academy both opened satellite sites in 2003-04 with the Thompson team’s help. This was the second satellite site for Dixon Academy.

One important component of the outreach model developed by Thompson, which is now being incorporated into the outreach models of both the Jordan and Barium Springs teams, is the availability of mentor teachers for Level I intensive outreach sites. Mentor teachers provide the following services to outreach centers: 1) consultation in the administration of developmental assessments, 2) identification of children with special needs, 3) identification of areas for curriculum improvement, 4) donation of supplies and materials to centers whose ratings and goals would be impossible to improve without this type of financial support, and 5) utilization of a modified curriculum that was more age-appropriate and literacy-based. Information reported in the 2002-03 report provided evidence for positive effects on both outreach site teachers and mentor teachers as a result of the mentor teacher component of the outreach model.

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In program year five, the Thompson Outreach team increased its level of support for the following components of its four-tier outreach model:

• Inclusion Support: The project assists childcare centers as they develop services for children with special needs.

• Family Support: The project supports childcare centers as they develop family support programs. Best practices, in place at Thompson Child Development Center and the Child Development Center at Hope Haven, are shared with other centers.

• Literacy Initiative: The project helps other childcare centers develop literacy-based programs. The Thompson March Madness for Reading initiative has been a very successful export within this set of activities.

Methodist Home for Children The Jordan Outreach Team has made great strides in program year five to develop a manageable and successful outreach model incorporating the strengths of their team members and partnerships developed with local and regional early childhood groups. Similar to the Thompson team’s model, Jordan has focused on a small number of programs for intensive outreach support (Level I-type sites) including mentor teachers while offering the following unique model components1:

• Quality Management Enhancement: An intensive quality management enhancement program was developed based on the Model Work Standards from the Center for Child Care Workforce in Washington D.C. This program was developed in partnership with United Cerebral Palsy/Easter Seals of NC and the Harnett County Partnership for Children. UCP/Easter Seals, which is the Quality Enhancement program for Harnett County Partnership for Children, contracted with the Jordan Center to implement this pilot program.

• Training Module Development and Expanded Menu: Jordan’s 17 training modules have been developed, tested, and approved by the Division of Child Development for training credit, and are "shelf-ready" to provide training on short-notice when requested. An Early Childhood Training Menu with 24 topics has been developed, as well as a fee schedule, to begin marketing training and consultation services to child care programs and community groups. Jordan Outreach staff conducted 40 trainings/classes for a total of 511 participants in 2003-04.

Barium Springs Home for Children The Barium Springs Outreach Team utilized their first program year to understand the needs and issues facing many childcare centers in their area while also consulting with

1 See Jordan Family & Child Enrichment Center Year 5 Outreach Program Report for further details.

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the Thompson and Jordan Outreach Teams. After a year of working with several centers, the team has identified what they believe will be a successful outreach model for the needs of their sites. This model is similar to the other two models in that it incorporates intensive services for certain programs. Included in those services will be mentor teachers. Barium Springs staff has identified the following levels of service as components of their outreach model: Level 1: Programs receiving intensive consultation services will typically be moving

toward a 4 or 5-star license. They will receive services at least weekly and most likely more often based on the goals of the program.

Level 2: Programs receiving consultation services at this level typically will be working toward their 5th star or will be working toward their initial NAEYC accreditation. Service will be provided at least bi-weekly and more often as needed to meet the programs’ identified goals.

Level 3: Programs in this category will include those receiving services through staff training, new program development, and those who have already completed goals in Levels 1 and 2. Contacts will vary based on program needs and goals.

In all cases, areas related to health and safety will be the first priority in the Barium Springs model. All programs regardless of level or intensity of consultation services will have an individual plan developed to assist them in meeting their identified goals.

C2. Serving Underserved Childcare Centers through Outreach The Thompson Outreach Team has focused on serving underserved populations through specific and targeted outreach efforts in Mecklenburg, Union, and Cabarrus Counties. The team seeks outreach sites with extremely low compliance histories that often have difficulty accessing quality improvement services, because of the low likelihood that they will be able to achieve an increased star-rating quickly. Because of the generosity of The Duke Endowment, the Outreach Team has the freedom to work with centers for a longer period of time than most state-run quality enhancement programs with rather rigid timelines for improvement. Their outreach efforts also provide professional development/training opportunities for early childhood educators who might otherwise be unable to access these resources due to financial constraints and other obstacles. This allows the team to have a direct effect on improved quality care for underserved populations (especially in more rural areas of Union and Cabarrus Counties) that are not served through any other means. Finally, seven of the eight Level I centers (87.5%) serve a large number of subsidized children one example being Tender Care Academy, a childcare center located in a public housing development in Monroe, North Carolina.

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Meet Me at the Sandbox, a program provided outreach services by Barium Springs outreach staff in Surry County, is a developmental day center. A majority of the children served receive services for speech, developmental delays, and other special needs. Currently a three-star center, the program has made significant improvements in the areas of health, sanitation, and infant/toddler care. In order to maintain their developmental day status and funding, the program must be able to maintain a four-star license when assessed early next year. The Duke Endowment funding allows the Barium Springs staff to provide quality enhancement outreach to this program so that it may continue to serve several underserved populations. C3. Collaboration with Other Organizations

Collaboration has been a key asset to providing services to underserved populations and increasing the scope of outreach services for all of the initiative sites. Collaborative endeavors have increased as the outreach models formed by model sites have evolved and have expanded to include more and different types of early childhood educational outlets. Each model site’s leadership and outreach team has identified partners based on the individual goals and models they have developed for their respective programs. For example, as mentioned earlier, the Jordan Center focuses on serving children with special needs. This led them to partner with the Lucy Daniel’s Center in Raleigh to provide mental health services to children in need at the Jordan Center. The following is a breakdown, by model site, of collaborative initiatives formed through the Model Childcare Initiative:

Thompson Children’s Home: • The project has recently enjoyed increased collaboration with local Smart

Start partnerships in Union and Cabarrus counties by replicating the model to provide for expanded service delivery in those counties.

• Thompson continues to collaborate with Child Care Resources, Inc. (CCRI) via participation on the Mecklenburg County Partnership for Children Task Force and Cabarrus Early Childhood Committee. The Thompson Outreach team regularly shares information regarding professional development workshops and other programming with CCRI.

• Meetings with subgroups of the Model Childcare Initiative including the Jordan Center and Barium Springs Home for Children have been productive opportunities to discuss service delivery models and share strategies.

• Collaboration with Frank Porter Graham (FPG) Child Development Institute to train communities (locally and nationally) on model approaches to technical assistance.

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Methodist Home for Children: • Easter Seals/UCP and the Harnett County Partnership for Children to

implement the Quality Management Enhancement project. From that project, further collaboration with these two organizations has expanded to include eight additional programs (Division of Child Development, Parents as Teachers, NC Cooperative Extension, Central Carolina Community College, Head Start, More at Four, Child Care Resource &Referral, & E.H. Developmental Associates) to form a Child Care Forum to address issues in Harnett County.

• Wake County Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC) has continued to be an essential collaboration, bringing together parents and more than 30 agencies supporting young children and families receiving local Early Intervention services. Jordan Center staff continues to provide leadership to the Wake County LICC at its monthly meetings as well as for its annual daylong Inclusion Conference for teachers and child care providers.

• Wake County Smart Start continues to be a collaborative partner in several respects. Both the Jordan Center and Walnut Terrace Child Development Center serve children through the More at Four program. The Early Childhood Training Specialist taught classes at both Training Days held this past year for childcare teachers and directors of the Quality Enhancement program.

• The Early Childhood Training Specialist serves as a member of the multi-agency Quality Enhancement Collaborative which includes Wake County Smart Start, Project Enlightenment, Child Care Resource & Referral, and MotheREAD.

• Through the Early Childhood Training Series held at the Jordan Center, collaborations with Lucy Daniels Center, Project Enlightenment, and local therapists provided faculty for some of the classes offered including the Guided Observation of Infant-Toddlers Program.

• The North Carolina Annual Conference Children’s Ministry Team was a collaborative partner for the annual conference Through the Eyes of a Child: Workers with Preschool Age Children Workshop. Jordan Center staff provided seven faculty members for four of the day’s workshop sessions. The Outreach Coordinator serves as a member of the Children's Ministry Team as it considers ways to enhance the United Methodist Church outreach to children and families in local communities throughout eastern North Carolina.

• The Outreach Coordinator serves on the Early Childhood Collaboration Council of the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC), which brings to the table state-level representatives of the major programs and agencies in the Early Childhood arena to effect systems change and to support and assist NCPC in providing technical assistance to local Smart Start partnerships.

• The Early Childhood Training Specialist serves on Wake County Children's Care Team that directs donations received by Triangle United Way to services in our community supporting young children.

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• The Early Childhood Training Specialist serves on the Wake County Young Child Mental Health Initiative that leverages funds and volunteer experts to build the community capacity to provide mental health services to young children.

• Through collaboration with the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation and the NC Division of Child Development, the Early Childhood Training Specialist has become a certified trainer for the Infant-Toddler Safe Sleep and SIDS Risk Reduction in Child Care, a course required for all child care staff and volunteers working with infants and toddlers. This class is open to all of the childcare community as part of the Early Childhood Training Calendar.

• Wake County Public School System and Wake County Human Services are partners for providing early intervention and itinerant preschool special education services to eligible children at the Jordan Center and in the community. The Autism Project provided teacher consultation to child care providers as well as family support for parents of young children with autism.

Barium Springs Home for Children: • Collaboration with local churches to add additional More at Four services in

Iredell County; • The Iredell County Partnership for Children is assisting Barium Springs Home

for Children in providing training and outreach services to county providers pursuing accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

• The Training and Outreach Coordinator taught a course for Mitchell Community College and their Early Childhood Department. The Child, Family and Community course was taught to 18 early childhood professionals.

• Region 13 collaboration to assist those counties in meeting the goals identified by the Division of Child Development with regard to training needs; Barium Springs staff has been invited to sit on their group and has agreed to help with training providers in emergency preparedness and recognizing abuse and neglect.

• Collaborating with Smart Starts in the following counties: Surry, Yadkin, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, and Wilkes identifying ways to enhance existing services and fill in gaps in services in these counties. In Surry County Barium Springs staff is providing outreach services to two centers striving to improve in the star rating system. In Yadkin County, staff has provided regional trainings. After meeting with Forsyth, Barum Springs staff was invited to participate in their resource and referral regional training planning group. In Yadkin and Surry Counties, the Training and Outreach Coordinator has provided regular training to childcare professionals in collaboration with the local Smart Starts.

• The Training and Outreach Coordinator has provided training to childcare professionals in collaboration with the Health Department in Davie County.

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C4. Sustainability and Leveraging Funds Sustainability

The initiative sites strive to achieve sustainability by continuing to demand high quality standards in the model sites and the signature outreach centers thus sustaining the highest licensure levels and moving toward accreditation, seeking to leverage funds from new private and government sources, and marketing the training and outreach models they have developed to the greater early childhood community for a fee. The Thompson Outreach Team is currently designing an Outreach Model Manual to market their work throughout the United States while Jordan and Barium Springs staff seeks to offer training opportunities to parents and early childhood educators for nominal fees. Having recently completed their first funding year through The Duke Endowment, Barium Springs has made it a priority to focus on funding diversification and grant-seeking in this coming program year. Leveraging Funds

Each model site has worked hard to leverage funds form sources other than the Duke Endowment to further support both in-house and outreach high- quality activities. Funding comes from varied sources including local, regional, and national grant opportunities; County and State-level early childhood agencies; Public Schools and Community Colleges; and non-grant opportunities through private corporations. For example, Jordan staff has worked with a combination of private, county, and state agencies to leverage $266,000 to support care for children with special needs. This funding allows them to provide high-quality care for a variety of underserved populations in and near Wake County. The following list, by model site, identifies sources for funding for Model Childcare Initiative activities:

Thompson Children’s Home: • Union County Partnership for Children and Cabarrus County Partnership for

Children have approached the Thompson Outreach program regarding funding and programming opportunities in Union and Cabarrus counties.

• Additional leveraged funds include a United Way of Central Carolinas Focus Grant and a grant from U.S. TRUST.

Methodist Home for Children: • Tender Health Care - Leasing of space for childcare for children who are

medically fragile ($22,000).

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• Wake County Human Services - Providing early intervention services for children age birth-three years that have a developmental delay or are at risk for developing delays ($75,000).

• Wake County Public School System - Providing special education to three and four year olds through itinerant teachers on Jordan Center staff. Providing two part-day preschool classes, serving 10 additional children who need more intensive special education services ($96,000)

• Working with the More at Four program to provide preschool services to four year olds who are at risk for school failure ($73,000).

• Harnett County Partnership for Children - Developing a pilot program of Quality Management Enhancement intended to improve the working environment for adults and to assist in addressing the problem of staff turnover ($16,000).

Barium Springs Home for Children: • Foundation and individual gifts for the capital campaign specifically designated

for the building of a new child development center. • Mitchell Community College income for consultation services for the Training

and Outreach Coordinator to teach a course. • Program grants pending with requests totaling $30,000; If awarded they will

be used to enhance the training, outreach, and consultation program. Conclusion

This report focused on the extent to which model sites and their outreach centers

are serving underserved populations both in-house and through outreach activities while also striving to build collaborative network and funding partnerships to sustain their high-quality services long-term. Overall, evidence gathered serves to support the case that both the model centers themselves and their outreach activities are continuing to increase the quality, availability, and accessibility of childcare in North Carolina while focusing their service on underserved populations including children with special needs, low-income families, and areas of the state (especially rural) where high-quality care is unavailable. In this program year, all model centers achieved 5-star ratings. It is expected that in the next program year all model centers will have achieved national accreditation. Since the beginning of the grant, programs have continued to serve more children each year, adding 190 childcare spaces in program year five.

All model sites report similar outreach models focusing on a manageable number of

sites for intensive service while providing training and professional development opportunities to a large number of additional sites. The mentor teacher programs at each site continue to grow, providing opportunities for both outreach site teachers to learn from their peers and development for the mentor teachers themselves. Directors of

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outreach sites report receiving excellent services that are needed to improve state licensure levels and apply for accreditation. As reported, the outreach sites are not receiving these types of intensive services (beyond one-time training sessions) from any other source at this time. The outreach teams continue to aid centers in start-up to increase the availability of childcare while also increasing the accessibility of childcare by targeting specific centers in low-income or low-quality areas. Steps taken in program year five move the outreach teams toward marketing their models and trainings for profit, thus helping to leverage additional funds for future activities.

The initiative sites recognize the importance of leveraging funds from sources

other than The Duke Endowment and forming community collaborations to continue to expand services. They have worked to secure partnerships to aid them in both funding and providing high quality services within their centers and in outreach to others. It is expected that the number of collaborative partners and funding sources will continue to grow as each site further defines its role within local, regional, and national early childhood communities.

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Appendix A Outreach Evaluation and Needs Assessment Survey

Thompson Child Development Center The Duke Endowment and the Thompson Child Development Center are committed to providing and helping others provide the highest quality care for young children and their families. To assess Thompson Center’s strengths and weaknesses in meeting this commitment, they have asked us to contact you so that you can participate in a short survey. Please take a few minutes to respond to this survey…Your responses contain valuable information that we need to improve programs and services. Of course, all your responses will be treated confidentially

1) a) Please describe the services the Thompson Children’s Home provided:

_ Technical assistance regarding licensure and star ratings _ Assistance with program assessment tools, such as ECERS/ITERS _ Mentor Teacher(s) _ Advice and guidance on the process of opening a center in your community _ Workshops for Directors/Teachers _ Environment Upgrades (e.g. toys/supplies) _ Literacy Curriculum Development (e.g. March Madness participation) _ Other: _________________________________________

Notes:

b) How did you receive outreach services? _ Visits to Thompson Center/Hope Haven as a model center

_ In-person site visits from the Thompson Outreach Team _ Mentor Teacher’s visits to your center _ Telephone consultation _ Email consultation _ Other form of communication (please describe): ______________________

2) What were some of the outcomes (i.e. quality improvements) of this service for your center?

3) How many teachers are currently at your center? _______ a. How many of them were affected by this outreach (i.e. training workshops, mentor teachers,

etc)? _______

4) How many children does your center currently serve? _______ a. Do you have the capacity to serve more children, or are you full?

____________________________________ b. Did the guidance you received help you increase the number of children you currently serve

or the number of children on your waiting list? ________

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Notes:

5) Have you received these kinds of services from any other source (e.g. Smart Start R&Rs)? _________

a. If so, please describe the type of services received:

6) How would you rate the quality of the services you received from the Thompson Outreach Team? _ Excellent _ Good _ Fair _ Poor

Why?

7) (For Level 4 Sites Only) What impact has working with the Thompson Outreach Team had on your center since you completed your first year of working with them? (i.e. What change has occurred in your second/third year of services that was not realized the first year?)

8) Is there anything else we should know? Thank you for participating in our survey!

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Outreach Evaluation and Needs Assessment Survey Jordan Family Child Care Center

The Duke Endowment and the Methodist Home For Children/Jordan Child Care Center are committed to providing and helping others provide the highest quality care for young children and their families. To assess Jordan Center’s strengths and weaknesses in meeting this commitment, they have asked us to contact you so that you can participate in a short survey. Please take a few minutes to respond to this survey…Your responses contain valuable information that we need to improve programs and services. Of course, all your responses will be treated confidentially

1) a) Please describe the services the Jordan Center provided:

_ Technical assistance regarding licensure and star ratings _ Assistance with program assessment tools, such as ECERS/ITERS _ Mentor Teacher(s) _ Advice and guidance on the process of opening a center in your community _ Advice for serving special needs children (Autism Project services, Mental Health Initiative, etc.) _ Workshops for Directors/Teachers _ Other: _________________________________________

Notes:

b) How did you receive outreach services?

_ Visits to Jordan Center as a model center _ In-person site visits from the Jordan Center Outreach Team _ Mentor Teacher’s visits to your center _ Telephone consultation _ Email consultation _ Other form of communication (please describe): ______________________

2) What were some of the outcomes (i.e. quality improvements) of this service for your center?

3) How many teachers are currently at your center? _______ a. How many of them were affected by this outreach (i.e. training workshops, mentor teachers,

etc)? _______

4) How many children does your center currently serve? _______ a. Do you have the capacity to serve more children, or are you full?

____________________________________

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b. Did the guidance you received help you increase the number of children you currently serve or the number of children on your waiting list? ________

Notes:

5) Have you received these kinds of services from any other source (e.g. Smart Start R&Rs)?

_________ a. If so, please describe the type of services received:

6) How would you rate the quality of the services you received from the Jordan Center/Methodist Home for Children?

_ Excellent _ Good _ Fair _ Poor Why?

7) Is there anything else we should know? Thank you for participating in our survey!

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Appendix B

Outreach Site Director Interviews Content Analysis of Responses

Detailed Description of Thompson Outreach Services

We are currently working on NAEYC accreditation. Kim has visited us every 1-2 weeks for most of the year. We opened our third center this past winter. Kim has provided services to all three of our sites and was instrumental in preparing this new site for licensure and getting it up and running. Kim started working with our center two weeks ago but has already visited several times to help prepare us for our licensing visit. We opened our second site in February. They have been coming every one to two weeks since then to do classroom inspections and mock interviews with every teacher. Kim has been a great source of moral support for the teachers, building their self-confidence throughout this process. We have had weekly visits from Thompson staff since March. The workshops are so convenient with good parking and good food. It's a great networking opportunity and we enjoy the hands-on aspects. We loved March Madness! We had great parent/family participation and read 33,762 books in March. The workshops have been excellent because they make the staff so comfortable. They also appreciate the food after 10-hour workdays. The teachers love the workshops and really appreciate the light dinner since they're coming straight from work. They have helped us a lot with room arrangements. The teachers also really appreciate the food at the workshops. We have received some technical assistance this year but haven't needed much. Our teachers are still attending the workshops. We will also be working with Thompson, Siegle Avenue, and two other outside sites on the Family Support Counseling grant from the Knight Foundation. I've started participating in their Director's lunch meeting program. We also opened up an on-site library as a result of March Madness participation. We're working in partnership with Christ the King and other sites to strengthen the parent components of our programs which evolved out of our work with Thompson. We started a new summer program with 18 students which will become a before/after school program in August.

Detailed Description of Jordan Outreach Services We are working on licensure from GS110 program status. Jordan staff have helped with classroom arrangement and assessment, are planning to do some workshops with our staff, and have helped us allocate grant funds from Smart Start.

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Margaret Anne has worked with our preschool and after-school programs, especially hands-on with the teachers. We will also be building a new facility and Jordan staff will be very involved in that. Jordan staff work with two programs in Harnett County to facilitate short and long-term goal setting. They visit each approximately once per week, focusing on the 13 areas for improvement in the Model Work Standards framework (e.g. salaries, professional development, staff interaction). They also support our Director shadowing program. Memorial Baptist is one of these programs.

Quality Improvement-Thompson Sites They brought areas for improvement and new rules and regulations to my (the director's) attention. Our classroom arrangements are much better and really prepared us for our accreditation visit. Our work with Thompson has really increased the morale of the teachers since they have been very involved in the quality improvement process. There have been great networking opportunities for me as the director. We've really been focusing on room arrangements and physical materials in the new center while also hiring a qualified teaching staff. They gave us room arrangement ideas for the teachers and made the teachers comfortable and open to changes. The teachers trust them enough to ask any questions they have regarding specific room improvements. We hope to move up to 4-stars with the Thompson help. We are preparing for our first star-rating visit in early June so Thompson has helped us with classroom improvements and set-up in every classroom. Our teachers are more focused on providing quality care. We have had many physical improvements with the environmental upgrades provided by Thompson which have helped the children further develop fine motor skills. Our teachers have brought back ideas and implemented them in the classrooms. The teachers who go to the workshops come back and share their ideas with the other teachers in the center. We have made upgrades to the physical classroom environment like adding more color and rearranging. We now have many more literacy activities and much more parent/family involvement than before we started attending the Thompson workshops. The teachers are using ideas they get from the workshops. For one teacher who has been doing this for 25 years, they helped remind her that she is doing things right. I have found new ways to incorporate math in the toddler's day and have also made physical environment upgrades.

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I have gotten to network and found support from other directors. The mentor teacher really helped build our two year old teacher's confidence and has really turned that class around. Our teachers bring ideas back from the workshops and implement them in the classrooms. There have been many classroom upgrades. Networking contacts with other directors has been especially helpful for me. My networking with other directors has allowed me to bring back ideas and get motivated which trickles down to staff here. It has made working conditions in our environment better for all of us. Opening our new satellite site stemmed from our original work with the Thompson staff. They encourage me to go back to school to finish my AA degree and helped us get new programs started focusing on children in single parent homes.

Quality Improvement- Jordan Sites We have seen huge language, sensory, and social skills improvements in the child with Autism as well as increased support for the teachers and directors. Jordan staff have been a big help in our process to hire a new director. They have helped us re-develop our policy manual, handbook, and by-laws. Also, they have worked one-on-one with a child with Autism so we have seen skill improvements and are better able to provide services for the child and parents. We have added additional centers inside classrooms, have seen more appropriate behavior from teachers in terms of handling children, and children discipline improvements. They also have been great for providing teacher support. They have helped us complete the application and lay the groundwork for funding a new center to open in Fall 2005. The staff retreat they led helped morale and team-building, especially since we had just started two new staff members. We wanted to start a Mother's Morning Out program. The advice I got was very helpful but we have chosen not to open the program for other reasons. We mainly serve poor, disadvantaged families so it has been very helpful for us to have Jordan staff help us document children's progress. We are opening a half-day preschool in September so they have helped us interview/hire teachers, identify appropriate space for the classrooms, and work on arrangements. We plan to have them help us with training the teachers later in the summer. We're building a new addition and planning to add a preschool. Jordan staff recently began helping us set-up budgets and policies and will continue to work with us as we staff, open, and run the center. Our church has been receiving advice on program start-up from Jordan staff but other priorities in the church have taken precedence so we are on hold at the moment. They have helped choose the management team for each center to set goals and serve as liaisons between the partnership and center staff. Also, they have put action plans and other training activities into place while providing Director support.

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Comments supporting ratings of "Excellent"

The help has greatly improved our center. The NAEYC person was overwhelmed with the high level of quality in all the classrooms. They give us great support in every possible area. I've never had that in 22 years of childcare work. They've been very easy and just great to work with. Opening a new location with new staff can be scary but the Thompson staff have made transitions easier. I would rate them most excellent! They helped me avoid burnout as a director. Kim is a great confidant and is always extremely helpful! They are very enthusiastic, knowledgeable and have great advice for and manner with the teachers. I would rate them above excellent! The answers to our questions are always timely. Kim is always there whenever we need her, always fast, with the right answers. They helped us make long-term goals. Without Kim, we wouldn't have considered going for star licensure. I'm glad our consultant had us call her back! They always give us something new which is so motivating for the teachers. The teachers love trying the new ideas. The Thompson staff is so personable. The make our teachers feel comfortable so there's bonding and networking for them. They are very hands-on. I feel like I can call them anytime and I get very timely responses to my questions. Their knowledge, skills, and professionalism is so high. They have this "we're working for you" attitude that makes them very easy to work with and we trust their knowledge and skills. It would've been impossible for us to maintain our 5-stars without that help. They have been so effective as we've moved through the growth and change process. I would rate them really superior! They help me clean up all the gray areas regarding policies and procedures. They give us more help than we could've hoped for! There is such a great focus on the child and we needed that support since the child is here full-time. Jordan staff are extremely helpful! They make astute comments and observations, are easy to work with, and give us their best everytime we are in contact with them. We feel like we can call them anytime. They always have the answers we need and we get them promptly. The information provided was very timely and useful. Margaret Anne is extremely flexible with her schedule and always willing to meet with us. They gave us exactly what we needed in terms of a staff retreat. They were well-prepared and well-received by our whole preschool staff. Jordan staff come in to listen first. All the teachers appreciate that.

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I can't say enough good things about the Jordan staff. The advice they have given is invaluable and we look forward to working with them long-term. They work closely with us and share whatever we need with us. I would rate them excellent plus! They're wonderful to work with- patient and professional. They don't tell the management teams and centers what to do, they guide them through the goal-setting process and always follow-up to check progress.

Comments supporting ratings of "Good" I don't have any complaints. One workshop presenter is coming to our center to present to all of our teachers so we're excited about that. Kim has always come anytime we've called her and has given good feedback. We would like to have Mentor Teacher access. They always give high quality feedback and are there when we need them. I rated them good instead of excellent because we didn't use all the services available.

Comments regarding services from other sources We received some help through CCRI at one of our sites but the Thompson help has been one-on-one and much more beneficial. Some of our teachers did Smart Start workshops for credit hours, but the Thompson help is different in terms of availability, high level of professionalism, and high quality service. We did the 3-day ECERS training at Frank Porter Graham and have done some one-time workshops through CCRI. We have done some workshops through Child Care Resources and are in a program called Creative Curriculum which helps with teacher certification. We have done some CCRI workshops but Thompson is #1 for us. We don't have anything else that's free except the health department trainings so Thompson is very helpful for us. I have done CCRI workshops on different topics. We have done some CCRI training but not recently. We've gotten some curriculum training with CCRI. We have done some work with others but we've had the most success with Thompson. Their workshops are the best. We have a Smart Start four year old classroom they help us with but the level of service and professionalism is different than Thompson. Smart Start doesn't help us with classroom assessment. CCRI helped with some very limited services but now they have no staff. I’ve taken some classes through the community college. We have had therapists and other health care providers help us care for the Autistic child, but no outside source has helped us with the structure/policy issues. Smart Start did an assessment of us for us to get the grant from them and we have also used their lending library.

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We participate in Smart Start workshops when we can. We got some information regarding playground guidelines from Smart Start. Harnett County uses five contracted quality enhancement specialists from the area. The Jordan Center team is one of them.

Comments regarding quality impact beyond year one of outreach services (Thompson Level IV Sites Only)

Our first year we focused on nuts and bolts like room arrangements. In the second year we've been able to do more teacher training to build long-term quality improvements. We've had more teacher buy-in using the ideas. In our second year we focused on environment changes beyond accreditation and licensure. We also had more freedom to try some different approaches in the classroom. We feel more comfortable with the scales and implementing them in the classroom than we did in our first year. We are also more comfortable with our knowledge and using it on our own. That didn't happen in the first year. In our first year we focused on upgrades and maintenance. The ongoing help in the second year helped us focus on in-depth, lasting change. The teachers have bought into the ideas and processes now. We received more hands-on assistance in our second year; More of the "why & how" instead of "just do it."