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Use resources, teachers, staff, interns to go into neighborhoods that would benefit from services - books, food, guidance, resources/tools. Create 'pods' inside communities where parents, guardians, children/teens can tap into services, info, & resources.

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Early childhood standards for Dual Language Learners and equal implementation across all ECE Programs -- screeners and progress assessments with PD for all ECE programs.

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Early childhood standards for Dual Language Learners and equal implementation across all ECE Programs -- screeners and progress assessments with PD for all ECE programs.

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Must provide equal access to transportation for all children to ECE Programs.... partnerships with HCPSS and Programs.

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Must provide equal access to transportation for all children to ECE Programs.... partnerships with HCPSS and Programs.

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Add staff who insert - education and social emotional supports to the OCC team to support the staff in all programs 

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Add staff who insert - education and social emotional supports to the OCC team to support the staff in all programs 

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Find a way to register all families for EC communcation- digital, text, and mail. BB

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Find a way to register all families for EC communcation- digital, text, and mail. BB

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Funding to supplement the pay of child care providers to  more livable wage-- closer to what school system pays.

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Funding to supplement the pay of child care providers to  more livable wage-- closer to what school system pays.

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Sustaining attention on the critical value of the ECE workforce

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Sustaining attention on the critical value of the ECE workforce

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Align local ECAC goals and strategies around that. Seek guidance and templates from MSDE to ensure what they have visioned at the state level is realistic and doable at the local level

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The money that is being provided by the state needs to go into teacher wages (on that note, early educators are teachers and should be referred to in that manner by leaders). Funds given to care providers are not necessarily dispersed to employees.

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The money that is being provided by the state needs to go into teacher wages (on that note, early educators are teachers and should be referred to in that manner by leaders). Funds given to care providers are not necessarily dispersed to employees.

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-Dawn Randall

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All children in Howard County are  enrolled at birth in Read With Me (Imagination Library) to receive monthly age-appropriate  books sent to their homes.

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The emphasis on degreed teachers is really hurting childcare. There is a national teacher shortage, and degreed teachers do not stay in childcare. They quickly leave for public school. Childcare is dependent on parent tuition and has limited resources for increasing pay. There is no incentive for degreed teachers to stay.

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a real focus on the pipeline for those entering ECE
better pay/ incentives to help retain ECE staff

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Help child care providers prepare (esp. financially) for long-term closures, large-scale staff absence, etc. What do rainy day funds/cash reserve look like for small providers? (Jessica Rose-Malm)

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Shorter days work for small children. We have seen the benefits of reducing the child care operating hours.

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Shorter days work for small children. We have seen the benefits of reducing the child care operating hours.

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-Dawn Randall

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We can't lose what we've learned about the power of virtual opportunities- need to utilize hybrid offerings as much as possible to engage families that might find it easier to connect that way.

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We can't lose what we've learned about the power of virtual opportunities- need to utilize hybrid offerings as much as possible to engage families that might find it easier to connect that way.

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(Lisa Davis)

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I would like to see OCC hold a list of substitutes that are screened and available for child care.

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I would like to see OCC hold a list of substitutes that are screened and available for child care.

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-Dawn Randall

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Flexibility with hiring certified/credentialed staff. With new COMAR regs, credentials are tied to funding. The ECE Workforce is tight right now... it's hard to find good staff. 

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Flexibility with hiring certified/credentialed staff. With new COMAR regs, credentials are tied to funding. The ECE Workforce is tight right now... it's hard to find good staff. 

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How can we bring more people into the field?

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Utilizing current research more holistically - Randi

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Utilizing current research more holistically - Randi

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MSDE has a tendency to jump on the latest buzzword without thinking through the broader impact of implementation, funding needed, and capacity of the childcare community. They are also quick to reject ideas and comments from the childcare community, rather than engaging in long-term discussions with people who are doing the work.

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Support for ECE providers to develop regular/frequent outdoor lessons (in addition to unstructured outdoor play); providing clothing/equipment for year-round outdoor play (coats, mittens, boots, rain gear, etc)- Jessica Rose-Malm

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One stop shop for information and referral for all EC programs and services, advertised so parents can access easily. (Both phone and online) BB

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One stop shop for information and referral for all EC programs and services, advertised so parents can access easily. (Both phone and online) BB

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Funding for Intervention Specialists in all ECE programs to provide tiered interventions and reduce referrals for special education. 

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Funding for Intervention Specialists in all ECE programs to provide tiered interventions and reduce referrals for special education. 

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Public awareness about programs and the importance of EC Ed.

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Public awareness about programs and the importance of EC Ed.

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Messaging of shared language for parents and educators- as public information campaign. 

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Messaging of shared language for parents and educators- as public information campaign. 

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Providing children who are waiting for in-person placements in ECE programs access to live instruction via streaming in that program. 

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Providing children who are waiting for in-person placements in ECE programs access to live instruction via streaming in that program. 

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- Tracy @ CAC

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January Weber

Our center likes the arrival temperature scan, regardless of when Covid guidance ends, if it’s not continued, we may keep it. Drop Off/ Pick Up has transformed into a “well oiled machine”
with the limited classroom access. For example, Parents can not stay and tell their child “I’m leaving now, it will be a long time before you see me” among other things until they get their child crying. It’s so nice to have all of our children coming in so independent! At pick up, we escort children to the door to meet their parent. I like being able to cut disruptions as well. With the “open door” classroom policy, parents would stop to visit and disrupt not only their child but the entire class. We have windows in every door so parents can easily observe without disrupting. I’d like to see the limiting classroom access or a version of it be continued. For a time, we had our 4’s in the 1:15 ratio and then MSDE reverted back to COMAR. I’d like to see this revisited. If this was fine during a pandemic when extra cleaning, monitoring, more stress, and various protocols were in place; why revert? I think WE(Early Educators) are wise enough to make the determination if our current students/ teacher can handle the ratio at our centers. It won’t always work but there are times when it would/ did. After all, we are in the middle of an employee/ teacher staffing shortage crisis. I’d also like to see continued “virtual” inspections/ visits. I understand for our License Renewal that coming in for a more substantial review of records would be ideal but more so now, many Directors and Administrators at centers are in classrooms so for an In Person visit, licensing is actually pulling that person away when they’re being used as “staff”. There are times when I believe they could accomplish just the same in less time and without disrupting the flow/ routine via the video chats. I guess I have noticed that eliminating all of the disruptions has made for better days for teachers and children. I never really noticed how often people came until they were gone! There is a HUGE disconnect between Early Education Regulations and Public School Regulations! I know they’re separate organizations however, the regs are for the SAME children. So, students are attending k-5 with one set of “guidance” then riding the bus to us with a different set. (Ex. Transportation on Busses in seats together, moving to different classrooms throughout their day, eating in the cafeteria, mixing with other students for Band, Art, etc, combined recess, taking Field Trips to locations where there’s other people, having visitors in the building)While all of those examples are Covid related, there are things from prior like Why can Public PreK serve flavored milk while we can’t to PreK? They’re all 4! Or, Why can a Public PreK classroom have a ratio of 1:18 or 1:20 while we’re at 1:10? Again, they’re all 4! There needs to be more consistency. A lot of things have been brought to the forefront via the pandemic and it has left all of US in a position to deal with taking the brunt of parent frustration because we are the ones still operating with the strictest guidance and have been open when their children are doing so much more in public schools that were closed for the longest time. There should be an advisory panel tasked to find ways for MSDE to actively Support Early Educators. We need it now more than ever! I’d also like to see the online trainings from MSDE (Covid, Basic Health, etc) be available within 24 hours of sign up. I only mention this because I’m bringing back a former employee to substitute and she has to wait until 6/2 respectively to take these after enrolling.