Pre-K Policies? St. Louis Preschool Teacher of the Year fired over a pull-up!
Posted: February 23, 2015 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Early Childhood Education Mississippi, MS Department of Education, School Readiness Mississippi, SECAC Mississippi | Tags: Administration for Children and Families, child care Mississippi, e-Childcare™, Mississippi early childhood education, SECAC Mississippi Leave a commentPre-K Policies? St. Louis Preschool Teacher of the Year fired over a pull-up!
As Pre-K Collaborators and Rachel Canter of Mississippi First produce a video to campaign for Phase II funding for Pre-K Collaborators, we are reminded that the Early Learning Collaborative Act calls for Administrative Procedures (and public hearings) in the development of policies governing preschool and Collaborations.
Review the Early Learning Collaborative Act, lines 305 – 312.
State Superintendent Carey Wright recently named Jill Dent as State Director of Pre-K Collaboration.
It should, then, be of no surprise to anyone that NO administrative procedures have been announced by the Mississippi Department of Education regarding Pre-K policy! Jill Dent left her position at MDHS following two failed attempts to reduce the amount of child care assistance provided to low-income parents through failed administrative procedures. (Click here to see “Judge blocks Mississippi’s child care finger scanning plan: Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Denise Owens ruled Thursday that the state’s economic impact statement for the program is so incomplete that it didn’t meet a legal requirement for a good faith effort.”)
Does Mississippi even have a policy prohibiting pull-up diapers in preschool?
See what has happened to one preschool teacher in St. Louis.
Angry parents protest firing of St. Louis Teacher of the Year over dirty diaper
Fox2Now reports that the firing of popular teacher Kelly Hahn involves a 3-year-old who showed up in a pull-up diaper, a violation of school rules. When Hahn discovered the boy had slightly soiled his diaper she left it on and immediately called the parent, instead of removing it right away. Another staffer at the Wilkinson Early Childhood Center where Hahn teaches called the Missouri Department of Family Services.
Click here to read the entire article on Fox News today.
“Can we talk?” How About “Quality Implementation” of the Child Care Certificate Program?
Posted: September 10, 2014 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, Allies for Quality Care, Child Care Development Fund, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Mississippi Legislature, MS Department of Human Services, Uncategorized, Xerox | Tags: Administration for Children and Families, Allies for Quality Care, CCPP-approved Provider, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi Child Care Quality Steps, Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, The Mississippi Center for Education Innovation, Xerox 4 Comments“Can we talk?” How About “Quality Implementation” of the Child Care Certificate Program?
When the Certificate Program was taken from the Planning and Development Districts in 2012, support was split among providers because we did not know then what we know now…MDHS had already executed a contract with XEROX for e-childcare.
Regardless, the MDHS in-house administration of child care assistance distribution known as the Certificate Program demonstrated first steps in bringing an automated process online through the development of the ledger reimbursement system. Basically, the transition was a smooth one and MDHS should be commended for that.
However, the new statewide online process only for the child care assistance application and issuance of new Certificates and the process for the recent period of rollover – particularly the relentless Notices of Termination – have been and continue to be chaotic, very work intensive and incomplete.
Policy and system failures along with too little, if any, advance explanation from DECCD have left parents and providers in a lurch as to how to even proceed this academic year and have adversely impacted statewide work force support systems fueling local economic development, early learning and entry-level jobs in every community!
Forget Quality Stars for now – do you even know how many children age four you will be serving this school year? Age three? Can you even remotely finalize an overall school roster?
That is the important message providers have tried to convey when attending the recent MDHS Quality Road Shows.
That is the message MOST OFTEN SUPPRESSED by policy makers and the Quality funded when providers have attended Road Shows.
That is the most heavily weighted finding documented in the Q.R.I.S. research conducted by the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative which was recently released; LOW-INCOME PROVIDERS JUST CANNOT PROVIDE QUALITY WITHOUT ADEQUATE FUNDING AND CERTIFICATES, so, for them, there is little reason to attend Road Shows or participate in quality initiatives at this time.
Most of the issues frustrating Mississippians, harming employability, denying access or limiting resource capacity are simply managerial. Primarily, I have come to opine MDHS Case Managers are doing their best to process all families but are completely overwhelmed by what is being expected of them. I think it is very reasonable to conclude that one DECCD Case Manager may be trying desperately to complete the work-load formerly done by an entire Planning Development District Office of four to eight staff members. That work environment has only been exasperated further by sudden staff vacancies (DUH!) and new DHS hires unfamiliar with the work or with little experience and little time for DECCD to train them during the period of rollover!
MDHS had planned to outsource all of this to XEROX. We objected to that and still do object to eventual, less child care assistance to parents as a “savings” to the state rather than continued (already insufficient) reimbursement of full-time fees for full-time slots to support rising, full-time operating costs supporting early learning.
Even still, what we are seeing now may be a glimpse of what customer service might have looked like through XEROX e-childcare…limited staff and diminished customer service for increased profits.
MDHS is asking for our input on the administration of the Certificate Program.
Please provide documentation of issues via email to MDHS – telephone calls to your assigned MDHS Case Managers often bring an unacceptable period of being placed on hold for up to forty-five minutes or longer and would further overwhelm Case Mangers already “buried” in messages. Faxes are sent to a separate MDHS location, logged in and scanned before ever delivered to Case Managers and many are lost in the shuffle. (You may also leave comments below.)
Encourage MDHS to fill all staff positions quickly, stay true to the CCDF State Plan and encourage Quality through “QUALITY Implementation” of the Child Care Certificate Program by clearly conveying to MDHS that automation and a paperless system will never eliminate the need for dedicated and sufficient MDHS employees any more than XEROX DID NOT eliminate the need for county eligibility workers determining SNAP benefits or county TANF Case Managers.
Mississippi does not save or fully prosper when there is no effort from MDHS to give up attitudes against welfare recipients and recognize child care assistance as an important local economic development tool in more ways than early learning for future success. The Certificate Program is an economic development tool local employers and communities have come to rely on in the maintenance of a stable, productive, successful work force today! The Certificate Program puts a “fair share” of chased federal dollars into each local economy today! All socio-economic groups benefit from such local economic stimulus each and every day…today!
Therefore, MDHS Road Shows only touting quality technical services while suppressing needed public discussion of the problematic economic issues arising out of the current Certificate Program administration simply puts the “cart before the quality horse”.
Forgive me for saying so, but it is a classic example of “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.”
“Can we talk?”
Yet bet we can! If not at a MDHS sponsored Road Show, we can talk here… starting with the late Joan Rivers (Phi Beta Kappa) and what she might have said of the current implementation:
Joan Rivers 1933-2014
“How many times can you go, ‘And the cow goes moo and the pig goes oink’? It’s like talking to a supermodel.”
“I succeeded by saying what everyone else is thinking.”
“Don’t follow any advice, no matter how good, until you feel as deeply in your spirit as you think in your mind that the counsel is wise.”
Some MDHS priority must be given to improving the management and implementation of the Child Care Certificate Program.
Talk to members of your local Chamber of Commerce. I am sure they would agree. Perhaps you can get them involved as well!
MLICCI to Present Findings of First Such QRIS Study in the Nation!
Posted: July 19, 2014 Filed under: "Race to the Top", Allies for Quality Care, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Advisory Council, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Licensing, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Early Childhood Education Mississippi, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), General, Hechinger Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Mississippi Board of Health, Mississippi Building Blocks, Mississippi First, Mississippi Health Department, Mississippi Legislature, MS Department of Education, MS Department of Health, MS Department of Human Services, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, School Readiness Mississippi, SECAC Mississippi, Suel v MDHS, T.E.A.C.H., Uncategorized, Xerox | Tags: "Race to the Top", 2007 Market Survey Rates, Administration for Children and Families, Allies for Quality Care, Attorney General Jim Hood; Quality Rating System; Quality Star Step; DECCD-MDHS;, CCPP-approved Provider, child care licensing Mississippi, child care quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Early Childhood Education Mississippi, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), equal access, Hechinger Report; Kellogg Foundation; Quality Rating System; SECAC, Kellogg Foundation, Market Survey Rates, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi Child Care Licensing, Mississippi Child Care Quality Steps, Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral, Mississippi early learning system, Mississippi First, Mississippi Health Department, Mississippi licensed child care, Mississippi State Early Childhood Institute, proposed amendments to the regulations governing child care, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, SECAC Mississippi, The Mississippi Center for Education Innovation, Xerox Leave a comment
cwelchlin@mschildcare.org
Meet MAE Attorney Bo Rideout on July 9th!
Posted: July 2, 2014 Filed under: Child Care Advisory Council, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Licensing, Child Care Mississippi, Delta Licensed Providers, Mississippi Health Department, Uncategorized | Tags: child care Mississippi, e-Childcare™, Mississippi child care, Mississippi Child Care Quality Steps, Mississippi Health Department 2 Comments
Click here to view the MDCC Campus Map follow and to Building 17.
Post of 7 Years Still Relevant in 2021: Little or No Recognized Child Care Leadership Appointments to SECAC
Posted: May 28, 2014 Filed under: "Race to the Top", Administration for Children and Families, Allies for Quality Care, Child Care Advisory Council, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Early Childhood Education Mississippi, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), Head Start, Hechinger Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Mississippi Building Blocks, Mississippi Legislature, MS Department of Education, MS Department of Health, MS Department of Human Services, Quality Rating System, School Readiness Mississippi, SECAC Mississippi, Uncategorized, Xerox | Tags: "Race to the Top", 2007 Market Survey Rates, Allies for Quality Care, CCPP-approved Provider, child care Mississippi, child care quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Early Childhood Education Mississippi, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), equal access, Hechinger Report; Kellogg Foundation; Quality Rating System; SECAC, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi Child Care Quality Steps, Mississippi early childhood education, Mississippi early learning system, Mississippi Health Department, Mississippi School Readiness, Mississippi State Early Childhood Institute, proposed amendments to the regulations governing child care, Quality Rating System, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, SECAC Mississippi, The Mississippi Center for Education Innovation, Xerox Leave a commentPost of 7 Years Still Relevant in 2021: Little or No Recognized Child Care Leadership Appointments to SECAC
The Definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
When we aired legitimate concerns to members of SECAC during a period of time which has revealed 97,000,000 dollars embezzled from programs serving low-income children and the MSDH failure to provide new enrollment for child care assistance for five consecutive years, NOT ONE member ever cared enough to reach out to us in concern.
In fact, SECAC members enabled the adoption of a quality program with the authority to eliminate our participation without ever requesting the rules – and there were none. Not one member of SECAC – including the appointed representation of the child care industry – ever, ever questioned such violation of Administrative Procedures Law and Racial Discrimination as determined for Mississippi’s QRIS by the US Commission on Civil Rights.
As some SECAC members received their program funding and budgets as sub-grantees, they ignored Ethics rules and child care providers struggling to serve low-income children through the CCDF.
And here we go again.
We do not know how newly appointed child care providers were selected to represent us on SECAC. In fact, we do not even know who some of them are.
SECAC should take the lead from the Mississippi Department of Health Child Care Licensing Division. When vacancies become available on the Child Care Advisory Board, all licensed providers are notified and invited to apply.
Mississippi will never thrive or address learning loss with the same leadership, however distributed now or with whatever agency they are with now, until state actors actually value and seek the best work of the most capable and involved child care provider leadership.
One More Time, y’all :
There is a rule in Mississippi Child Care: School aged children and entry-level toddlers may not co-exist. You simply do not mix the babies in with the big kids on the playground, or someone may get hurt!
That is the health and safety measure provider members throughout the state had hoped for when the Mississippi Association of Licensed Child Care Providers successfully lobbied for positions of one licensed provider from each Congressional District to be appointed to the State Early Childhood Advisory Council as a requirement of the Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013.
Among MALCCP child care providers (operating licensed child care) in positions of top leadership are an ivy league graduate WITH THE COVETED Early Childhood Degree who also studied and trained in the system where kindergarten began – Germany; another who has professionally evaluated the Q.R.I.S. (results soon to be released), worked to advance early learning curriculum in an east Mississippi school district and has been recognized nationally for work to empower low-income families; and a provider who serves on the Jackson State University Pre-K Planning Committee and the Pre-K Common Core Alignment Committee in Jackson Public Schools.
Such accomplished child care leaders also have experience opposing SECAC “Big Kids” such as: MDHS Executive Director Ricky Berry in the adoption of Xerox e-Childcare™ designed to pay less reimbursement (as a savings to the state) for the preschool environments low-income children attend; Child Care Licensing Supervisor Vickey Berryman in the re-measurements and maximum capacity reductions of Existing (old) child care facilities and alleged Constitutional violation of Due Process of Law; Allies and Excel by 5 in proposals to require poorly performing ITERS/ECERS ONLY (from which many such quasi-agencies around the SECAC table draw millions in CCDF funds to offer technical assistance) on licensed child care programs wishing to participate in Mississippi’s universal pre-school.
Unfortunately, peer vetted, strong representation of child care appears to be precisely the work early learning policy-makers continue to isolate.
LITTLE or No recognized child care leadership appointments were made to SECAC.
For our effort and to my knowledge, MALCCP leadership was not even invited to make recommendations as an organization for appointments to SECAC!
We are invited to give comment from the gallery…without a vote.
Have we been robbed of our work to have knowledgeable and highly visible child care leadership at the policy making table?
Was it the intent of legislators to lure our organization into a “false sense of security” that child care leadership would be invited to participate in the development and planning of early learning?
You need to ask your legislators to answer that question, but only time will truly tell.
For now, actions speak louder than words – we little Mississippi child care providers are at high risk of being trampled outside…some more.
Of course, if my goals might possibly include continued unfunded mandates and disproportionate “adverse impact” on licensed child care, I wouldn’t give practiced opposition a vote either! 🙂
No recess here!
We must continue to work for quality and equality in early learning through other venues.
DHS Sued A Third Time
Posted: March 16, 2014 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, Allies for Quality Care, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Early Childhood Education Mississippi, MS Department of Human Services, School Readiness Mississippi, SECAC Mississippi, Suel v MDHS, Uncategorized, Xerox | Tags: 2007 Market Survey Rates, Administration for Children and Families, Allies for Quality Care, CCPP-approved Provider, child care Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Early Childhood Education Mississippi, equal access, Market Survey Rates, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi Child Care Quality Steps, Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral, Mississippi State Early Childhood Institute, SECAC Mississippi, The Mississippi Center for Education Innovation, Xerox Leave a comment
Separation of Corporation and State
Posted: February 25, 2014 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, Allies for Quality Care, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Early Childhood Education Mississippi, MS Department of Human Services, School Readiness Mississippi, SECAC Mississippi, Suel v MDHS, Xerox | Tags: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, child care licensing Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), equal access, Market Survey Rates, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, The Mississippi Center for Education Innovation, Xerox 5 CommentsSeparation of Corporation and State
URGENT: Xerox e-Childcare™ Public Hearing Wednesday!
Posted: February 20, 2014 Filed under: Allies for Quality Care, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, MS Department of Human Services, Suel v MDHS, Xerox | Tags: Allies for Quality Care, CCPP-approved Provider, child care Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, equal access, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, SECAC Mississippi, The Mississippi Center for Education Innovation, Xerox Leave a commentURGENT: Xerox e-Childcare™ Public Hearing Wednesday!
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