the qris national learning network

The QRIS National Learning Network

Presents a webinar on: QRIS Financing

6/22/10

Welcome

A joint project of the BUILD Initiative & Smart Start

A few logistics:

If you are experiencing audio or technical difficulties contact us via:

Instant messenger on WEBX

Questions or comments can be sent to panelists at anytime via instant messenger located on the right side of your screen

The webinar will be audio-taped and made available at: www.qrisnetwork.org

The QRIS National Learning Network


Grew out of state’s continued requests for: QRIS related technical assistance Opportunities to learn from others about challenges faced and what works

Joint project of the BUILD Initiative and the Smart Start NTAC:

Coalition of states and organizations working to improve ECE and children’s development through QRIS Overseen by a national advisory committee

The QRIS NLN’s Work


The QRIS NLN provides:

Forums where ECE leaders and state QRIS administrators can learn from one another and from national experts about promising and innovative practices and cutting edge research

Direct and tailored technical assistance to states to assist them in developing system-focused QRIS

Activities


Website: comprehensive library of QRIS resources:www.qrisnetwork.org

Webinar Series:July 7th: Using QRIS to Support Children’s Social-Emotional Development : Spotlighting Louisiana's QRIS featuring Drs. Geoff Nagle and Allison Boothe of Tulane University

July 21st- Using the QRIS Resource Guide featuring Julie Shuell of the National Child Care Information Center

August (date to be determined): QRIS Quality Improvement featuring Drs. Lee Kreader and Sheila Smith of the National Center for Children in Poverty

QRIS Financing


Featuring: Louise Stoney and Anne Mitchell Alliance for Early Childhood Finance

This webinar has been generously funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Smart Start National Technical Assistance Center

What is a QRIS?


•Standards •Accountability•Program/Practitioner support•Financial Incentives•Outreach and Education

What Will the Financing Plan Include?


• The cost of developing and administering a QRIS

• The cost of providing high-quality ECE (e.g. on-going financial support for participating providers)

• The QRIS Cost Estimation Model (CEM) can help you estimate these cost

Developing a QRIS Summary of Costs


• Crafting and revising cross-system quality standards (defining the QRIS steps)

• Engaging stakeholders – initial focus groups and feedback from providers, parents, others

Administering a QRIS Summary of Costs


• Oversight & Management of the system• Monitoring compliance (conducting classroom assessments and assigning program ratings)• Technical Assistance for programs • Professional Development for practitioners • Outreach and Education

Supporting the Cost of Quality


•Could be supply-side interventions, such as grants or financial awards to a particular program or priority access to TA or professional development.

•Could be demand-side interventions, such as higher public reimbursement rates for higher quality levels; targeted tax credits to programs, practitioners and consumers based on quality level of program.

Two Approaches to Financial Incentives


Pennsylvania: • Stars quality supports and merit awards (Quality Grants)• Stars recruitment & retention awards (Wage Subsidy)• Child care subsidy rate add-on (Tiered Reimbursement)• Access to state prek funding

Louisiana:• Refundable tax credit for providers (similar to Quality Grant)• Refundable tax credit for practitioners (Wage Subsidy)• Refundable tax credit for parents (consumer incentive)• Refundable tax credit for contributions (investor incentive)• Child Care subsidy tiered reimbursement

Financing Strategies for Securing Funds for QRIS


Three key strategies:

• Realignment of funds you currently control (such as CCDF or TANF)

• Leveraging dollars from other ECE sources/systems

• Tapping new funds

Realignment


• Estimate cost of QRIS (both admin & cost of quality) using CEM or other tool

• Identify all current expenditures for ECE quality- enhancement or monitoring

• Determine which existing expenditures could be revised/re-directed to support cost of QRIS

Realignment Expenditures That Can Support QRIS


• Subsidy (Tiered Reimbursement, rate add-on and/or require participation in QRIS)• CCR&R (focus on QRIS in service & referral)• Licensing (help with admin & data) • ECE professional development system• Training/TA grants for ECE (priority access or limited only to QRIS)

Leveraging Funds From Other ECE-Related Sources


• PreK – can require QRIS participation or align PreK standards/monitoring• Title I - can require QRIS participation or align PreK standards/monitoring• Early Intervention/preschool special education- QRIS could be required when a child has group early education experience in their IEP or IFSP• Head Start – reach out to Regional Office & Head Start T/TA system so they understand benefit of QRIS and how they can help providers participate

Leveraging Funds From Other ECE-Related Sources


• Title IV-E – could require that children receiving protective/preventive service be placed in programs with higher star levels• Maternal and Child Health Funding – could make participation in QRIS a requirement for mental health consultation, reach out to home visiting to build partnerships with QRIS providers, etc. • Private Philanthropy – could make participation in QRIS the ‘price of admission’ for their funding

Generating New Sources or Tapping Existing Funds


• Create new state tax benefits linked to QRIS participation • Use Federal ARRA funding • Offer tax prep help for QRIS participants (so they can take full advantage of federal & state tax credits)• Amend law to tap Land and Mineral Trust Funds in States that have them

Summary of Key Steps


1. Start by being clear about how much money you need (use the CEM)

2. Be conscious of funding you currently control that can be realigned to support QRIS

3. Look beyond your control; help your ECE funding partners understand how QRIS can help them attain their goals

4. Explore any new funding sources that can be tapped/linked to QRIS

For More Information


The Alliance for Early Childhood Finance

www.earlychildhoodfinance.org

Linking Economic Development and Child Care

http://government.cce.cornell.edu/doc/reports/childcare/

http://www.earlychildhoodfinance.org/



QRIS FinancingFor more information on the QRIS National Learning Network and to find an audio of today’s webinar, please visit:

www.qrisnetwork.org

or send us an email at:

[email protected]

the qris national learning network

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