Planning Assumptions: 2008-2010

Early Care and Education (EC&E)

  1. PFC will continue to take a systemic approach with increased efforts to improve child care quality in linking EC&E strategies toward a push to higher quality. Focusing resources to improve the PBIS criteria, PLA40, child placement will ultimately bring the other criteria (PLA 10, 20, 50, 60, EDU 10, Comp 10 & 11 and S10) in line.  
  2. In both the private and public sectors, demand and competition for degreed and credentialed full-time early childhood teachers will increase and be dependent on adequate compensation (include salaries and benefits).
  3. Most 3, 4, 5 star facilities will face serious challenges in maintaining star rating license due to increased educational requirements and higher compensation costs caused by changes in the star-rated license system.
  4. For teachers to gain degrees at an increased rate, Professional Development Counseling Center (PDCC) resources and activities may be more targeted therefore serving fewer teachers.  
  5. With current compensation and education requirements for More at Four (MAF), maintaining or accommodating increased MAF slots will limit or decrease support for non-MAF teachers and facilities.  
  6. Due to lottery revenue allocation , state-level More at Four funding will grow.
  7. With many working parents already stretched thin by child care expenses, bringing child care wages to a decent level can’t depend on fee hikes. Fixing the problem will take an infusion of public resources.

Family Support

  1. The influx of thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families as a result of BRAC (Base Closure and Realignment Commission) changes may increase demand for early childhood system services.
  2. Parents and service providers under-utilize services because they are not aware of them.
  3. Parents need to have resources accessible to support them in their role as the first teachers of their children.

Health

  1. Comprehensive early childhood screening will continue to be a key requirement for More at Four, however, Smart Start funding for screenings will be more restrictive.   PFC will need to reengineer the early intervention activities to effectively address the early intervention needs and accommodate our funding requirements.
  2. For military communities early childhood data may not accurately reflect the service saturation.
  3. The Infant-Toddler eligibility criteria has become more restrictive, which may reduce the number of at risk children served.
  4. Pediatric developmental surveillance will be a mandatory Medicaid requirement which may result in increase number of referrals into both the Infant Toddler and Preschool systems.  
  5. There is an unmet demand for child care for children who are medically fragile.

System Support

  1. Transitioning all children entering kindergarten needs to be strengthened.  
  2. In order to bridge the gaps created by multiple, non- integrated funding streams launched in support of early childhood, a thoughtful, deliberate framework needs to be established fostering early childhood systems integration at the federal, State and community levels.
  3. The need for technology to deliver cost-effective system delivery will increase. Various instructional delivery models will continue to be used and new models will evolve.  
  4. Calls for greater assessment and accountability (Performance-based or incentive-based funding) will intensify.   School readiness indicators and PBIS criteria will merge, possibly resulting in more restrictive programming for Smart Start funded activities.

Funding and Accountability

  1. Additional funding is essential as our state addresses the disparities between “two North Carolinas” – one where a little over a half of the young children are entering school ready for success and another where children are already behind and struggle in public schools.
  2. Future success and financial stability depend on our ability to grow all revenue sources – investing in activities (e.g., ITSC, Multi-Contract Accounting, the Omni Family Resource Center, grant writing, fundraising, etc.) that leverage public funding and grow new funding sources.
  3. There are significant missed opportunities for federal funding.   Cumberland County fails to receive its fair share of federal discretionary grant funds because there is no coordinated strategy to provide grant applicants with information, technical assistance, collaborative guidance and linkages with appropriate federal agencies in Washington. PFC will play a more pronounced via the CA$H Team to help our community find more effective ways to draw down and use government funds.

Omni Family Resource Center

  1. The Omni Family Resource Center will need to be 90% occupied (at least 85% Smart Start funded or nonprofit and liked-mission tenants and no more than 15% other) through 2020.

Leadership, Organization and Infrastructure

  1. The cost of acquiring qualified staff and providing staff development opportunities will increase.
  2. PFC will not be engaged in administrative contracts.
  3. Accountability, efficiency, access, and quality assurance will be important components of the organization ’s operation.

Draft Approved on 9/27/07

For more information please contact

Linda Blanton
Planning, Development & Communications Director
867-9700 ext 2230
lblanton@ccpfc.org

  
     
 
 

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