To unify, promote and strengthen quality professional family child care in Maine ~
Author: fccamaine
FCCAM works to unify, promote and strengthen quality professional family child care in Maine. We understand the critical role of child care providers in the lives of children and families. Through collaboration with other organizations we work to increase awareness of our profession and the value of a strong child care system to Maine's diverse communities.
Maine’s 2023 Statewide Early Childhood Education Conference!
We have an incredible lineup of keynote speakers, break out sessions, and networking opportunities planned for our gathering in Portland this year on October 27 & 28.
Our keynote speakers will be Denisha Jones, Executive Director of Defending the Early Years, and Angela Hanscom, author and founder of TimberNook.
Registration will open on Monday, June 5!
We are excited to share that we will be able to offer 300 FREE tickets to this year’s conference for those working in licensed child care programs in Maine, including family child care, center-based programs, Early Head Start and Head Start, and license exempt providers! Thank you to the DHHS Office of Child and Family Services for providing the funding to make this possible!
FREE tickets will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis to licensed child care employees.
Regular Tickets will cost $125 per day.
MaineAEYC and FCCAM members will receive discounted tickets that cost $100 per day.
Step 2: Click the BIG PINK BUTTON at the top of the page that says “REGISTER.”
Step 3: Follow the directions on the registration page.
We can’t wait to see you in October! If you have any questions about the conference or registration, please contact MaineAEYC at conference@maineaeyc.org.
We are the ones with the first hand knowledge of what our day is filled with. What services we provide families in caring for their children. What is needed for our businesses to be sustainable while offering quality care. It is important that as providers we understand that we are continually advocating for our personal small businesses and our early childhood education and care profession with every contact we have with potential clients, members of our communities and the families receiving our serves.
The FCCAM Public Policy Committee understands how important it is to also be providing our knowledge about our profession to the legislators writing, hearing and adopting Bills that directly impact our small businesses. Legislators are open to hearing our thoughts and respect that we have first-hand knowledge about the issues we are speaking to. We know it’s almost impossible for providers to offer in-person testimony, but you can provide written testimony very easily through Maine’s online/digital submission of testimony option.
FCCAM believes it’s important for all providers to become informed and lend their voices to the discussion on the Bills that can impact our small businesses and the education and care we provide children.
There are currently 2 Bills that will have impact on our profession that have been printed with public hearings scheduled for May 10th. Written testimony needs to be received by May 9th, so committees have it prior to the public hearing. FCCAM is submitting written testimony in support of these Bills, but we encourage providers to read the Bills and submit testimony themselves.
FCCAM believes strongly that:
Child care is the workforce behind Maine’s workforce.
Without child care, parents cannot go to work or go to work full time. That hurts their families, businesses’ production and Maine’s economy.
So what’s in these bills?
Following are some of keys points that have been shared by a variety of organizations FCCAM partners with around Public Policy and Advocacy for family child care.
Just a few of the reasons FCCAM supports this Bill:
Seeks to increase the monthly wage supplement for child care providers to $400 a month
Continues to reimburse child care providers who accept subsidy based on enrollment, not attendance
Increases child care subsidy eligibility for families from 85% state median income to 125% state median household income
Creates a scholarship program for child care providers’ children needing child care
Works towards a Cost of Care Model – The estimator tool must be publicly accessible. Reflect the true cost of providing child care which would include:
A. Include a living wage compensation scale for early childhood educators pursuant to the recommendations of the Child Care Task Force established in section 3740-E;
B. Include regional differences in costs;
C. Include employee salaries and benefits;
D. Include facility costs;
E. Include costs associated with compliance with statutory and rule requirements, including the child care quality rating system participation under section 3737, subsection 3 and specific costs associated with each step of the rating system and any quality indicators used
Renames Child Care Subsidy Program to Child Care Scholarship Program
Increases state funding for Head Start programs
Make internal and more timely Office of Children and Family Services’ processes and payments
Establishes a Child Care Task Force that consists of 14 members – 2 of which would be fcc providers.
Establishes an independent appeals process for child care providers regarding OCFS licensing decisions
Develop a long-term plan for limiting child care costs for families to no more than 7% of income for families earning up to 250% of state median income beginning in 2030
Here is a sample testimony format for LD 1726:
Testimony of _____________________
In support of LD 1726 An Act to Build Maine’s Economy by Supporting Child Care and Working Families
Senator Baldacci, Representative Meyer, and distinguished members of the Health and Human Services Committee, my name is ______________________ and I am (share who you represent or if you are a parent of young children). I’m testifying in support of LD 1726 An Act to Build Maine’s Economy by Supporting Child Care and Working Families.
Share why you support and use personal examples and/or data. You can speak to some of the questions below:
Why do you support raising child care educator wages?
Why do you support Maine developing a cost model tool that better supports our understanding of what it costs to provide quality care and education?
Why do you support raising subsidy eligibility for Maine’s lower income families?
Why do you support more stable funding for child care programs by ensuring that subsidy reimbursement covers days when children are absent from their program?
Why do you support Maine developing a long term plan to increase investments in child care programs while also increasing subsidy eligibility?
Why do you support providing funding to pay for child care for child care employees?
Why do you support shortened time periods for determining subsidy eligibility?
Why do you support shortened time periods for child care programs receiving subsidy reimbursement?
The department shall establish a working group of stakeholders to explore expansion to full-day preschool and pathways for child care programs to become publicly funded.
A new Commission to Study Governance and Funding in Early Care and Early Childhood Education,will include Five representatives of early childhood educators and providers of services for children who are under 5 years of age, 2 appointed by the President of the Senate and 3 appointed by the Speaker of the House.
Here is a sample testimony format for LD 1799:
Testimony of _____________________
In support of LD 1799: An Act to Expand Maine’s High-quality Early Learning and Care for Children by Increasing Public Preschool Opportunities in Communities
Senator Rafferty, Representative Brennan, and distinguished members of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, my name is______________ and I am (share who you represent or if you are a parent of young children). I’m testifying in support of LD 1799: An Act to Expand Maine’s High-quality Early Learning and Care for Children by Increasing Public Preschool Opportunities in Communities.
A memo was sent out 4/24/2023 from OCFS that provides information about a new optional program: Early Care & Education (ECE) Program Enrollment Data Collection Project. Providers are encouraged to participate.
The data collection program will open on May 1, 2023, and close on April 30, 2024.
Here’s what we’ve pulled from the memo:
Through this project providers will enter information about their enrollment monthly through a new Enrollment Data Collection section found in the Early Childhood Educator Salary Supplement Program portal.
An additional $50 per month stipend will be provided to the licensed family child care or facility for each month the required data is provided. The $50 stipend will be included in the provider’s regular monthly Salary Supplement check from OCFS.
Required monthly data: (*FCCAM Note: enrollment is not daily attendance, or necessarily licensed capacity. It is how many children you have under contract for your services.)
Current Infant (6 weeks thru 12 months) Enrollment Number
Current Toddler (13 months thru 36 months) Enrollment Number
Current Preschool (3 years thru 5 years) Enrollment Number
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) hope to gain more knowledge of Maine’s supply and demand as it applies to the Child Care Supply/Demand Analysis. Ultimately this data will be used to inform ongoing work on the Child Care Plan for Maine with the goal of ensuring that all families in our state have access to affordable, reliable, and quality care for their children.
Director of Record access enables Directors/Owners (DoR) or designated personnel (DoRA) to access your facility’s staffing information section on the Maine Roads to Quality (MRTQ) Registry.
Directors/Owners means Family Child Care Provider whether you are a sole provider or have staff.
Our understanding is that DoRA will be required for all programs.
A DoRA allows access to:
The Application and E-Portfolio for Rising Stars for ME
Specific training and staffing information in the MRTQ Registry
The Child Care Choices Program Portal
Programs establishing a DoRA for the first time or reestablishing a DoRA with a new Director/Owner or designated personnel can earn a $200 Quality Improvement Award.
Funds are limited and will only be available beginning March 23, 2023 until August 31, 2023, or until funding is gone.
Eligibility:
To receive the DoRA Quality Improvement Award, a program must
Establish or reestablish the DoRA between March 23 to August 31, 2023
Be enrolled in Rising Stars for ME, Maine’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)
Establish a DoRA for the first time or reestablished a DoRA with a new Director/Owner or designated personnel. Note: this does apply to renewals.
Have DoRA-designated staff be an active MRTQ Registry member.
Programs with a current Conditional License are not eligible for the award. Uponresolution of the Conditional License, programs are eligible for an award if funding isavailable. Programs must contact MRTQ PDN Registry with new licensing statusinformation.
Important: Non-members will need to complete the MRTQ Registry application process in order to proceed with the DoRA application.
MRTQ will verifying that you are the official Director of Record (DoR) or acting in that capacity according to your license.
You must also sign the Director of Record Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which outlines your rights and responsibilities. This MOU will remain on file at MRTQ.
If you are not listed as the holder of the license issued by DHHS, you must provide documentation from the license holder that you are authorized to use Director of Record Access. If MRTQ is not able to verify that you are the Director of Record listed on your facility’s license, we will contact you for further documentation.
DoR facility access is subject to annual renewal.
For more information about the Quality Improvement Award, please contact Karen Bergeron at karen.bergeron@maine.edu or 207-653-5090. You must be an MRTQ Registry Member to apply for DoRA.
From Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) ~
The transition to Rising Stars for ME will occur automatically on the evening of March 26, 2023. The Child Care Choices website will be updated accordingly. Programs will automatically be categorized into the Star Rating system as follows:
Current Quality for ME Step 1 programs will become a 2 Star program in Rising Stars for ME
Current Quality for ME Step 2 programs will become a 3 Star program in Rising Stars for ME
Current Quality for ME Step 3 programs will become a 4 Star program in Rising Stars for ME
Current Quality for ME Step 4 programs will become a 5 Star program in Rising Stars for ME
All programs will have a minimum of six months to meet all Standards to maintain their Star rating.
The new Rising Stars for ME certificates will reflect updated certificate expiration dates as follows:
If the current Quality for ME certificate expires between 3/27/23 and 9/29/2023, the new Rising Stars expiration date will be 9/29/2023.
If the current Quality for ME certificate expires after 9/29/2023, the new Rising Stars expiration date will align with the program’s license expiration date
At the time of the initial Rising Stars Certificate expiration date, programs that do not meet the standards to maintain the Star rating will be moved to the Star rating that reflects the standards that the program has met.
If you have any questions, please contact Amber Taurasi, Early Childcare and Education Quality Specialist, at (207) 626-8684 or Amber.Taurasi@maine.gov.
UPDATE/CORRECTION 3/8/23 ~ This is why it’s good to have partnerships with other organizations that support children and families. FCCAM received clarification around the wage program becoming Law under LD 1995, not LD 1652. Also credentials and articulation agreements language not included in the budget language. We have corrected information in this post.
With the ending of the ARPA Grant payments (includes transition payments) providers have raised questions about the $200 payment continuing and the need to be registered. Through this post FCCAM is hoping to provide some information that will provide some answers. FCCAM is not rendering legal or tax advice, just general information. If you require more specific assistance, please consult a legal or tax preparation professional.
Let’s start with the letter some providers received telling them they have to sign up for the program. Just as providers had the option with the ARPA Grant funds, we do not know if you “have to take” the money. We do know that to receive the wage supplement you do need to register. Information on that follows later in the post.
This is a state program and not tied to federal funds. It is now part of the annual budgeting, so this wage supplement should be ongoing. The $200 amount may change when the tiers are established. The tiers are required to consider experience, and education.
Providers have again expressed concerns about the tax impact if they take the wage supplement. Tom Copeland advocated to take funding like this using an example something like: If someone offered you $100 if you would give $30 to someone else would you take it pocketing $70? The supplement is money coming to you that you would not normally have. At 30% for taxes you pocket around $140. $140 per month for a year is $1680. That’s money you can put away for your children in something like the Maine’s NextGen 529 accounts, or for your retirement (Simple IRA plans), spend on special projects for your business, pay off personal credit cards/loans or just have fun with. Unlike the ARPA the wage supplement has no strings attached about how the money is used and accounted for.
While you might not want to think about retirement that is a great business practice for self-employed small business owners. It’s important to also understand how your retirement is impacted by the Social Security taxes you pay figured off your net earnings from self-employment. Many providers are expecting it to be figured off their total income before business deductions. FCCAM posted previously on how Social Security works: Your Social Security Benefit: How It’s Figured.
A basic review of how federal tax brackets work. Tax brackets divide your income into levels that are taxed at different rates. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updates federal tax rates, allowances, and thresholds every year. There are seven federal tax brackets for tax year 2022: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. The rates stayed the same, but the income thresholds for all tax brackets increased in 2022 to reflect the rise in inflation. These rates apply to taxable income, which is your gross income after you’ve subtracted the standard deduction or allowable itemized deductions.
Being in one tax bracket doesn’t mean all of your income is taxed at that rate, every bracket is taxed at its own rate. Your standard deduction is determined by your filing status and stays the same regardless of your income. Example: Married, filing jointly with a gross income of $80,000 in 2022. Subtracting the standard deduction of $25,900. Taxable income for 2022 would be $54,100. That puts you in the 12% tax bracket. To calculate your tax bill you’ll pay 10% on the first $20,500 of your income and 12% on the remaining.
Wage Supplement Program
In April 2022, Governor Mills signed the supplemental budget (LD 1995) which included more than $12 million in ongoing state General Fund dollars to increase pay for early childhood educators who are providing direct care. Now Maine has “The Maine Early Childhood Workforce Salary Supplement Program“. The program is open to all child care providers and early childhood educators who provide direct services to children in licensed child care facilities or licensed family child care.
The budget also included $200,000 to support CTE early childhood education program.
Background ~ LD 1652 was important in building support for strengthening the child care workforce in Maine and providing quality programs for families to access. While LD 1652 received strong support through the legislative process, with the Governor writing the wage stipend program into the budget LD 1652 just went away. Language from LD 1652 around credentials and articulation agreements were not included in the budget language.
§3737-A. Early childhood educator workforce salary supplements
“The department shall develop and implement a system to provide salary supplements to child care providers and early childhood educators who provide direct services to children in a child care facility licensed under section 8301‑A, subsection 2 or who are family child care providers licensed under section 8301‑A, subsection 3. Any salary supplement funding provided by the department under this section to a child care facility or family child care provider must be paid by that child care facility or family child care provider in order to increase wages for any child care provider or early childhood educator who provides direct services to children. [PL 2021, c. 635, Pt. RR, §1 (NEW).]”
To be clear family child care providers qualify for this wage supplement and need to count themselves when registering.
The monthly supplement will eventually be based on each individual provider’s level of education and experience. The agreed to language asked for the structure to be tiered. Currently anyone registered with the program who is providing direct care to children is receiving $200 per month.
“Until June 30, 2023, a child care facility or family child care provider shall distribute salary supplements received under this section in the same amount to any child care provider or early childhood educator who provides direct services to children employed by the facility or provider. Beginning July 1, 2023, the department shall establish by rule and shall implement a tiered system for salary supplements under this section. The rules must provide, at a minimum, 3 tiers based on the education and experience levels of child care providers and early childhood educators. The 2nd tier must provide a salary supplement that is at least 50% greater than the first tier and the 3rd tier must provide a salary supplement that is at least 50% greater than the 2nd tier. Rules adopted under this section are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A. [PL 2021, c. 635, Pt. RR, §1 (NEW).]”
The Early Childhood Educator Workforce Salary Supplement Program is administered by Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) through the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS). The Wage Supplement Program began paying registered providers for direct care provided in September 2022.
Providers who have previously received ARPA Child Care Stabilization grant payments received an email with a link and an access code to their personal registration form.
Providers who did NOT receive ARPA Child Care Stabilization grant payments need to register for the wage supplement program.
Providers must have a valid Vendor Code with OCFS to register.
For information on Vendor Codes contact Vickie Bussey at (207) 624-7909 or Vickie.Bussey@maine.gov
Providers will need to fill out the information for their program using this registration link: https://apps.web.maine.gov/online/childcare_grants/provider/login. Upon submitting the program information, providers will receive an access code via email that will allow them to gain entrance to the Early Childhood Educator Workforce Salary Supplement Program.
Once providers are registered with the program, following their first payment, the monthly payments become automatic.
The FCCAM Board had representatives from the Alfond Scholarship Foundation and the Finance Authority of Maine (MAINE) at our Feb. ’23 Quarterly Board meeting. They came to provide information to us as part of reaching out to partners that could help spread the word about their programs and the benefit to Maine’s children and their families.
Colleen J. Quint/ President & CEO / Alfond Scholarship Foundation
Following our meeting we asked that they provide us with information that could be shared with providers. This post includes resource links and slides from their powerpoints. FCCAM is not rendering legal or financial advice. We are passing along information and links to reliable sources with programs that can benefit Maine’s children and families. We encourage providers to make families aware of these programs.
My Alfond Grant
The $500 Alfond Grant is invested automatically for all babies born as Maine residents starting in 2013 (and was available on a more limited basis from 2008-2012).
By the end of 2022, over $70m had been invested for the future education of more than 140,000 Maine children!
This post is in response to questions providers have asked about raising rates, how to figure what rate is required to cover costs, raising expenses, and considering closing.
What is shared in this post is a gathering of reliable information combined with personal experiences. FCCAM is not rendering legal or tax advice. If you require more specific assistance, please consult a legal or tax preparation professional to represent you.
Best business practice start with developing an understanding of what a “Business Budget” is.
Definition: A budget is a projection or a plan for the amount of money that will be made by the child care business and the amount of money that will be spent to operate the child care business during a fiscal year.
A budget is not what is actually made and spent. That info is referred to as “Actuals”.
So why do you need a budget if it really is just a estimate?
You need to have an idea of income and expenses, so you can figure out what your rates need to be. Can you adjust your expenses? Are you paying yourself the wage you need to support your family? Etc…..
How do you go about figuring this out?
Track actual income and expenses (for a least 3 months).
Have a goal in mind for the income you want to have to meet your family needs.
For those already in business you can look at past years’ taxes to track real income and expenses. If a new business you can track 3 months of actual income and expenses. Over 3 months you will probably be able to cover most normal costs and income, so you can then apply that knowledge to a complete fiscal year. Always remember the a child care business can have unexpected changes around number of children in care. If you have known peaks or valleys, such as vacation weeks, no summer care offered, etc, figure those in.
For your goal you need to think about your wage needs. Your child care business is “your job”. When you started your business did you plan be to working for free or volunteering your time providing care for other’s children? Probably not, so what do you need for a wage to support your family? Are there big purchases you want to be able to make? Or upcoming expenses you will need to cover?
Do not forget to budget for RETIREMENT! Get a qualified retirement plan and add a line item to your budget for it. Whether you contribute monthly or once a year, by adding it as a line item to the budget you are prioritizing your retirement. Want to know about Simple IRA plans the IRS has an information page. Your retirement is also impacted by Social Security which is figured from your net income. Need to learn about how Social Security works, especially for self employed here’s a past post: Your Social Security Benefit: How It’s Figured. Also consider opening a free my Social Security account where you can track everything having to do with your personal social security status.
Once you have an good/realistic estimate of your monthly expenses and income, total all expenses for the year and subtract that number from the total income for the year. Is that number you end up with bigger than zero?
If yes, great, you have a budget that projects a profit! Does the profit reflect your financial goal? If yes, great! If not, then you need to look at your budget for ways to adjust expenses and/or increase income.
If no, then you are operating your business in a way that actually costs you money to be in business!
The budgeting process allows you the opportunity to work to change things in the plan before the plan becomes a reality. Your budget also isn’t a once and done. Review it, reflect on your goals and any changing needs. You can make adjustments to your practices and your budget at any time, so your budget reflects what is happening.
Why you need both a business budget and actuals:
Tracking your actuals helps you keep tabs on your current fiscal status.
Tracking your actuals helps you predict your budget for the future.
Your budget helps you plan long-term.
Your budget helps you make better spending decisions in the moment.
Providers have found that once they took the time to do a first budget the following years seemed to work off their “actuals”. They were able to review actuals, think about financial goals for the coming year and see where the budget might need to be adjusted. They did not have to do as much work as the first time. They also had how they tracked/ recorded/ maintained records for their actuals in place. Providers today have options to purchase systems, use hard-copy record keepers, or building their own spreadsheets.
MRTQ has recently offered “Strengthening Business Practices, a solid training around business practices that support sustainability. This training was developed by the National Center in Early Childhood Quality Assurance with grant funds from the US Department of Health and Human Service, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, Office of Child Care, and Health Resources and Services Administration in cooperation with the Education Development Center.
The response from providers who have taken whether new to the profession or having years behind them as small businesses has been really positive. Check MRTQ weekly newsletter “Shortcuts” for the next time it’s offered.
The Professional Learning Committee of FCCAM has been hearing that providers are having difficulty accessing Maine Roads To Quality Training with confusion of On-demand and facilitated trainings over the moodle platform. Our previous post for just On-Demand is linked above. We hope this post will provide a walk through that helps you in navigating trainings found on the Training Calendar.
It starts by accessing Maine Roads To Quality. There are multiple ways to get to the Training section you want.
If you are comfortable logging into your MRTQ Registry (https://mrtq-registry.org/) account start there. DO NOT “Log In” as you would to access the Online/On-demand training.
In the menu bar you will see “Training Calendar”. Click on that.
The next page will look something like this:
You can now search trainings from MRTQ as well as other Training Agencies. If you know the name of the training or have a “keyword” you can use the “Advanced Search”
Using Advanced Search for “MELDS” something like this might come up:
You can now access the training period that works for you by “click here for more information”. You will get description and info on the training / cost / location / price / hours / and space in class. etc.
If space in the trainings then proceed to sign up. If full you will be given the option to sign up on a waiting list. It is recommended that you sign up for the waiting list as MRTQ works to build capacity with new trainings when the list starts to fill up. If there are multiple classes being offered check each you could attend for current openings before adding your name to a wait list.
OR
If you access MRTQ from a linked page where you are already logged in to this page you DO NOT need to access Online Training, but use the menu bar. Click “My Training” for the dropdown box and click Maine ECE Training Calendar. Follow the directions explained above for the Calendar Search.
OR
Start from the MRTQ home page (https://mrtq.org/). Hover over “Training” and a drop down menu list will appear.
You will find “Training Calendar”.
Click it.
Follow the directions explained above for the Calendar Search.
Once you have registered for a Calendar Training you access it through the Online Training access button.
Clicking on this button gets you to any MRTQ Trainings you are currently enrolled in. (It also gets you to the Quality Improvement Toolkit if you have already enrolled in it for ongoing access.)
The open page should looks similar to this:
Skip the block of language and scroll down a bit. You will see “My courses” and all the trainings you are enrolled in will be listed.
Click on the training title and you will be at the training itself.
February 09, 2023 ~ Memo from Office of Child and Family Services
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) announces the adoption of the Quality Rating and Improvement Rules: Rising Stars for ME.
Maine has operated a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for child care providers and other early care and education programs since 2008. Two studies conducted by independent consultant groups (in 2014 and another in 2016) recommended many of the changes in the revised QRIS. In the summer of 2020, a pilot project was launched with 41 participants across program types that included licensed child care facilities, family child care and licensed facilities serving only school-aged children. During the Rising Stars for ME Pilot, programs received the revised standards. The program owner, director, or designated staff person provided feedback to guide additional revisions to the system. OCFS appreciates the pilot participants for their work and input in support of this effort. OCFS also thanks the public for providing comments during the public comment period and public hearing to further guide changes to the rule.
OCFS would like to notify Maine’s Early Care and Education and School Age programs of the transition plan OCFS and our partners at Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network (MRTQ PDN) have in place with the promulgation of the rules.
The transition from Quality for ME into Rising Stars for ME will occur automatically on the evening of March 26, 2023. The Child Care Choices website will be updated accordingly. Rising Stars for ME certificates will be sent to each program via regular mail on March 27, 2023.
Programs will automatically be categorized into the Star Rating equivalent to current Step Level:
Step 1 programs will become a 2 Star program
Step 2 programs will become a 3 Star program
Step 3 programs will become a 4 Star program
Step 4 programs will become a 5 Star program
All programs will have six months to meet all new standards to maintain their new Star Rating. The new Rising Stars for ME certificates will reflect necessary updated certificate expiration dates. Programs that do not meet the new standards after the six-month timeline will be moved to the Star Rating that reflects the standards that the program has met.
OCFS and MRTQ PDN will be providing outreach, support, and technical assistance to all programs prior to the transition into the new Rising Stars for ME system. Programs may also contact OCFS or MRTQ PDN for individual support as needed.
If you have any questions, please contact Amber Taurasi, Early Childcare and Education Quality Specialist, at (207) 626-8684 or Amber.Taurasi@maine.gov
Rising Stars is still considered a voluntary program outside the Licensing requirement that all programs have to be at minimum apply to the program. If you are in compliance with Licensing at this time you should already have applied for Quality for ME. That application will automatically switch over to Rising Stars.
Star 1 is set for licensed exempt provider programs
Star 2 is set for all programs in compliance with current Licensing Rule
Star 5 is set for all nationally accredited programs
Star 3 & 4 are voluntary levels.
Programs can chose to show they meet additional quality improvement requirements to be recognized at any Stars after Star 2. Programs may be eligible for monetary incentives when moving up to these Stars.
If programs placed on Stars above 2 do not complete the requirements before the 6 months period is up they will go back to the lowest Star they have completed all requirements for which is Star 2 if in licensing compliance. Programs are able to update or reapply anytime they have completed the requirements for any Star level.
DHHS, not licensing, will make decision around Star level upon reviewing submitted documentation. Licensing only confirms licensing status. MRTQ is involved through providing trainings and TA support.
FCCAM Professional Learning Committee has been prepping resources to support family child care providers when the new Rising Stars for ME was adopted. MRTQ PDN also has resources in place. The Continuous Quality Improvement CoP for family child care providers will meet the 3rd Thurs. of each month from 6-7:30pm (starting Jan. ’23) by zoom. We will begin sharing resources on Rising Stars at the Feb 16th Continuous Quality Improvement CoP for FCC. This CoP is co-facilitated by MRTQ PDN and FCCAM PLC.
Come learn more about the Rising Star for ME requirements for family child care programs. There will be opportunities to reflect on what you are doing well and where your program policies and practices can improve. We will review resources already in place to help/support programs with assessment and planning goals to meet QRIS requirements.
A reminder email will be sent to all who have registered with information about the topic and meeting agenda. Another reminder will be sent on the day of the CoP with the meeting link. Remember professional growth hours are awarded for your participation in this CoP and can be used to meet your yearly licensing requirements for training. Please email tammy.dwyer@maine.edu with any questions.
FCCAM will also be making a special Rising Stars google folder available as a benefit for Class A members. Members will be able to download or print off the resource checklist docs provided in the folder. These checklists are built to complement the Everything Notebook set-up.
fccamaine.com 