News

CCSA
CCSA Staff

Celebrating Week of The Young Child!

In collaboration with Durham’s Partnership for Children, Child Care Services Association is celebrating the nationally recognized Week of the Young Child from April 1 to 7, 2023. The Week of the Young Child is a time to focus on early childhood education and celebrate the importance of the early years

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CCSA
Savion Thorne

Post Federal Continuing Resolution Funding: Need to Invest in Child Care

October 1 marks the start of the new federal fiscal year (FY2023). As has been customary over the past decade or longer, Congress has not approved individual appropriation bills that fund federal agencies and the programs they administer before the start of the fiscal year. Therefore, as in past years, Congress has approved a continuing resolution to keep programs operating and, in some cases, to provide additional funding rather than freeze current spending.

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Child Care Services Association Adds New T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship for Early Childhood Apprentices

Child Care Services Association’s T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® North Carolina Program announces its newest scholarship opportunity, the Associate Degree Scholarship for Early Childhood Apprentices. This scholarship was developed with the guidance and support of NC’s Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) to uniquely support the educational and experiential needs of apprentices statewide working in licensed programs that are participating in a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program.

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CCSA Newsletter
CCSA Staff

CCSA Communicates: Fall 2022 Edition

Read the latest edition of CCSA Communicates, where you can see all of our activity, successes and plans. Highlights from this edition include: A New Chapter for CCSA’s Leadership AWARD$ Becomes AWARD$ Plus New Birth to 3 Quality Initiative CCSA’s Board Member Highlight Durham Pre-K Governance Leadership National News and

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CCSA
Savion Thorne

Shaping Healthy Lives: Gardening Connections

When working with young children it is so very important to be flexible in your teaching. When you allow them to influence and guide their own learning, wonderful things can happen!

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CCSA
Savion Thorne

Early Childhood Educator Apprenticeship Program: A Pathway to Build Competencies and Pay

In North Carolina and across the country, the child care industry is struggling to recruit and retain workers. It’s a tight labor market and child care programs report difficulty in paying wages that are competitive with other community employers (such as Target or Walmart or McDonalds). Unlike other local employers, child care programs are looking for individuals who have a passion for working with children and also have early childhood competencies important for a business based on promoting the healthy development of children.

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Child Care Services Association Announces New President to Start November 1

This fall, Child Care Services Association (CCSA)’s T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® National Center (National Center) will launch a pilot apprenticeship program in six states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Arkansas Early Childhood Association, Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance of Colorado, Child Care Aware® of Minnesota, Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association, Pennsylvania Child Care Association and Wisconsin Early Childhood Association will work with the National Center to develop pilot apprenticeship programs.

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AWARD$
Savion Thorne

Appreciating AWARD$ Plus: Painting a Masterpiece

Union County toddler teacher LaTonya Pegues got her Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education in her 40s, and she is proud that she went back to school and stuck with it. She said, “It was hard, but I did it! I have a son and two grandchildren. I’m a teacher

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Cover of CCSA 2020-2021 Annual Report featuring a young girl of color holding a teddy bear, both wearing masks
CCSA
CCSA Staff

Building a New Reality During the Pandemic: CCSA’s 2021 Annual Report

In this annual report, you will see the remarkable work child care providers have done to give children the stability and certainty they need during a time when instability still controls every aspect of our lives. You will also see the efforts of our great CCSA staff to continue their work with children, families and child care programs as we see through this pandemic.

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young kids and teacher wearing masks in classroom
CCSA
CCSA Staff

An Historic Leap in Building a Better Future for Children and Families

Today the White House released the framework of the Build Back Better, a historic set of policies and investments in children and families. Child Care Services Association and its T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® National Center applauds the framework released today that puts children’s and families’ health, economic security, and child care and preschool at the center of our national investments, reaping benefits for all of us. We call on Congress to get to the finish line and put this important legislation on the President’s desk as soon as possible as we continue to push for paid leave, a necessary component of child and family well-being. We urge states to apply for both the new child care and preschool programs that together build a better system of early learning. Children and families have waited long enough; let’s get to work to make the better future start now.

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Infant Smiling
NCB3QI
CCSA Staff

Early Intervention and Equity: What You Should Know

In the United States, every child three years of age and under is entitled to specialized support and intervention services in reaching developmental milestones if they have a developmental delay — that is, if they are meeting these milestones more slowly than expected or if they have a high probability of experiencing a delay due to a diagnosed condition. This important piece of legislation falls under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Part C) and is meant to provide a strong foundation for children and their families that will endure over the course of their lifetimes.

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Infant-Toddlers
CCSA Staff

Professional Growth with Practice-Based Coaching

Across the state, every early care and education provider in a licensed child care facility must have a current Professional Development Plan. With the daily responsibilities of supporting individual child development in all domains of growth, communicating with families and coworkers, and meeting health and safety requirements, these plans often

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Infant-Toddlers
CCSA Staff

Circle of Security Classroom Approach

The Circle of Security Classroom Approach (COSC) is an eight-chapter professional development series designed to help promote an understanding of attachment theory and offer support to classroom teachers.  It is modeled after the Circle of Security Parenting series.  COSC is designed to enhance teachers’ abilities to form important relationships with

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News
CCSA Staff

N.C. Governor Proposed Budget, Funds WAGE$ Fully in North Carolina

On Wednesday, March 15,  Governor Cooper issued his recommended budget for Fiscal Year 2023-2025, which is the first stage in this year’s budget process. First in Opportunity, the budget, contains a historic $1.5 billion investment in early education! The budget allocates funds to assist the child care workforce, make child

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