Training and Technical Assistance for the National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance (NCECQA)

The purpose of this requirement is to continue support for the NCECQA as it provides resources and T/TA to state, territorial, and tribal child care agencies, Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) agencies, and other ECE settings across regions to support the implementation of several child care policy priorities outlined by the Early Childhood T/TA System, including: • Increasing payment rates to all child care providers in all settings by encouraging states to raise reimbursement rates aligned with the cost of quality child care • Increasing wages for child care providers by directing states to develop a wage ladder that supports a living wage for all child care providers and enhances pay for those with more experience and credentials as well as identifying opportunities to extend benefits such as health insurance to child care providers • Improving supply and availability of child care in low-income and rural areas by providing start up grants, helping providers become licensed, extending grants and contracts to existing providers, creating family child care networks, providing bonus payments for after-hours care, and expanding Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships • Increasing access to safe, high-quality child care options for low-income families and underserved communities of color and immigrant communities, with a particular focus on families that have lost employment or income due to the COVID-19 pandemic