All signed petitions

Linda Piper

From: Child Care Providers United [[email protected]]Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 1:33 AMTo: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];[email protected]

Subject: Fwd: NC ECE CertificationFollow Up Flag: Follow upFlag Status: Red

Page 1 of 1

3/24/2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Terry Carney <[email protected]>Date: Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 12:42 PMSubject: NC ECE CertificationTo: [email protected]

Dear Sirs and Madams,The Institute is incorporating mandates that will require staff to have to double training hours forrenewals. Where will the money come from to pay for the higher cost of CEU's? When aredegreed teachers going to find time to take courses when most work until 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. everyday? Who will remain in the ECE field when they find out that coursework already taken is stillnot enough? What is the value of the NC Star Rated System? More bureaucracy may lead ourcenter towards a GS-110 license. We can be professional, educated, committed, and successful without all of this bureaucracy. Please, do not push us in that direction. Terry CarneyDirector1st Baptist Church Child Development Center,Kernersville, NC

Linda Piper



Subject: Fwd: I am opposedFollow Up Flag: Follow upFlag Status: Red

Page 1 of 2

3/24/2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Center144 <[email protected]>Date: Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 5:32 PMSubject:To: "[email protected]" [email protected]

To whom it may concern:

As a center director, I am opposed to the certification levels being added to rated license. As we look for new teachers for voids in our program, we find it hard already to find qualifiedindividuals. I think this would cause conflict in a lot of areas. I feel that this would cause stressin our childcare programs, with operations and especially teachers. Economic times are difficultand this would put another hardship on our current employees. So I think that this is a bad ideaand I am against it, please take this letter in consideration.

Thank you,

Bridget Plummer

Director

Tanika Green-Williams

Assistant Director

Wanda Donovan

Assistant Director

6889 Cliffdale Rd

Fayetteville, NC 28314

(910)864-6437

Page 2 of 2

3/24/2011

Linda Piper



Subject: Fwd: Enough is Enough.Follow Up Flag: Follow upFlag Status: Red

Page 1 of 1

3/24/2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Keith L. Jones <[email protected]>Date: Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 4:21 PMSubject: Enough is Enough.To: [email protected]

I have enough trouble getting staff to take the required 10 hours per year training. They will never go forthe CEU's. Their intention is to let the certification lapse. I will have to fire and rehire if my stars dependon this. The only reason they are certified is because we were made to do it, we can not afford to pay the$50.00 per staff. Right now I have to concentrate on keeping prices down so that parents can afford childcare. Ourenrollment is still dropping because of subsidy losing money. We need HELP!!!!! Debbie JonesOwnerYoung Children's Learning Centerlicensed for 115, enrolled 72Mocksville,

Linda Piper



Subject: Fwd: This is crazyFollow Up Flag: Follow upFlag Status: Red

Page 1 of 1

3/24/2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: lynn <[email protected]>Date: Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 6:08 PMSubject:To: [email protected]

As a director of a center I am so disgusted with the State of NC and all the regulations they seem to wantto put in place. It is the craziest thing I have ever heard of. Do you not understand we have more rulesand regulations than public school systems? These providers cannot afford to pay salaries @ $12 to $15per hour. How are we supposed to keep parent rates down when you keep increasing therules.and regulations? I think all of us agree that we need to have quality childcare, but apparently the ones creating the rules donot have children or a child in a center. How can you expect a teacher to continue their education and notexpect to be paid additional income for it? This will increase your rates! If the state of NC does not payteachers their compensation, how do you think private providers can do so? Of course it's notyour personnal money...it belongs to the people of NC. It's much easier to decide how to spend someoneelse's money. Anyone who has a center in NC now is facing the hardship of pay increases to the employee who workshard and does a wonderful job verses the teacher that continues taking classes, but is not a good teacherat all. This puts that director in a postion to keep the employee with the credit hours instead of theemployee doing a wonderful job, who is loving, caring, and who teaches the children. Don't you thinkthere is something wrong with this system? We have staff members who can't teach, and are horriblecaregivers, but have education. The majority of the providers aim to provide childcare at reasonable rates, while creating a safe, caring,learning environment. We want to prepare children for school and have them ready to learn and excel. Itis in everyone's best interest to have preschoolers ready for school. I feel the State of NC needs to take a closer look at what needs to be done for the children, and theteachers, in childcare.

NCLCCA • 121 W. Nash Street, Suite 109, Wilson, NC 27893 • phone 252.234.5945 • www.nclcca.org

February 9, 2011

Dear Members of the Child Care Commission:

NCLCCA would like to express our concerns about four of the proposed rule changes. Rule changes for .2819,.2820 and .2822 incorporate “Certification” language into existing education standards and the change to rule.0102 adds a definition of Certification.

We encourage you to spend some time comparing the existing rules with the proposed rules. In order to doso, you will need the following:

The existing rules for sections .2819, .2820 and .2822 (pages 121 to 135 in your red rules book) The proposed rule changes (pages 6 to 13 of the Division of Child Development memo) The most recent copy of the ECE EEC scale (7/1/2010 version) The most recent copy of the SA EEC scale (5/19/2010 version) Star Charts These multi-page handouts are optional, but they more clearly outline the requirements for

education at each star level. Five versions are available on the Division of Child Development website for1) homes 2) centers in a residence 3) school age only programs 4) preschool only programs and 5)programs with school age and preschool.

You will find an already complex rule is becoming almost impossible to follow with the addition of theCertification language, because the two sets of standards are not aligned and were not created together.

As the body charged with creating rules for child care, the Child Care Commission has no previous or currentinvolvement or input into the creation of any portion of the Certification, including scales, fees or renewalrequirements. The Commission would not be able to monitor subsequent changes to Certification if languageis already in rule. There has not been a cost impact study to examine the effect of the Certification process onindividual teachers or on providers in terms of fees, additional costs for CEUs, or additional cost of collegecredits. Without official oversight, the Institute is able to make changes to the Certification process and itbecomes yet one more moving target for providers to try to follow. Lastly, Governor Perdue has requested“no more rules” unless they are absolutely necessary.

If the purpose of suggesting the rule change is truly to give another option for providers to meet educationalcriteria, a well-written policy statement could be shared with providers through the normal Division of ChildDevelopment communication channels and would accomplish the same goal.

For these reasons, the NC Licensed Child Care Association is opposed to incorporating Certification languageinto current rules, as referenced above, and we will be happy to elaborate or answer any questions you mighthave.

Sincerely,

Linda PiperExecutive [email protected]

cc: Dedra Alston, Division of Child Development Rulemaking Coordinator

To: NC Child Care Commission

#1- The cost of $50 is outrageous. Teachers can't afford it, and I end up having topay for it. The state never charged us to review our records, however they did add thelicensing fee, which I thought was to help cover administrative costs. Will the statereduce their fee since they won't have as much paper work to do?

#2- The center is the one required to maintain all these records on staff, however, weare not given any control over it. How can we be held responsible for something thereis no control over? I can't get them to mail a copy of anything to me. I have spent toomuch time chasing these certificates from teachers who are great in the classroom, butcan't seem to follow up on paperwork.

#3- I agree that teachers should continue their education. I see the difference in eachteacher as they take classes and apply their new knowledge in class, however, theamount of classes, or hours is too much. I have several single parent teachers, whodon't have the back up at home to help take a class. I myself, have two children, onewith many special needs. We talk and preach about how the children are our firstpriority, but stress mothers and kids out by making this requirement too strict. I myselfdo not have a degree yet, and I do place my family as a priority in my life. When I takea class I am not as available to my children for the things they need. My son hasautism as one of his "different abilities" and when I can't get him what he needs whenhe perceives that he needs it, I have a 13 year old boy melting down and running outof the house! This is hard enough to deal with and I have a great supportive husband.How on earth are single mothers supposed to do it? I think taking one college levelclass is enough of a requirement. It gives teachers the time and ability to pick andchoose when where and how to take the class. Currently my whole staff has to takeEnglish classes first, so the requirement of two classes and and English class (whichdoesn't count) in the next 1 and 1/2 years! How can this be done? Should I fire themif they don't do this? They are great teachers, that is the last thing I want to do.

To sum it up, it just seems to me that we are adding a 3rd party, who is charging theproviders/owners, who are making our lives more complicated and creating morepaperwork and stress, when the state was doing just fine. I saw nothing wrong withthe way things were. If a center did not want to get their teachers educated, then theywill have to deal with the center down the street who is better and is getting all thekids.

If you have any questions, please give me a call at 828-606-0026.

Sincerely,Nancy OchsDirector/Owner Love and Learning

5587 Camden Road Fayetteville NC 28306

Phone: (910)424-1276 Fax: (910)424-1270 Email: [email protected]

Krystle M. Rambert, Director

Tahshia A. Kornegay, Assistant Director Robyn L. Blankenship, Assistant Director

March 14, 2011


As a center director, I am opposed to the certification levels being added to rated licenses. I think this would cause conflict in a lot of areas. I feel that this would cause stress in our childcare programs, with operations and especially teachers. The effect of certification on rated licenses would be detrimental! If the center staff have not been able to get certified within being reviewed for their ratings, centers could lose stars, family enrollments, and also subsidy funding from local agencies. Economic times are difficult and this would put another hardship on our current employees. Making certification mandatory could make potential teachers think twice about joining the field because now they have to “pay to work”. There will be a shortage of teachers for childcare due to renewal fees as well. In the times that we are living in financially, not everyone can afford to “pay to work” when we are scraping by to feed our families and put gas in our car to get to and from work. I’m sure everyone would love to further their education, but you have to stop and think what is the reason they haven’t already done so? So many teachers have to fund their education as it is. To have certification require that teachers take so many courses in order to renew, the financial burden becomes even greater. I have a great staff and I would hate to lose them due to certification. Please take this letter in consideration as you make your decisions and the potential it can have on those who take care of our children..

Thank you,

Krystle Rambert

Our Fathers Children Inc. Daycare & Learning Center2295 N Horace Walters Rd

Raeford, NC 28376 910-875-8167Perryoberryministries @yahoo.com

March 8, 2011

NC Child Care Commission MembersVia email

RE: Proposed Rules .0102, .2819, .2820 and .2822

Dear Members of the Child Care Commission,

I urge you to NOT add Certification language to child care rules.

I believe Certification, in its current form, is individual. Yet the center will suffer theconsequences if the individual has health issues, financial difficulties or extendedperiods out of the workforce that prevent furthering their education. Other issues suchas budget cuts at the community college and courses filling up quickly can also preventan individual from being able to renew certification and will result in their termination.

We already have two scales and soon to be two additional endorsements to thosescales. How many more will follow? By acknowledging Certification in the child carerule, the Commission is ultimately accepting any future decision the Institute will make.

Governor Perdue and the new state legislative leadership say "No more unnecessaryrules.”

Thank you for your time,

Sincerely,

Rebecca O’Berry/Director

cc: NCLCCA via email ([email protected])

Linda Piper

From: Tappy McMillan [[email protected]]Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 3:55 PMTo: [email protected]: RepealFollow Up Flag: Follow upFlag Status: Red

Page 1 of 1

3/24/2011

I would like to say a very definite NO TO MAKING CERTIFICATION part of the rules. Wehave way too many rules now for working people to try to keep up with and this is just anotherway of making money. There is no reward for the teacher who spends countless week nights andweek-ends of working, trying to get their education after working a full day with little children. And, no extra help for the child development center who is struggling to fill their spots and payextra workers to cover them. I think enough is enough. Why don't you let us get back toteaching the children instead of having the workers so worn out from studying the night before, that they can't implement what they've learned. By the way, I have been a director for 30 yearsand I love my job but I do think you are taking the enjoyment out of teaching with so manyrules. Tappy McMillan McGill CDC Concord, N.C. 28027

Annette GentryCreative Day SchoolPO Box 9220Greensboro, NC [email protected]

March 23, 2011





I believe Certification, in its current form, will increase education requirements on an already heavilyburdened workforce. As the rules are proposed, they are extremely confusing and include hiddenincreases in education required for certain levels.

We already have education requirements in place in the rated license which have worked to improveand increase the education of staff statewide. Why do we need more rules and more confusingregulations?

The industry cannot afford any additional requirements that will increase the cost of child care. We arecurrently pricing quality child care above most middle income parents reach and with more costly rulesparents will simply withdraw their children and place them in unregulated child care arrangements.

Please stop and reconsider the far reaching impact of certification being placed in the child care rules onthe child care industry.


Sincerely,

Annette Combs Gentry


mailto:[email protected]


To Whom It May Concern,

In this field there are many qualified persons who are not getting the pay that is deserved for the workthat is done. Some of these teachers have already obtained a degree and year to year the level ofeducation has not changed. We are moving in a direction that is begging to limit more and morepersons from working in this field.

The decision that the legislators are attempting to make pertaining the yearly recertification is obtuseand needs to be thought out truly. Many of these teachers are already doing enough to barely makeends meet. What must we do to have our legislators think this decision out more carefully? What willhappen to the children who are in the care of these great teachers that are now having more financialburdens upon them year to year? There are more tasks at hand that need the legislator’s attentions.Here are some examples.

1. Increase in fuel prices.2. More fathers walking around owing child support3. Increase in the number of underage pregnancies4. Increase in the number of children in the public school systems and decrease in the number of

teachers.

Just to name a few…

M. Brooks HughesTraining Director2508 Lawndale DriveGreensboro NC, 27408

The Sunshine House #1476533 Hopper Rd.

Fayetteville, NC 28314910-867-9388

March 14, 2011

To Whom It May Concern:

I have never understood the whole purpose of the certification levels; it has caused nothing butconfusion in the child care field. This is a costly program that is causing degreed teachers toleave the Early Child Hood profession. It seems that education is falling at the bottom and it hasturned into a dollar amount, so I ask that you please reconsider the certification so we cancontinue to keep good qualified teachers and provide the quality of service to our children andparents.

Thank you,

Carolyn Pettaway-Director

Debora K. JonesYoung Children’s Learning Center

184 Council StreetMocksville, NC 27028

[email protected]

March 23, 2011





I believe Certification, in its current form, is just another way for the State of North Carolina andthe Division of Child Development to pass on extra cost to the providers. The $50.00 perperson to process the certification is astronomical. With 15 employees, well, you do the math.

Then there is the cost of the CEUs. Right now our class hours are being offered by our localSmart Start at no cost to staff or providers. The CEUs will not be offered by the local SmartStart, (what happened? did the local community colleges vote for the right people or what?) Ihave struggled with getting my employees educated or to hire staff with education, now I will bestruggling with getting their CEUs.

The star ratings are enough of a joke, FYI. I lost a point in my toddler room because thechildren have to step up 1 inch instead of ¼ inch.

Enrollment is down and we are struggling to keep our head above water. We’re losing Subsidy,TEACH, Wages, and our local Smart Start.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Debora K. JonesOwner




Cynthia Denise RhodesThe Sunshine House

3806 Country Club RoadWinston Salem NC

[email protected]

March 23, 2011





I believe that the Certification, in its current form, is a financial burden to teachers in the childcare field.Due to the current average wage of a childcare worker it is a burden to afford for teachers to go toschool to get the CEU classes. At this present time teachers are required to get in service training andthey send their transcripts into Work Force, this is enough. At the current rate before a teacher caneven start they must have a TB ($50.00), Physical ($75.00), Background ($25.00), Fingerprinting ($25.00),one copy of transcript ($5.00), and this is even before you add getting another transcript to send to thenew purposed Educator Certification Program, which will add additional $50.00 on top of everythingelse. Let’s not forget that we have teachers that are underpaid and have not had a raise in several yearsdue to the state of the economy. We already have enough bureaucracy; we have licensing, sanitation,fire inspection, Smart Start, Environmental Rating Scales, More at Four, etc. This is double the work forall of our Office Management teams to deal with.

WE SAY NO TO CERTIFICATION!


Sincerely,

Denise RhodesCenter Director



There are many unknown items in debate in regards to the teacher certification process and allthat it involves. Our staff both old and new are required to pay for this certification uponemployment, and in our opinion this causes a financial burden to the staff member before theyhave even received an employment check from the school they are working for. In today’stough economy it seems a bit much.

There are also many unanswered questions regarding how employees are certified, what countsand what doesn't, who has access to the transcripts (do they go to workforce and you pull theinformation from them or can they come straight to you and workforce may have access), andwhat exactly each certification covers. I have heard that it is undecided as to howadministrators will be certified. Also the time line for getting certifications back seems to be aback log causing some issues.

I am all for teachers having their education as it provides better opportunities for our children,however I disagree that an outside agency should dictate what level you are at and if you don'tcomplete "X" number of college hours before recertification period you may lose yourcertification.

Please take into careful consideration the impact that these items are having on our schools andteachers before deciding their place in our business.

Sincerely,

Donna ArgoRegional [email protected]: 910-426-7466cell: 910-527-8047


Linda PiperNCLCCA

Linda,

I have been trying to keep up with the proposed changes that the legislators are trying tomake concerning the certification of our staff. We have staff that have their BS degreesin early childhood education and we thought that was great. Now they are telling us thatthe degree is not enough. Do you realize that certified teachers in our public schoolsystem are not held to these same standards? In many cases staff can not afford to evenpay the fee to be recertified much less to take on more college classes to keep their job.What can we do to let our legislators know that they are on the WRONG track? Many ofour staff are mothers who work full time. Some are single parents who are doing the bestthat they can. What will happen to these qualified teachers when they loose their jobsbecause of the changes we are about to make.

This will be a financial burden for all. When we have to pay them even more to getbetter qualified that will force us to raise our rates hurting everyone involved includingthe families that we serve. We need to get the message out there that this will not helpthe children of NC but will hurt them instead.

Any thing that you can do will be greatly appreciated.

JoAnne WhaleyCenter DirectorThe Sunshine House4955 Samet DriveHigh Point NC 27265

Lynda TurlingtonSolid Foundations Inc.

PO Box 100Olivia, NC 28368

[email protected]

March 8, 2011





Let me begin by saying that as an early childhood professional I am pleased to be able to seek out Certification as anindividual however, as a child care director I oppose making Certification a licensing rule for the following reasons:

* The cost associated with this certification is another added burden to people entering the early childhood field. Whenwe hire staff they must have a TB, a health physical, a criminal history check and fingerprints. This adds up to become alarge amount of money spent before we will hire anyone. With the Certification as a law this would add an additionalcost burden to entry level staff who will only make $7.25 - $8.00 per hour.

* As a 5 star More at Four program that is working toward NAEYC accreditation we already are trying to seek out highlyeducated staff. We are already mandated by More at Four to hire individuals with B-K license as teachers and AssociateDegree individuals as Assistant teachers. As a program that is of high quality we already have in place a point systemwithin the license that requires us to have a highly educated staff. We have the documentation needed (transcripts) toprove that they meet the requirements. Why then would we have to have a child care rule that adds another form ofdocumentation?

* We hire many support staff that may currently view this job as "babysitting" but that quickly changes because as aprogram we have the following motto "Equip, Educate and Empower." This takes time as we grow professional earlychildhood educators within our program. We offer WAGE$, TEACH and our own incentives to encourage professionaldevelopment. As a program we would push for staff to seek Certification, why then must this become another rule thatwe will be penalized for if it is not met?


Sincerely,

Lynda Turlington, Executive Director




March 8, 2011









Sincerely,



3/14/11

Dear Linda,

I am writing you to express my concerns regarding the EEC certification process. I hadsubmitted my staff’s information back in October and we have not had one of thecertificates come back to show the levels that the girls are at. It is also hard to ask a newemployee to give a check for $50.00 to this organization when we have not received thepromised documents ourselves. I think they have made many demands on our teachersthat are unrealistic and in many not obtainable. I believe we will lose many of our longterm teachers for not going back to school as quickly as they would like them to. Thesalaries in preschool are not high enough to substantiate a full school schedule at thecollege level. Will the demand for higher salaries increase parent weekly tuitions? Thiswill greatly impact the many families already struggling to pay for a quality preschoolprogram- isn’t that what we want in the long run – to have the privilege to educate theyoung children in our community and help mold great little individuals who are ready tomeet the challenges of Kindergarten and beyond.

From an administrator’s stand point, I am frustrated with the whole process – we cram somuch information to our new employees with all of the rules and regulations, take theirmoney and submit transcripts and then they receive nothing – it is difficult to explain thatthey are holding $50.00 and they have nothing to show for it. How can they do that? Ialso find it difficult to find the funds and time to have teachers out of their classrooms toobtain more training hours to fulfill this requirement. It is hard enough to find someduring the day and to get coverage, but some are only offered at night and again we areasking them to do more after putting in a full day of 100% dedication to their students.How are they compensated for this as well not to mention the strain financially on theschools who are trying to make ends meet and meet their budgets.

This whole process in my opinion was not thought out well enough and I do not thinkthat they have polled the appropriate amount of educators in the field doing it each dayand managing schools throughout North Carolina.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns and I hope to see more resolution tothe concerns that Early Educators and Administrators have with the program.

Sincerely,

Robyn AdamsCenter DirectorThe Sunshine House # 116

March 14, 2011


I am writing to let you know that I am against the new early childhoodcertification rules. My staff, most of whom make less than $10/hour, areforced to pay $50 to mail their transcripts and credentials into the state, onlyto receive a paper certificate months later. This cost is on top of their out-of-pocket costs to be fingerprinted, background checked and TB-tested at thetime of hire. In addition, they are required to be re-certified every threeyears and pay for continuing education courses that they must squeeze in totheir already busy schedules. This is putting a burden on child care centersthat are losing high-quality teachers whom are underpaid and over-qualified.We are constantly hiring and training new staff at lower pay rates who willeventually leave for more money as well, perhaps choosing a newprofession.

The red tape for child care professionals must be stopped, and certification isa good place to start.

Sincerely,

Sally W. Lehmann, DirectorDebra Miller, Co-DirectorThe Sunshine House5825 Phyliss LaneMint Hill, NC [email protected]

Tonia PenningtonCreative Day School1010 Williamson Ave

Elon, NC 27244336-584-5678

[email protected]

March 23, 2011





I believe Certification, in its current form, will not benefit child care as a whole. We havetenior staff that have been with us for many years, whom have continued to get their 15semester credits hours to be considered a lead. These ladies have been out of schoolfor a long time and worked very hard to meet this level. And, now they are having tobeing forced to go back for more. I feel like we are just booting them out the door as ifthey do not exist. I do think that Child Care is very important and that we all can makean impact on a child’s development, but I do not feel like this certification is a way todo that. I feel like you are trying to put child care out of business by going on to thecertification. The CEU training can have some beneficial information for child careteachers, but it should be optional to take semester long courses and not required. Youare going to loose many loving, nurturing staff and we will have to replace them withteachers who could care less about the child’s interest. We, as child care directors willbe forced to hire just anyone off the streets, and not someone who really wants to carefor our children. Please reconsider this Certification requirement.


Sincerely,

Tonia Pennington




The Sunshine House #148324 Teal DriveRaeford, NC 28376March 14, 201910-875-7727


As a child care provider, I am very concern about the certification levels that arebeing proposed as additions to rated license education levels. My concerns areadditional cost parents will have to pay to already costly child care and whathappens when TEACH runs out of scholarship money. These are very realconcerns! Providers and parents are struggling now to stay ahead of what isneeded to provide quality childcare. It seems every time we reach one goal, youare moving it further away to keep us from obtaining our ultimate goal! We aregoing to lose quality degree teachers in our preschools if you force them to goback and continue to take college courses. I ask you to please, reconsider yourposition on this matter and consider what is best for our children, parents,teachers and providers.

Sincerely,

Valerie Sutton, Director

Valerie M. WestonABC Adventures118 Industrial Dr

Louisburg, NC 27549919-496-2886

[email protected]

March 8, 2011





I believe Certification, in its current form, is more than enough for directors/owners to deal with. Thecurrent Certification makes more paperwork, cost more in transcripts and postage, and contact withmore agencies. Again, I urge you to NOT add Certification language to child care rules.


Sincerely,

Valerie M. Weston


Annette GentryCreative Day SchoolPO Box 9220Greensboro, NC [email protected]

March 23, 2011





I believe Certification, in its current form, will increase education requirements on an already heavilyburdened workforce. As the rules are proposed, they are extremely confusing and include hiddenincreases in education required for certain levels.

We already have education requirements in place in the rated license which have worked to improveand increase the education of staff statewide. Why do we need more rules and more confusingregulations?

The industry cannot afford any additional requirements that will increase the cost of child care. We arecurrently pricing quality child care above most middle income parents reach and with more costly rulesparents will simply withdraw their children and place them in unregulated child care arrangements.

Please stop and reconsider the far reaching impact of certification being placed in the child care rules onthe child care industry.


Sincerely,

Annette Combs Gentry





In this field there are many qualified persons who are not getting the pay that is deserved for the workthat is done. Some of these teachers have already obtained a degree and year to year the level ofeducation has not changed. We are moving in a direction that is begging to limit more and morepersons from working in this field.

The decision that the legislators are attempting to make pertaining the yearly recertification is obtuseand needs to be thought out truly. Many of these teachers are already doing enough to barely makeends meet. What must we do to have our legislators think this decision out more carefully? What willhappen to the children who are in the care of these great teachers that are now having more financialburdens upon them year to year? There are more tasks at hand that need the legislator’s attentions.Here are some examples.

1. Increase in fuel prices.2. More fathers walking around owing child support3. Increase in the number of underage pregnancies4. Increase in the number of children in the public school systems and decrease in the number of

teachers.

Just to name a few…

M. Brooks HughesTraining Director2508 Lawndale DriveGreensboro NC, 27408

The Sunshine House #1476533 Hopper Rd.

Fayetteville, NC 28314910-867-9388

March 14, 2011


I have never understood the whole purpose of the certification levels; it has caused nothing butconfusion in the child care field. This is a costly program that is causing degreed teachers toleave the Early Child Hood profession. It seems that education is falling at the bottom and it hasturned into a dollar amount, so I ask that you please reconsider the certification so we cancontinue to keep good qualified teachers and provide the quality of service to our children andparents.

Thank you,

Carolyn Pettaway-Director

Debora K. JonesYoung Children’s Learning Center

184 Council StreetMocksville, NC 27028

[email protected]

March 23, 2011





I believe Certification, in its current form, is just another way for the State of North Carolina andthe Division of Child Development to pass on extra cost to the providers. The $50.00 perperson to process the certification is astronomical. With 15 employees, well, you do the math.

Then there is the cost of the CEUs. Right now our class hours are being offered by our localSmart Start at no cost to staff or providers. The CEUs will not be offered by the local SmartStart, (what happened? did the local community colleges vote for the right people or what?) Ihave struggled with getting my employees educated or to hire staff with education, now I will bestruggling with getting their CEUs.

The star ratings are enough of a joke, FYI. I lost a point in my toddler room because thechildren have to step up 1 inch instead of ¼ inch.

Enrollment is down and we are struggling to keep our head above water. We’re losing Subsidy,TEACH, Wages, and our local Smart Start.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Debora K. JonesOwner




Cynthia Denise RhodesThe Sunshine House

3806 Country Club RoadWinston Salem NC

[email protected]

March 23, 2011





I believe that the Certification, in its current form, is a financial burden to teachers in the childcare field.Due to the current average wage of a childcare worker it is a burden to afford for teachers to go toschool to get the CEU classes. At this present time teachers are required to get in service training andthey send their transcripts into Work Force, this is enough. At the current rate before a teacher caneven start they must have a TB ($50.00), Physical ($75.00), Background ($25.00), Fingerprinting ($25.00),one copy of transcript ($5.00), and this is even before you add getting another transcript to send to thenew purposed Educator Certification Program, which will add additional $50.00 on top of everythingelse. Let’s not forget that we have teachers that are underpaid and have not had a raise in several yearsdue to the state of the economy. We already have enough bureaucracy; we have licensing, sanitation,fire inspection, Smart Start, Environmental Rating Scales, More at Four, etc. This is double the work forall of our Office Management teams to deal with.

WE SAY NO TO CERTIFICATION!


Sincerely,

Denise RhodesCenter Director



There are many unknown items in debate in regards to the teacher certification process and allthat it involves. Our staff both old and new are required to pay for this certification uponemployment, and in our opinion this causes a financial burden to the staff member before theyhave even received an employment check from the school they are working for. In today’stough economy it seems a bit much.

There are also many unanswered questions regarding how employees are certified, what countsand what doesn't, who has access to the transcripts (do they go to workforce and you pull theinformation from them or can they come straight to you and workforce may have access), andwhat exactly each certification covers. I have heard that it is undecided as to howadministrators will be certified. Also the time line for getting certifications back seems to be aback log causing some issues.

I am all for teachers having their education as it provides better opportunities for our children,however I disagree that an outside agency should dictate what level you are at and if you don'tcomplete "X" number of college hours before recertification period you may lose yourcertification.

Please take into careful consideration the impact that these items are having on our schools andteachers before deciding their place in our business.

Sincerely,

Donna ArgoRegional [email protected]: 910-426-7466cell: 910-527-8047


Linda PiperNCLCCA

Linda,

I have been trying to keep up with the proposed changes that the legislators are trying tomake concerning the certification of our staff. We have staff that have their BS degreesin early childhood education and we thought that was great. Now they are telling us thatthe degree is not enough. Do you realize that certified teachers in our public schoolsystem are not held to these same standards? In many cases staff can not afford to evenpay the fee to be recertified much less to take on more college classes to keep their job.What can we do to let our legislators know that they are on the WRONG track? Many ofour staff are mothers who work full time. Some are single parents who are doing the bestthat they can. What will happen to these qualified teachers when they loose their jobsbecause of the changes we are about to make.

This will be a financial burden for all. When we have to pay them even more to getbetter qualified that will force us to raise our rates hurting everyone involved includingthe families that we serve. We need to get the message out there that this will not helpthe children of NC but will hurt them instead.

Any thing that you can do will be greatly appreciated.

JoAnne WhaleyCenter DirectorThe Sunshine House4955 Samet DriveHigh Point NC 27265

Lynda TurlingtonSolid Foundations Inc.

PO Box 100Olivia, NC 28368

[email protected]

March 8, 2011





Let me begin by saying that as an early childhood professional I am pleased to be able to seek out Certification as anindividual however, as a child care director I oppose making Certification a licensing rule for the following reasons:

* The cost associated with this certification is another added burden to people entering the early childhood field. Whenwe hire staff they must have a TB, a health physical, a criminal history check and fingerprints. This adds up to become alarge amount of money spent before we will hire anyone. With the Certification as a law this would add an additionalcost burden to entry level staff who will only make $7.25 - $8.00 per hour.

* As a 5 star More at Four program that is working toward NAEYC accreditation we already are trying to seek out highlyeducated staff. We are already mandated by More at Four to hire individuals with B-K license as teachers and AssociateDegree individuals as Assistant teachers. As a program that is of high quality we already have in place a point systemwithin the license that requires us to have a highly educated staff. We have the documentation needed (transcripts) toprove that they meet the requirements. Why then would we have to have a child care rule that adds another form ofdocumentation?

* We hire many support staff that may currently view this job as "babysitting" but that quickly changes because as aprogram we have the following motto "Equip, Educate and Empower." This takes time as we grow professional earlychildhood educators within our program. We offer WAGE$, TEACH and our own incentives to encourage professionaldevelopment. As a program we would push for staff to seek Certification, why then must this become another rule thatwe will be penalized for if it is not met?


Sincerely,

Lynda Turlington, Executive Director




March 8, 2011









Sincerely,



3/14/11

Dear Linda,

I am writing you to express my concerns regarding the EEC certification process. I hadsubmitted my staff’s information back in October and we have not had one of thecertificates come back to show the levels that the girls are at. It is also hard to ask a newemployee to give a check for $50.00 to this organization when we have not received thepromised documents ourselves. I think they have made many demands on our teachersthat are unrealistic and in many not obtainable. I believe we will lose many of our longterm teachers for not going back to school as quickly as they would like them to. Thesalaries in preschool are not high enough to substantiate a full school schedule at thecollege level. Will the demand for higher salaries increase parent weekly tuitions? Thiswill greatly impact the many families already struggling to pay for a quality preschoolprogram- isn’t that what we want in the long run – to have the privilege to educate theyoung children in our community and help mold great little individuals who are ready tomeet the challenges of Kindergarten and beyond.

From an administrator’s stand point, I am frustrated with the whole process – we cram somuch information to our new employees with all of the rules and regulations, take theirmoney and submit transcripts and then they receive nothing – it is difficult to explain thatthey are holding $50.00 and they have nothing to show for it. How can they do that? Ialso find it difficult to find the funds and time to have teachers out of their classrooms toobtain more training hours to fulfill this requirement. It is hard enough to find someduring the day and to get coverage, but some are only offered at night and again we areasking them to do more after putting in a full day of 100% dedication to their students.How are they compensated for this as well not to mention the strain financially on theschools who are trying to make ends meet and meet their budgets.

This whole process in my opinion was not thought out well enough and I do not thinkthat they have polled the appropriate amount of educators in the field doing it each dayand managing schools throughout North Carolina.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns and I hope to see more resolution tothe concerns that Early Educators and Administrators have with the program.

Sincerely,

Robyn AdamsCenter DirectorThe Sunshine House # 116

March 14, 2011


I am writing to let you know that I am against the new early childhoodcertification rules. My staff, most of whom make less than $10/hour, areforced to pay $50 to mail their transcripts and credentials into the state, onlyto receive a paper certificate months later. This cost is on top of their out-of-pocket costs to be fingerprinted, background checked and TB-tested at thetime of hire. In addition, they are required to be re-certified every threeyears and pay for continuing education courses that they must squeeze in totheir already busy schedules. This is putting a burden on child care centersthat are losing high-quality teachers whom are underpaid and over-qualified.We are constantly hiring and training new staff at lower pay rates who willeventually leave for more money as well, perhaps choosing a newprofession.

The red tape for child care professionals must be stopped, and certification isa good place to start.

Sincerely,

Sally W. Lehmann, DirectorDebra Miller, Co-DirectorThe Sunshine House5825 Phyliss LaneMint Hill, NC [email protected]

Tonia PenningtonCreative Day School1010 Williamson Ave

Elon, NC 27244336-584-5678

[email protected]

March 23, 2011





I believe Certification, in its current form, will not benefit child care as a whole. We havetenior staff that have been with us for many years, whom have continued to get their 15semester credits hours to be considered a lead. These ladies have been out of schoolfor a long time and worked very hard to meet this level. And, now they are having tobeing forced to go back for more. I feel like we are just booting them out the door as ifthey do not exist. I do think that Child Care is very important and that we all can makean impact on a child’s development, but I do not feel like this certification is a way todo that. I feel like you are trying to put child care out of business by going on to thecertification. The CEU training can have some beneficial information for child careteachers, but it should be optional to take semester long courses and not required. Youare going to loose many loving, nurturing staff and we will have to replace them withteachers who could care less about the child’s interest. We, as child care directors willbe forced to hire just anyone off the streets, and not someone who really wants to carefor our children. Please reconsider this Certification requirement.


Sincerely,

Tonia Pennington




The Sunshine House #148324 Teal DriveRaeford, NC 28376March 14, 201910-875-7727


As a child care provider, I am very concern about the certification levels that arebeing proposed as additions to rated license education levels. My concerns areadditional cost parents will have to pay to already costly child care and whathappens when TEACH runs out of scholarship money. These are very realconcerns! Providers and parents are struggling now to stay ahead of what isneeded to provide quality childcare. It seems every time we reach one goal, youare moving it further away to keep us from obtaining our ultimate goal! We aregoing to lose quality degree teachers in our preschools if you force them to goback and continue to take college courses. I ask you to please, reconsider yourposition on this matter and consider what is best for our children, parents,teachers and providers.

Sincerely,

Valerie Sutton, Director

Valerie M. WestonABC Adventures118 Industrial Dr

Louisburg, NC 27549919-496-2886

[email protected]

March 8, 2011





I believe Certification, in its current form, is more than enough for directors/owners to deal with. Thecurrent Certification makes more paperwork, cost more in transcripts and postage, and contact withmore agencies. Again, I urge you to NOT add Certification language to child care rules.


Sincerely,

Valerie M. Weston


March 28, 2011

Dear Esteemed Commissioners,

Please accept this letter on behalf of Building Blocks Child Care and Development Centers as our officialopposition to the Early Educator Certification being entered into DCD rule. We believe that as a five starfacility our staff already more than exceeds the minimum educational qualifications for facilities andthat EEC simply adds more paperwork and expense to our already over-regulated system.

We are also bothered by the seemingly underhanded tactics that the Institute has employed in order topush this process through the legislature without any public input and basically frightened everyone intobecoming certified. And now because many of us took advantage of the free certification process, theInstitute is claiming that because we are certified we are in support of the process, which simply is nottrue.

While fundamentally not opposed to individual certification, we believe this should be a voluntaryprocess. While the Institute claims that certification will put more responsibility on each individual childcare professional, it will ultimately be the facility that is out of compliance or breaking the law when anindividual is not certified or their certification expires.

Other issues we have with certification are as follows:

EEC levels are not equivalent to current star rated license educational levels and may causefacilities to lose stars

CEU’s are quite expensive and difficult to find The number of CEU’s required for renewal is, in some cases, double what current in-service

hours are The time for current staff to find and take courses is unrealistic, not to mention expensive Facilities may have to fire staff at the end of their renewal period if they have not found enough

CEU’s to take We already ask under-paid workers to pay over $150 in pre-employment requirements (TB test,

physical, criminal background check, drug screen) and we are now going to implement another$50 for certification?

These are but a few issues we have with Early Educator Certification becoming part of the DCD rules andregulations. Please see our attached petitions where several of our staff has signed in opposition of EECbecoming rule. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about our position. Thank you.

Sincerely,Lisa A. KyesLisa A. KyesCenter Director

Primary Beginnings, LLCP.O. Box 97245Raleigh, N.C. [email protected]

March 21, 2011




I urge you to NOT add Certification language to child care rules.I have been in the field for over 25 years. I’ve watched our field become more educated and moreprofessional. As an advocate for the Early Childhood field, I believe we’ve made great strides in doingwhat is right for the children.

My issue with the certification process is that it’s mandatory and we were not given a choice. I was partof the focus group in the beginning and was supportive of the process when it was a volunteer process.We currently have 59 staff members. 24 staff members are single mothers of which only 9 have familysupport and have completed their degree. This leaves us with 15 staff members that will struggle tofigure out how to get 60 CEUs or 3 college courses in the next 3 years while raising a family without anysupport. Will we have to terminate 15 staff members in 3 years? Many of these staff members havealready said they need to go to school during the day because they don’t have anyone to keep theirchildren at night. And on top of that, they need to maintain a 40 hour work week, to be able tofinancially care for their children.

The Certification scale does not match the rated license education scale. A teacher with an AA degree inEarly Childhood is recognized on the same NCECEPC level as someone in school for their degree.However in the rated license scale, the degree lead teacher would be 7 points while the one in schoolwould be 5 points.

The proposal is to add the language to give us a choice between the rated license scale OR theCertification scale. However in a few years, one of the scales would be dropped from the language andwe’ll be left with the scale that requires all teachers to go back to school.

While all these issues need to be taken to the legislators and is not in your control, what is in yourcontrol is not to add more language to our existing rules.

Sincerely,

Lara Siffer, President


March 18, 2011

To Whom it may concern:

Our center is opposed to the certification rule. Child care employees can notafford the high cost of CEU credits. We already work a full day, not getting offuntil 6:00, when would we have time to take more college credits? Thecertification itself is very expensive- we do not make enough money per hourcurrently to support our families, how can we afford more money out of pocketfor certification?

From a director's stand point how will I have enough staff members to coverthose out of the work place to get CEU credits? The reason children in earlychildhood learn and develop is consistency among their teachers and a consistentroutine each day. Taking teachers away for classes at a community college eachday would really be detrimental. Our center did participate in the freecertification period, only because I was scared not to.

I do not support the certification becoming a rule.

Amy HatleyOwner/Director

All Star Learning Center34455 Springdale Dr.New London, NC 28127704-463-4422

The Children’s Room131 Masondale AvenueDurham, N.C. 27707(919)682-9294March 18, 2011

Dear Commission:

It is with great concern that I address this committee concerning a rule on Early ChildhoodCertification. The first concern I have is a separate organization outside of the Division of ChildDevelopment setting standards of operation that have not been first approved by the division.I think this will be very confusing. There is still a great lag in star rating/education levels andthe childcare market rate. Overall if childcare programs passed on the cost of quality care tothe general population, quality care would not be obtainable. This Certification is anotherdirect hit against making quality an attainable goal for the majority of individually ownedprograms.The ECC recognizes CEU’s which(the majority of those training opportunities) aremore expensive than training hours. Childcare programs are still absorbing the cost of thetransition to star rating system.

Please follow the request of Governor Purdue and do not continue to make unnecessary rules.The division of child development should be at the forefront and any policies that concern childdevelopment in North Carolina not an afterthought. We do not need another agency to befunded by the state, and providers do not need another agency (set of rules) to follow. Pleasedo not make a rule in accordance with the ECC.

Thank you for your time and consideration

Sincerely,

Danielle Caldwell

:drc


We would like to express first and foremost how important quality child care is for children andfamilies. We are in support of increasing the quality of care given to children and families in the state ofNorth Carolina. We are in support of educating child care givers and early childhood teachers. We agreewith raising the bar and striving for the best for each and every child. Early childhood teachers reachchildren when others cannot. They are allowed into children’s lives to help shape them, help them learn,to teach them a love of learning and of life. Early childhood educators can play a distinctive role in achild’s discovery of learning. To be the hope, the light, or the understanding to a child that needs itrequires so much from a teacher.

Some teachers, as children, don’t have the opportunity for a higher education. Many opportunities aremissed due to financial needs, time, and sometimes lack of encouragement. We need to question themeans in which we are seeking higher quality child care. Teachers who make nine dollars an hoursupporting themselves cannot afford to pursue an education or even costly CEU’s. If we strive for thebest, we need to offer resources, positive reinforcement and encouragement. We need to createopportunity, not mandate unreachable requirements. If centers, corporations, and even non-for profitorganizations are required to pay to reach such requirements we all need to be aware of all affected bythis decision. In meeting these extra financial needs, directors, board members, teachers, families, andmost important of all the children are all affected. Tuition prices will be raised in an already hardeconomic time causing families more stress and sometimes children to not attend a place they havegrown to love, feel comfortable and secure every day. We feel the effects of financial burden alreadyand that burden needs to be made lighter instead of heavier. If state mandated regulations areenforced, there needs to be an immediately available way provided by the state to reach, maintain, andsurpass all regulations. We can all make a difference everyday in every child’s life whether we are in aclassroom or in an office.

Sincerely,

Debbie Chitou; Center Director

Elizabeth Hughes; Assistant Director

The Sunshine House

Gail Windsor, DirectorFirst Baptist Child Development Center400 S. Broad StreetBurlington, NC 27215(336)[email protected]

March 18, 2011


RE: Propose Rules .0102, .2819, .2820 and .2822



I believe Certification in its current form has created a whole net set of education standards, anotherplace to send transcripts, another website to learn to maneuver and another "body" deciding all kinds ofthings about training, who can train, what will count, etc.

The proposed options include using Certification levels to meet education standards. This will alsoincrease the number of semester hours required for staff at certain point levels and in certain staffcategories.

CEU'S cost more than training hours, therefore renewal of certification will cost more than it costs to meetthe current standard for annual training hours. The flexible programs that allow CEU'S to be earned onthe teacher's time schedule wuill be much more expensive placing a fininancial burden on the teacherand/or the center.

We already have two scales and soon to be two additional endorsements to those scales. If theCommission acknowledges Certification in the child care rule, they will be accepting any future decisionthe Institute will make.

North Carolina doesn't need another bureaucracy....we already have licensing, Smart Start, More at Four,Resource & Referral.

I am tired of unnecessary rules and red tape!

Governor Perdue and the state legislative leadership say "No more unnecessary rules". GovernorPerdue's Executive Order #70 --Stop creation of any new rules unless absolutely necessary.


Sincerely,

Gail Windor, Director

cc:NCLCCA via email([email protected])[email protected]@[email protected]

Hazel KennedyTwo By Two Early Childhood Development Center607 McBrayer Homestead RoadShelby, NC 28152(704) [email protected]

March 17, 2011





I believe Certification, in its current form, will put many child care centers out of business. Wewill not be able to hire any staff with these ridiculous requirements.

Where is the money going to come from to pay for the higher cost of CEUs? Who will pay staffhigher salaries when they take extra coursework? Why would they stay in a job that is nowsaying their degree in early childhood development is not enough?

Please reconsider this proposed rule. It is disheartening enough to struggle with what theeconomy has done to us and the high Unemployment Tax Rate, and now you are addinganother burden.


Sincerely,

Hazel KennedyPresident, Two By Two ECDC, Inc.Shelby, NC

We are a Developmental Day Center and have MANY rules and regulations to follow.We were led to believe that Certification was already required for all staff membersother than certified teachers. We have applied for certification for all of our staffeven though we think it is totally unnecessary and just one more hoop to jumpthrough. I already have a Master's Degree in special education and am a Level IIIadministrator. What can this certification possibly do for me other than give me morepaperwork to fill out?

Please vote to repeal this certification.

Janet SellersExecutive DirectorFrankie Lemmon School & Developmental CenterRaleigh.

3-15-2011

I would like to express how I feel about the changes being forced on us in the childcare industry.

It is hard to find qualified staff with the requirements the state mandates today. Work Force is still keepingus months behind and now this additional burden. Staff does not have money to pay for all the educationalrequirements with making an average of $10. They would need to spend time from home, work andpersonal activities with family in order to meet the new requirement. This will be a great financial burden onour staff.

No reason to change something before we have worked out all the issues of our present agencies. WorkForce has been here for years and still not caught up so why anyone would be allowed to add somethingelse is beyond my comprehension?

Who WILL pay?

When would they get all the extra educational classes when they have family obligations and full time jobs?Some work 2 jobs to make ends meet.

How does this really improve a child’s daily experiences or future? I have many GREAT teachers that donot have the formal education and provide much better classrooms from experience than ones withdegrees from books and formal educational classrooms.

How can you enforce something no one has any knowledge of even being discussed prior? Even our stateconsultants did not know about this or how to answer our questions.

Who does the certification really benefit?

As we rushed to meet the deadline for early processing to avoid the $50, where did it say it would expirebefore regular participants and therefore causing us to meet the ongoing requirements earlier?

How was this program communicated so actual participants would completely understand what wasexpected long term before sending anything in to be processed? Someone should care enough to findways to stabilize what we already have, then you will be able to see what is broken that needs fixing. Now,after going through the recession, is not the right time to add additional mandates and more burden on us.Help us be strong in North Carolina. Do not allow the rules to change without regard to impact long term toour childcare industry and give a chance to hear our voices prior to making new rules.

Regards,

Jeanne ArnwineRegional DirectorThe Sunshine House

March 17, 2011


As a child care administrator the continuous rule changes andimplementation of new policies is absolutely outrageous! The fact that wenow have to send a whole new form and transcripts in for certification on allour staff is just too much. Would you please give us a break and let ustake care of the children!!!

The amount of time and money it takes to meet all these new requirementsis overwhelming. Enough is enough! I agree that certain rules andrequirements need to be in place to ensure the safety and well-being of thechildren but we seem to be losing sight of the children in our attempts to"professionalize" the early childhood program. My parents at our centercouldn't care less about my teacher's degree or certification. They careabout how that teacher treats their child and meets their needs. We needto stop trying to pattern our field after the public school system and getback to the caring and nurturing of the children.

Marilyn KennedyAdministratorDeep Run Child Care Center

Hi Linda,

I do not support certification as being part of the rules that day cares must support bothfinancially and sending in paper work. If it becomes part of the rules, we should beinformed as to what part of training or and schooling it replaces.

I do not remember putting my name on a list. However, I can’t say that someone put myname on the list either. Please remove my name from the list in support of certificationbeing part of the rules until I know how it will affect me both positive and negative.

Thanks,

Nettie

I was asked to fill out a "survey monkey" concerning the Early Educator Certification. I hada misunderstanding with the survey. I took it to "ask" if I would be in support of centralizingwhere to send in transcripts etc. I DO NOT SUPPORT THE EARLY EDUCATORCERTIFICATION. I DO NOT SUPPORT IT BEING A RULE.

This certification should have been in the works 30 years ago - not now. Childcare workersCANNOT afford on their wages to pay for school. As a director, I feel I cannot pay for anycollege classes for my staff. My fear is they would not stay with my program and where isthe money going to come from to pay college educated childcare workers?

Vonda KruegerSandBox Director -- KLINGSPOR Abrasives, Inc.

Phone: 828-326-0286 Fax: 828-326-0303The Most Sanding Power for Your Money Since 1893!

http://www.klingspor.com

Documents

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