Whether you’re in need of educational scholarships, wage and scholarship support, technical assistance and professional development or help with providing healthy beginnings in your child care program—CCSA programs make it easy for those working with young children to get support locally, statewide and nationally.
How CCSA Helps
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T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship NC
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship NC provides debt-free college education with comprehensive scholarships for the early education workforce.
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Child Care WAGE$® Program
The Child Care WAGE$® program provides tiered education-based salary supplements to teachers, directors and family child care educators in North Carolina. The goal is better-educated teachers and better outcomes for children.
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Infant-Toddler Educator AWARD$® Plus
Modeled after WAGE$, Infant-Toddler Educator AWARD$® Plus focuses on infant-toddler teachers and family child care providers in all 100 N.C. counties. Low-paid educators working with children from birth through two may be eligible for salary supplements.
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Professional Development
CCSA offers a variety of professional development opportunities which encompass not only CCSA’s workshops, but also workshops offered by other organizations in our local communities.
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Technical Assistance
CCSA provides technical assistance and support to child care centers and family child care homes as they work to improve program practices and standards in an effort to increase or maintain higher star-ratings.
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Child Care Referral Central
CCSA helps families understand child care, recognize the value of quality and find child care programs for their family. Contact us to help CCSA refer families to your child care program, school or camp.
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Birth-to-Three Quality Initiative
The Birth-to-Three Quality Initiative improves the quality and availability of care for children ages birth to three in North Carolina. The program team serves all 100 N.C. counties through specialists providing individualized coaching and support for teachers and administrators in birth-to-three classrooms.
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spoonFULL
Looking for affordable and nutritious child care catering? Following USDA guidelines, spoonFULL, formerly CCSA Meal Services Program, provides two tasty and nutritious meals plus a snack per day to children enrolled in participating child care centers.
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Child and Adult Care Food Program
CCSA can help your facility improve the nutritional status of young children by supporting your participation in the Child and Adult Food Care Program (CACFP).
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Shape NC
Help prevent childhood obesity. Start promoting healthy behaviors early through healthy eating and active play with Shape NC. Available in Orange and Durham counties.
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Durham PreK
Durham PreK improves the quality of preschool programs in Durham County by providing financial support and training opportunities for teachers while increasing eligibility and accessibility for families to enroll their children.
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T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® National Center
The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® National Center provides leadership in the early childhood education field to states across the country and to our nation’s policymakers and helps ensure accountability and successful outcomes for all T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® and Child Care WAGE$® programs across the country.
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Early Childhood Workforce
Child Care Services Association (CCSA) has long recognized that an essential element of high-quality Early Childhood Education is a strong, educated workforce that nurtures and teaches young children. CCSA periodically releases white papers and hosts webinars focusing on the early childhood educator workforce with state and national partners.
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Early Childhood Homelessness
Homelessness jeopardizes the health, development and education of young children. Provide help and learn more with CCSA’s services.
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NC ECE Shared Resources
NC ECE Shared Resources is an easy-to-use, online platform created for child care program owners, administrators and classroom teachers to be a “one-stop-shop” that will save you time, money and help you continuously improve the quality of your services.
Programs News
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Mikaela Mock: A Leader in Early Childhood Education
For Mikaela and her colleagues, WAGE$ supplements have been a lifeline, providing crucial financial support and incentivizing further education. “Our teachers get excited when they learn about it. They look forward to it,” she shared. -
Supporting the Early Care and Education Workforce
Another fiscal year is in the books for the Child Care WAGE$® Program and results continue to be strong for this program that nears its 30th anniversary. WAGE$ started as a county-based pilot program with the first payments issued in 1994 and since its beginning, the program has supported increased retention, education and compensation. With anecdotal evidence that the early care and education field continues to struggle with attracting and retaining qualified staff, WAGE$ is proud to offer education-based salary supplements to help address these concerns. -
Thankful that WAGE$ is Back! : I am WAGE$ with Christina Perdue
Christina Perdue is grateful that the Child Care WAGE$® education-based salary supplements are available again in Guilford County. She said, “I was so thankful when the Guilford County Partnership for Children got back on the program. Had they not, I probably would have had to take a different job. My rent and everything else have gone up so much. Child care can only pay so much because we can only charge so much. The WAGE$ funds I receive make it possible for me to stay here without having to figure out something else. I’ve had difficult times and the supplement just makes me realize it will be ok.”