Alameda Child Development Corps

This report on the implementation of Alameda County’s Child Development Corps program provides guidance and lessons for policymakers, program administrators, childcare advocates, and others who are planning similar initiatives to improve retention. To conduct the study, PACE held a series of focus groups to collect responses from program planners, stipend recipients, and other members of the childcare community. Feedback was gathered on aspects of the entire planning and implementation process, such as the key players involved in the program’s launch; the decisions about who would be eligible for stipend awards; the agency that ran the program; and the appeals process. Results from the first year include an increase in providers applying for child development permits and providers expressing greater commitment to their profession and seeking out training opportunities. But challenges also remain, including concerns about how the child development permit requirements fit family childcare providers and about the need for providers to take courses that are more relevant to their careers.