Not By Chance:  Child Care That Supports School Readiness...

 Nearly a million students in Minnesota will begin a new school year this week. Of those about 60,000 will be entering public school for the first time as kindergartners, and many are not fully ready. Half of these children are not proficient in two crucial areas: language and literacy and mathematical thinking. Supporting children's school readiness in child care settings takes careful planning, knowledge and attention to each child's individual needs. A training, entitled Not by Chance: Child Care that Supports School Readiness, will provide knowledge of three tools used in Minnesota's early childhood and school age care and education system: • The Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress which describes what young children should know and be able to do • The Minnesota Core Competencies, which defines what providers should know and be able to do and the • Environmental Rating Scales which is a set of tools for understanding and measuring the quality of a child care or school age care program Not by Chance: Child Care that Supports School Readiness is a training curriculum designed to provide concrete information on Minnesota’s endorsed quality support tools.   This  learning system, offered by Child Care Resource & Referral, is structured in three levels: Foundations of Quality, Tools to Create Quality,and Quality in Practice. Building on the existing excellence of Minnesota child care providers, the Not by Chance trainings provide information and resources to measure this excellence and take it to the next level. This educational series sets out to prepare the field for the changing face of child care and a new era in which every  provider is viewed and valued as an early educator. Not by Chance: Child Care that Supports School Readiness offers three levels of learning to meet your educational needs. Each of the following training levels builds upon the others to offer a sequence of learning. This sequence will help you master the knowledge and skills needed to provide quality care and education for every child. Foundations of Quality: This 2 -hour session begins the program by discussing the core elements of child care that prepares children for success in school and life. This training offers you the concepts and background which you need to become well-versed in Minnesota’s endorsed quality support tools: the Minnesota Core Competencies for Early Childhood  Education and Care Practitioners ©, the Environment Rating Scales, and the Early  Childhood Indicators of Progress: Minnesota’s Early Learning Standards 2005 ©. You can feel good about finishing this session, knowing that you are ready to incorporate these critical tools into your work. Tools to Create Quality: In this six -hour class (or 3 two hour classes), we explore the three areas addressed in Minnesota’s quality support tools including the knowledge and approach of the child care provider, the knowledge and skills of the children in their care, and the environment in which care is delivered. This session is designed to help you build your knowledge and understanding of the quality support tools, and ways in which these tools can support you and the children and families you work with. You end the sessions confident that you are ready to learn more about using these tools effectively in your program. Quality in Practice: Offering an in-depth understanding of each endorsed quality tool, this comprehensive level of the curriculum engages you to apply your knowledge and utilize the tools in your environment. This level is reached through concrete instruction, guided self-assessment, and the opportunity to reflect on assignments and practice new skills between sessions. This training is offered over time, with several sessions spaced out intentionally to offer practice use of the tools and follow-up discussion and feedback. This model offers the depth to help you make the leap from using portions of the quality tools to mastering the complete program, using the tools in tandem, and achieving an overall philosophy of quality. It’s well worth the time and has the power to inspire each element of your work and the way you look at each child in your care! The benefits of completing the Quality in Practice level also include enrollment in our new Applause Program which rewards excellence with the latest in educational toys and books from Kaplan Early Learning Co. Here's how it works: child care providers who complete the Not by Chance: Child Care that Supports School Readiness, Quality in Practice  level training will receive a $50 gift certificate towards the purchase of new materials from Kaplan Early Learning Co. We have resources to recognize 100 providers at this time. First Come First Serve.  This level of training also earns the provider an extra point towards a R.E.E.T.A.I.N. grant. 1.   Quality in Practice for Family Child Care Environments: This training is focused on the Family Daycare Rating Scale, an environment rating scale developed specifically for family child care settings. The FDCRS is a research-based tool that encourages important but simple changes which will dramatically improve the quality of your program. It is a learning tool that recommends best practices centered on six main areas: Space and Furnishing, Basic Care, Language and Reasoning, Learning Activities, Social Development, and Adult Needs. Knowing how to utilize the rating scale  will benefit not only your child care business and the families you serve, but can also benefit your community as a whole. With knowledge of this important tool at your fingertips you will be ready to improve the quality of your program and to intentionally, systematically impact school readiness for the children in your care. 2.   Quality in Practice for Infant Toddler Environments: This training is focused on the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale. The ITERS is a research-based tool that encourages important but simple changes which will dramatically improve the quality of your program. It is a learning tool that recommends best practices centered on seven main areas: Space and Furnishings, Personal Care Routines, Language and Reasoning, Activities, Interaction, Program Structure, and Parents and Staff.  Knowing how to utilize the rating scale will benefit not only your program and the families you serve, but can also benefit your community as a whole. With knowledge of this important tool at your fingertips you will be ready to improve the quality of your program and to intentionally, systematically impact school readiness for the  young children in your care. 3.     Quality in Practice for School-Age Care Environments: This training is focused on the School Age Care Environment Rating Scale.  The SACERS R is a research-based tool that encourages important but simple changes which will dramatically improve the quality of your program. It is a learning tool that recommends best practices centered on seven main areas: Space and Furnishings, Health and Safety, Activities, Interactions, Program Structure, Staff Development, and Special Needs Supplementary Items. Knowing how to utilize the rating scale  will benefit not only your program and the families you serve, but can also benefit your community as a whole. With knowledge of this important tool at your fingertips, you will be ready to improve the quality of your program and to intentionally, systematically prepare the children in your care to learn. 4.     Quality in Practice for Early Childhood Environments: This training is focused on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. The ECERS  is a research-based tool that encourages important but simple changes which will dramatically improve the quality of your program. It is a learning tool that recommends best practices centered on seven main areas: Space and Furnishings, Personal Care Routines, Listening and Talking, Activities, Interactions, and Program Structure. Knowing how to utilize the rating scale will benefit not only your program and the families you serve, but can also benefit your community as a whole. With knowledge of this important tool at your fingertips you will be ready to improve the quality of your program and to intentionally, systematically impact school readiness for the young children in your care. 5.     Quality in Practice for the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress: This training is focused on the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress, Minnesota’s Early Learning Standards. The ECIPS offer  the latest research on common developmental expectations for children ages three to five and a framework for helping them get there. This learning tool gives an understanding of child development, strategies for encouraging healthy development, and highlights a community-wide  responsibility for supporting young children. This tool is centered on six main developmental areas: Social and Emotional Development,  Approaches to Learning,  Language and Literacy Development,  Creativity and the Arts, Cognitive Development, and Physical and Motor Development. The Early Childhood Indicators of Progress for children ages birth-3 will be incorporated into this training as they become available. Child care providers who receive these trainings will be able to: • Recognize the importance of school readiness. • Identify quality components of a child care program (family child care or center-based) that lead to school readiness. • Examine the relation between the core competencies, the environmental rating scales and the early childhood indicators of progress (foundational components) in relation to quality child care programs.