TKW Consulting
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:
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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.
Promoting Quality Child Care.
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