Issue 3—May/June 1995

To fully utilize CCDBG funding for training and career development, the Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education recommends that states:

• Provide training for the full range of roles, skill, levels, specializations, and settings;
• Provide financial assistance to practitioners participating in training;
• Link training to compensation;
• Encourage training across programs, for example, jointly training practitioners from child care, Head Start, and public schools;
• Fund public awareness campaigns regarding the link between training and quality;
• Leverage other funding with the CCDBG.

Apprenticeship Training Program

The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training supports registered apprenticeship programs in over 800 occupations, including Child Development Specialist. West Virginia is one of the states implementing this model, which combines on-the-job observation and practice with a curriculum that incorporates the 13 functional areas of the Child Development Associate (CDA) model. For more information about the West Virginia Apprenticeship Training Program, contact Dana Daugherty at (304) 347-5141.

Distance Learning Spans Miles by Laura Colker

Leonard, a teacher at a Tohono O'Odham child care center, is working on his Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. He drives two hours each way to a Tucson community college to get needed course work.

Nadine, director of a child care program in Bishop, California, has to bring trainers on-site for staff development. Besides being expensive, the quality of the training is highly variable.

Catherine, a CDA trainer located in Fairbanks, Alaska, works with candidates scattered throughout remote villages. More often than not, she has to depend on phone and fax to communicate, since travel plans are frequently subject to ice, winds, and erupting volcanoes.

What do all of these people have in common besides strong motivation to either obtain or provide advanced training? They are all ideal candidates for distance learning. Distance learning makes use of state-of-the-art technologies to bring instruction directly to the student. For those in remote areas, this reduces the need to drive long distances to get to a community college or training site. Staff can get needed training even when roads and airports are closed.

Typically, distance learning uses teleconferencing delivered by satellite. Any site with a satellite dish can receive the broadcast, whether its location is at an Indian reservation in the Southwest, a migrant camp site in rural Florida, or an Eskimo village in Alaska. In most cases, telephone audiobridge and fax technologies are used to make the programming truly interactive. This means that those being trained on-site don t just receive information, they take an active role in the learning process. Questions can be asked of experts as they occur. Ideas can be faxed to instructors for on-the-air feedback. Moreover, viewers at all sites can be linked together. Technology creates a community of learners despite the physical distances separating them.

Distance learning has other benefits. Broadcasting the same information to many sites provides consistency in training. Another advantage is the multiple modes of presentation used. Many staff in early childhood education have concrete, experiential learning styles. The interactive capabilities of distance learning caters to these styles.

This relatively new delivery system for training has already proven to be viable. An ongoing four-year evaluation project of the Head Start-funded Early Childhood Professional Development Network (ECPDN) has yielded extremely favorable results. Although many participants indicated that the technology was initially intimidating, they adjusted to it rapidly. Now, the majority of the 1,200 study participants feel that the technology is personal and interactive, aids in their understanding, and causes few frustrations. Ninety-four percent of participants affirm their willingness to take another distance learning training program.

Meeting needs of staff and trainers in remote areas, distance learning bridges more than physical space.

Laura J. Colker, Ed.D., serves as the early childhood specialist on the evaluation of the Early Childhood Professional Development Network distance learning project being conducted by Macro International. To learn more, contact Dr. Colker at (202) 223-5315.

Iowa Broadcasts Training

For each broadcast, a one hour video is screened, followed by a live panel discussion. A toll-free phone number connects the county offices and the broadcast studio, allowing providers to call in questions for the experts. Later, the Extension office follows up with participants.

Each program's content is different. The first two broadcasts were Family Day Care: Making Everyday Special and Best Beginning for Babies. The 1992 broadcast was shown across the country. Currently, 35 states belong to the satellite system, and either show the broadcast live or record it for future viewing. In addition, the Cooperative Extension Service plans to duplicate and distribute videotapes of the broadcasts to libraries, child care resource and referral agencies, as well as child care food programs.

T. E. A. C. H. Project Retains Providers by Susan D. Russell

North Carolina's Teacher Education And Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood (TM) Project, a program of Day Care Services Association, serves as an umbrella for a variety of educational scholarship opportunities for people working in child care centers and homes. Participants receive scholarships to earn a North Carolina Child Care Credential, Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, Early Childhood Associate or Bachelor's Degrees, or to become an Early Childhood Model/Mentor Teacher.

The T.E.A.C.H. Project has now provided scholarships to over 2,400 child care professionals working in centers and homes in 95 of the state's 100 counties. Participants have lower turnover rates than similar teachers who are not in the program, and are earning more money as they receive more education.

One critical component of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood (TM) Project scholarship program is the paid release time awarded to teachers and family child care providers while they are in school. To address this need, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood (TM) Corps, an AmeriCorps program, provides trained substitutes on an on-going basis to support teachers in their educational pursuits.

AmeriCorps is a new national initiative in community service. AmeriCorps members spend up to 1,700 hours per year in service programs in exchange for a living stipend and educational opportunities (see AmeriCorps and School-Age Care, in the Child Care Bulletin, March/April 1995).

In North Carolina, T.E.A.C.H. Corps is made up of 22 members placed in non-profit child care centers, Head Start programs, and child care resource and referral agencies across the state. The members serve teachers and family child care providers who are working to increase their level of education through the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood (TM) Project scholarship program. Members provide up to six hours of release time per teacher per week, making it possible for the teachers to earn a degree in early childhood education while keeping their full-time position. At the same time, the members themselves are taking courses also funded through a T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood (TM) scholarship throughout their term of service.

Day Care Services Association has agreed to work closely with the Georgia Association on Young Children to license the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood (TM) Project in Georgia. The Georgia project will develop similar scholarship programs that have all of the mandated T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood (TM) requirements, scholarship education, compensation, and commitment.

With funds from AT&T, the long distance carrier, Day Care Services Association has also partnered with Work/Family Directions to bring the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood (TM) scholarship program to child care providers in Florida and Illinois as well as Georgia. Susan D. Russell is the Executive Director of Day Care Services Association, which administers the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood (TM) Project in North Carolina. To learn more, contact Sue Russell or Margaret Mobley at (919) 967-3272.

To learn more about the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood (TM) Project in Georgia, contact Tracy Bankhead at (404) 681-2319.

Accreditation Provides Benchmarks for Quality

The quality of an early childhood program can be determined by the degree to which it meets the standards of the profession, (The What, Why, and How of High-Quality Early Childhood Education). Accredited programs demonstrate a commitment to providing high quality care for children and service to their families.

The National Academy of Early Childhood Programs (The Academy), is a professionally sponsored, national, voluntary accreditation system for early childhood centers, schools, and school-age child care programs. The Academy is administered by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Since 1985, the Academy has aimed to improve and recognize the quality of care and education provided for young children in early childhood programs. More than 3,800 programs in 50 states have achieved accreditation thus far.

The Academy's Criteria for High Quality Early Childhood Programs are the basis for the accreditation system. The Criteria address all components of a high quality early childhood program.

The accreditation process involves three steps:

1. The program personnel conduct an in-depth self-study to determine how well the program meets the Academy's Criteria, make any needed improvements, and then report compliance with the Criteria to the Academy on the Program Description forms. The self-study is a comprehensive and internal evaluation of all aspects of the early childhood program. The self-study consists of classroom observations, an administrator's report, along with staff and parent questionnaires. The Program Description is then sent to the Academy.
2. Qualified early childhood specialists make an on-site validation visit. The purpose of the validation visit is to verify that the Program Description provides an accurate overview of the program's daily operations.
3. A Commission convenes to consider the validated Program Description, and determine if the overall quality of the program merits accreditation.

For more information, contact the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs at: (202) 328-2601, or write to: 1509 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036-1426, or call the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) at 1-800- 424-2460.

Accreditation criteria focus on assessing seven dimensions of child care: safety, health, nutrition, interacting, learning environment, as well as outdoor environment, and professional responsibility. NAFCC accreditation requirements are contained in the study guide,Assessment Profile For Family Day Care.

The accreditation process promotes higher quality care for children. Accredited family child care providers find this useful because:

• Providers gain new skills, regardless of their level of expertise.
• It provides a working definition of quality in family child care.
• It helps providers to inform parents of the importance of accreditation and promotes higher standards of quality care.

During the accreditation process, the provider goes through a self-assessment as well as validation by a parent and a NAFCC validator.

To learn more, contact the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) at: 1331-A Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 348, Washington, DC 20004, or call NAFCC at 1-800-359-3817.

The components of NECPA include:

• Demographic information is provided that gives the necessary background on the program that is seeking accreditation;
• A comprehensive self-evaluative document is completed by the program's director or owner, which includes staff and parent surveys;
• An on-site visit is made to verify the quality indicators, followed by the production of the program s profile which is used as a blueprint to enhance quality;
• A complete package is presented to NECPA's National Accreditation Council for accreditation recommendations before being reviewed by the NECPA Commission.

For additional information, contact: The National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) Commission, Inc. at: 1029 Railroad Street, Conyers, GA 30207, or call: 1-800-543-7161.

NACECPPP provides two interrelated services:

• Approved teacher training, and
• Professional Accreditation of Early Childhood Programs.

Becoming a NACECPPP Recognized Early Childhood Program of Excellence involves three phases:

1. Self-study phase: Program administrators, teachers, and parents are involved in reviewing all program aspects: the philosophy, goals, objectives, and curriculum. Programs complete a collegially-developed Self-Evaluation Report (SER), reflecting commonly accepted criteria and the program's own developmental philosophy.
2. Validation phase: Trained early childhood experts review the program on-site, in relation to the SER, to make an assessment, report, and recommendation.
3. Accreditation decision phase: The NACECPPP Board reviews the SER, accompanying documentation, report and recommendations of the Validators and makes the accreditation decision.

To learn more, contact the National Accreditation Council for Early Childhood Professional Personnel and Programs (NACECPPP) at: Cleveland Park Station, P.O. Box 9518, Washington, DC 20016.

The system will be piloted this fall in over 40 programs, including programs sponsored by Work/Family Directions and its clients, and participating programs in MOST (Making the Most of Out-of-School Time) implementation cities (see A National Accreditation System For School-Age Care and MOST Initiative, in the Child Care Bulletin, March/April 1995).

To learn more about the National System for Improvement and Accreditation of School-Age Care Programs, contact SACCP at (617) 283-2547 or NSACCA at (202) 737-6722.

Staff Credentialing Programs Improve Skills

Each person who chooses a career in child care has the opportunity to make important contributions to the growth and development of children in their care. The quality of care that children receive depends upon the knowledge and skills of those who care for them. Credentialing programs are an important mechanism for improving skills and promoting excellence in the field of child care.

Certified Childcare Professional (CCP) is the credentialing program of the National Child Care Association (NCCA), which is a professional trade association that represents licensed private child care centers, child development staff, and state affiliated associations. As an association of professional providers, NCCA maintains that a key component of a quality program is the education, training, experience, and effectiveness of staff in providing comprehensive services to children and their families. Professionals exhibiting standards of excellence in child care and early childhood education are recognized by NCCA through the awarding of their national credential, the Certified Childcare Professional (CCP) Early Childhood Education Specialist. During the past three years, 110 individuals in 13 states have earned the CCP credential.

The CCP uses a Multi Indicator Evaluation (MIE) process, designed to determine the extent to which individuals have met or exceeded NCCA National Standards of professional expertise. The CCP Credentialing Materials Packet includes:

• Steps of the Credentialing Process
• CCP Credentialing Petition
• Guidelines for Portfolio Development
• Examination Study Guide
• Performance-Based Observational Form
• Parent Evaluation Forms
• Writing Sample Forms
• Plans for Continued Professional Development Form

Candidates are assigned a State CCP Field Counselor to guide them through the credentialing process and to provide technical assistance.

For more information, call the National Child Care Association (NCCA) at: 1-800-543-7161 or write to: Institute for Professional Development 1029 Railroad Street, NW Conyers, GA 30207-5275.

The Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition (The Council) administers the CDA credentialing program in the effort to upgrade staff qualifications and to improve the quality of child care. The CDA Competency Standards are at the heart of the CDA program. These standards are an expression of competency goals and program quality. Candidates who apply to obtain the CDA Credential can select one of the following endorsements: 1) center-based preschool; 2) center-based infant/toddler; 3) family child care; or 4) home visitor. In addition to these endorsements, caregivers can also earn a CDA Credential with a Bilingual Specialization (available only for English/Spanish languages at this time).

States are typically involved in the CDA program in at least two ways. Each state has its own Scholarship Act Administrative Agency, which oversees federal financial assistance through the CDA Scholarship Assistance Program. In addition, 46 States and the District of Columbia include CDA in their child care regulations as a qualification for teaching staff and/or directors. This year, 20 states have also provided funding and other support for CDA training.

For more information, contact The Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition, 1341 G Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005-3105, or call: 1-800-424-4310 or (202) 265-9090.

Two major components of the process leading to awarding of the credential through NACECPPP are:

• Each training institution preparing candidates for the credential submits a summary of its curriculum and information about its goals, accreditation status, and resources available to NACECPPP s Board;
• Individual candidates choose one of two tracks offered by NACECPPP which combine both documented experience and education preparation requirements.

For more information, contact NACECPPP at: Cleveland Park Station, P.O. Box 9518, Washington, DC 20016.

Promoting Excellence in Ecumenical Child Care by Laura Dean Friedrich

Over the past six years, early childhood programs and congregations have found a way to strengthen relationships and their shared commitment to serve families. Congregations and Child Care, the self-study/recognition process of the Ecumenical Child Care Network, promotes high quality child care by involving both early childhood professionals and congregational leaders in a self-study process. Congregations and Child Care can be used by any child care program housed in or operated by a religious congregation.

The recognition process of Congregations and Child Care complements the accreditation conferred by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs (The Academy), which is a division of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Congregations and Child Care builds on accreditation by providing a forum in which to discuss the complex relationship issues that impact the quality of programs related to religious congregations. While the self-study may be used by any child care program, ECCN awards recognition only to programs accredited by The Academy.

The ECCN self-study/recognition process underscores the critical importance of high quality education and care for children. In the past two years, ECCN has systematized the self-study process in a National Council on Recognition (NCR). Today, NCR coordinates a Mentor Assistance Program that provides trained skilled mentors to self-study participants; reviews and evaluates completed self-study portfolios; and awards ECCN recognition to the congregations and early childhood programs that successfully meet the goals and criteria of Congregations and Child Care and are accredited by The Academy.

Laura Dean F. Friedrich is the Coordinator for the National Council on Recognition for the Ecumenical Child Care Network (ECCN), a national membership organization for child care and Head Start programs housed in or related to congregations. For more information about membership services, publications, and the self-study recognition program, contact ECCN, 1580 N. Northwest Hwy., Suite 115, Park Ridge, IL 60068, (708) 298-1612.

[NCCIC Editor's note (12-27-04): As of 2004, the National Council on Recognition for the Ecumenical Child Care Network (ECCN) closed.]

Army Offers Credential

For information about the Army's credentialing initiative, contact Dr. Vicky Moss, School-Age Program Manager, at (703) 325- 0710.

Training Improves Quality

A recent study released by the Families and Work Institute found that Family-to-Family training for family child care providers improved child care quality. One important outcome is that children are more securely attached to their providers, and spend their time engaged in activities that enhance their learning. Family-to-Family training was also found to increase providers' commitment to their jobs and improve business skills.

The study examined Family-to-Family training programs in three communities. These provider training programs are part of Child Care Aware, a national project operating in 40 communities, sponsored by the Dayton Hudson Foundation, Mervyn's, Target Stores, Dayton's, Hudson's and Marshall Field's. Over 13,000 family child care providers have been trained since Child Care Aware was launched in 1988.

Child Care Aware has four components: training, promoting accreditation, supporting the development of strong family child care associations, and consumer education to help parents learn how to find good quality child care. This study focused on the training component.

To order this document contact:
Publications Department
Families and Work Institute
330 Seventh Avenue, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10001
telephone (212) 465-2044

Short Items

ACF Conferences

Announcing two 1995 conferences sponsored by the Child Care Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families:

Second Annual National Tribal Child Care Conference
A conference focusing on
leadership for tribal administrators
July 31-August 3, 1995
Seattle, Washington

Child Care for the 21st Century A planning conference
for state administrators
September 27-28, 1995
Washington, DC

Making It Happen . . .

Minnesota Develops Plan for Professional Development

Minnesota has developed a strategic plan for a comprehensive, accessible, and inclusive, early childhood professional development system. The system will facilitate career development for personnel in early childhood education and care programs serving children ages 0-8 and their families.

The Minnesota Early Childhood Coordinated Professional Development System includes a description of the differentiated competencies required of practitioners, and will develop and implement a computerized registry of practitioner class hours.

The system will improve the quality of programs for young children by ensuring a pool of practitioners who are consistently well prepared to meet the developmental and learning needs of the children they serve.

For more information, contact: Anita Segador Beaton, Ph.D., Director, Minnesota Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, 1821 University Avenue #298, St. Paul, MN 55102, (612) 649-1538.

Arizona Supports Accreditation

In order to support early childhood programs interested in improving the quality of their services through accreditation, a number of state organizations joined together to create the Arizona Self-Study Project (ASSP). The ASSP was designed to provide coordination, training, and technical assistance to programs as they move through the self-study component of the accreditation process for the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. The 50 programs currently enrolled in ASSP receive monthly telephone technical assistance, on-site visits twice a year, assistance in developing and implementing evaluation plans, and support in networking and outreach with other agencies. The program also includes a privately-funded scholarship program for programs seeking accreditation and requesting a validation visit. ASSP is funded through a variety of sources, including CCDBG quality improvement funds and Maternal and Child Health Block Grant funds.

For more information about the Arizona Self-Study Project, contact the Association for Supportive Child Care at: (602) 829- 0500.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools

Information on economic, cultural, social, and other factors related to educational programs and practices for rural residents is available through the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools (ERIC/CRESS). One of 16 clearinghouses that make up the federally funded ERIC education system, ERIC/CRESS specializes in subjects that affect the lives of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Mexican Americans, and migrants as well as educational practices and programs in small schools and outdoor education. ERIC/CRESS has many free publications available and also conducts literature searches at no expense.

All of the ERIC Clearinghouses collect education materials, respond to requests for information, and produce special publications on current research, programs, and practices.

To contact ERIC/CRESS, call 1-800-624-9120, or send an e-mail message to the User Services Coordinator at lanhamb@ael.org.

Organizational Resources

Throughout this edition of the Child Care Bulletin are names and addresses of organizations that deal with issues related to improving the quality of child care through accreditation and professional development. In addition to those already listed, the following national organizations also deal with staff training and program improvement.

National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, administered by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), aims to improve the quality of professional preparation and training for individuals who care for and educate children from birth through age 8. The Institute's efforts include an annual professional development conference and the development of training materials and publications.

For more information contact NAEYC, 1509 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036-1426 or call: 1-800-424-2460.

National Center for the Early Childhood Work Force (NCECW) is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of child care by addressing the training and compensation of child care providers. NCECW also serves as a national clearinghouse on child care staffing issues and produces a variety of resource publications, including reports on major public policy issues affecting the child care work force.

For more information contact the National Center for the Early Childhood Work Force (NCECW), 733 15th Street NW, Suite 1037, Washington, DC 20005-2112, or call either 1-800-879-6784 or (202) 737-7700.

The Children's Foundation, strives to improve the lives of children and those who care for them. Current work is in the areas of child nutrition, child care, especially family care, and the enforcement of court-ordered child support. The Children's Foundation publishes annual studies on the regulations of child care for both center- and home-based settings, and writes job- specific training materials for child care providers.

For more information, contact: The Children's Foundation, 725 15th Street, NW, Suite 505, Washington, DC 20005-2109 or call: (202) 347-3300.

ZERO TO THREE, formerly the National Center for Clinical Infant Programs, focuses on issues involving infants, toddlers and their families. ZERO TO THREE gathers and disseminates information through its journal, publications, a Fellowship Program, an annual National Training Institute, specialized training opportunities, and technical assistance to communities, states and the federal government.

For more information, contact ZERO TO THREE, 2000 14th Street, North, Suite 380, Arlington, VA 22201 or call: (703) 528-4300.

Resources in Child Care

Publications

New Research

• The Florida Child Care Quality Improvement Study: Interim Report. Carollee Howes, Ellen Smith, and Ellen Galinsky

  The study presents a summary of how Florida s new ratios and education requirements affect the quality of children s early education and care. The findings summarize child gains, changes in teacher-child interactions, and improvements in program quality. The study highlights factors, such as CDA credentials and favorable child-staff ratios, in relation to positive outcomes.

Family Child Care

• The Family Child Care Training Study. Carollee Howes, Ellen Smith, and Ellen Galinsky

  One of the first in a series of studies being conducted by the Families and Work Institute to address the question: How effective are efforts designed to improve quality in early childhood settings? Findings show that training improves child care quality.

• Child Care Aware: A Guide to Promoting Professional Development in Family Child Care. Amy Laura Dombro

  Designed to provide the information needed to plan and implement a community level professional development initiative focused on upgrading quality in family child care homes, the Guide outlines step-by-step approaches to strategies and action steps related to training, accreditation, building strong associations and consumer education.

• Family Child Care Providers Speak About Training, Trainers, Accreditation, and Professionalism: Findings from a Survey of Family-to-Family Graduates. Amy Laura Dombro and Kathy Modigliani

  A summary of how family child care providers felt about training they received in a major project sponsored by Child Care Aware (formerly called Family to Family Initiative). Findings address recruitment strategies, impact of training, characteristics of effective trainers, accreditation, professionalism, and implications for trainers.