Efforts to improve the quality of child care must include providing affordable, high quality training that meets the needs of the local child care workforce.
First Steps-sponsored training is certified through the SC Center for Child Care Career Development and includes topics in the areas of nutrition, health and safety, curriculum, child guidance, professional development and program administration. Best practices in training include not only the training, but also follow-up with supported practice in the classroom.
York County First Steps’ Child Care Training Program is tied to our Child Care Quality Enhancement Strategy. In working with 12 Child Care Providers each year there are ample opportunities to tailor our Training Workshops to meet the specific needs of the child care professionals employed at our QE Centers. In all cases we have three (3) primary objectives that we are seeking to achieve:
- Advancement along the CCCCD Career Lattice – Encourage our participants to elevate their credentials and education in the profession of child care services.
- Advancement within the ABC Quality System – Promote the advancement of the Center’s ABC Rating through the training that we offer.
- Improvement in an Approved Measure of Program Quality – Through the use of the Environmental Rating Scale and the applicable areas of focus, elevate the quality of care for the children through increased focus training of the child care providers.
Our primary focus for our training workshops is for the QE Centers that are being served with monthly technical assistance. Beyond this primary focus, open slots for enrollment to the workshops are offered to previous QE child care providers in York County, other providers that we have established a working relationship with through other Programs such as Teenage Parent Child Care Vouchers, and then providers in neighboring Counties.
Quality Childcare Training is…
We value education and make it a priority to keep our programs informed of any new ideas, techniques, or theories that are affecting the early childhood field. Included in this education is keeping the center’s informed of other community resources that might assist them with their current needs, or might be a valuable source of information in the future. Finally, once a program has completed its three year commitment, we provided continual support services. Any programs, information, additional grants, or opportunities are always shared with former programs. Most importantly, the Specialist maintains contact with these programs and directors, so that we will always be an available resource for them.