Children, Inc. is committed to resourcing our staff and our community with the best training and instruction on recent breakthroughs in child development. By providing these training services to Children, Inc. employees and other education professionals we are supporting our mission as well as children in our community.
Recognizing that ongoing training is necessary for outstanding child development and care, Children, Inc. continuously trains our own staff in topics ranging from nutrition to social and emotional development. Our Family Child Care providers receive specific training to assist in-home-care providers while our School Age Services staff develops specific knowledge and skill sets in order to address the needs of children in elementary school.
Along with training Children, Inc. staff in various topics we also provide certifications and Continuing Educational Units for local education professionals that require these to fulfill annual requirements. Because the training needs change Children, Inc. is continually updating our list of trainings. Currently we offer the following courses:
- Literacy
- Social/Emotional Development
- Family Partnerships
Staff Training Levels
How can a child care center challenge exceptional teachers to continue to hone their skills and implement activities that reflect new information about literacy and language acquisition? Children, Inc. has initiated a series of in-house trainings that support teachers as they increase both their skills and knowledge in the literacy area. Teachers earn certificate levels by attending specialized workshops that focus on specific areas of literacy and language and implementing the new information in their daily practice. They do this by creating new learning materials and activities, observe how the children respond, then refine and expand the experiences. An integral part of the process is to complete assignments that both the literacy specialist and the center director review. The center director is an essential part of the process. Her weekly observations in each classroom, followed by individual meetings with the classroom staff, ensure that the information and strategies learned in the workshops are implemented. When the teacher has completed all the assignments for each level, has been observed several times by the center director and the literacy specialist, then a certificate level is awarded.
Children, Inc. believes so strongly that this process is essential in the continued professional development of its staff that a teacher is required to achieve Level 1 in literacy within the first year of employment. The employee also receives a salary increase for achieving the certificate. Teachers recognize the importance of the process, and often comment on the impact on both children and their families.
After a teacher has achieved Level 1, she is encouraged to begin work on Level 2. Additional workshops and assignments are included in this process that builds on the skills developed during Level 1. At each stage, new information is added and incorporated into classroom practices, followed again by director and specialist observations and interviews. Another 1% is added to the teacher's salary when Level 2 is achieved.
Level 3 is currently being developed. Teachers who seek Level 3 will develop leadership and mentoring skills in order to assist the director with new staff, family literacy activities, and to develop a literacy culture in the program that is responsive to the children and families. This culture promotes an environment where children are preparing to succeed in school.
There are similar training levels for the area of Family Partnerships and Social-Emotional Development. For more information about Children, Inc. training, please contact Chris Kelley or Crystal Dahlmeier.
Service Learning Training
