Day: January 30, 2018

Duluth, GA/ October 5, 2009 – ChildCare Education Institute is committed to providing relevant and up-to date online coursework that enriches early childhood professionals and the care provided to children.

October 5 – 9, 2009 is Step Up for Kids Week, a nationwide event focused on bringing attention to the care and education of America’s children. In honor of this event, CCEI is giving child care staff access to its professional development library at no cost.

CCEI’s online professional development library includes over 100 courses, covering topics such as: Child Development, Classroom Management, Curriculum, Guidance and Discipline, Health and Safety, and other topics pertinent to the child care industry. Each completed one hour course is awarded 0.1 IACET CEU and may articulate to college credit. Students can print their certificates of completion immediately following course completion.

‘Step Up for Kids Week is an opportunity for CCEI to recognize and reward early childhood professionals, teachers, center directors and staff for the valuable role they play in the development of children. We hope educators will use this opportunity for continuing education to enhance their knowledge base, which enhances the quality of care given to children,’ said Maria C. Taylor, President and CEO.

Take advantage of this great opportunity to experience the benefits of online learning and gain valuable knowledge about early childhood education.

ChildCare Education Institute is committed to providing relevant and up-to date online coursework that enriches early childhood professionals and the care provided to children.

November 9 – 13, 2009 is National Distance Learning Week, a nationwide event focused on promoting and celebrating the tremendous growth and accomplishments of distance learning programs. In honor of this week, CCEI is giving child care staff access to its online professional development library at no cost.

CCEI’s online professional development library includes over 100 courses, covering topics such as: Child Development, Classroom Management, Curriculum, Guidance and Discipline, Health and Safety, and other topics pertinent to the child care industry. Each completed one hour course is awarded 0.1 IACET CEU and may articulate to college credit. Students can print their certificates of completion immediately following course completion.

“The flexibility of online learning is ideal for busy early childhood professionals who need to meet training requirements, but have time constraints, family responsibilities or limited access to traditional courses. Access to CCEI’s online professional development library during National Distance Learning Week is an opportunity for early childhood professionals to discover the benefits of online learning and complete mandated trainings,” said Maria C. Taylor, President and CEO.

Take advantage of this opportunity to experience what distance training has to offer.

During NAEYC’s 2010 Week of the Young Child, child care staff can access CCEI’s online professional development library, at no cost.

In the United States, an estimated 550,000 staff members provide early care and education to 2.4 million young children in child care centers. Many of these child care staff lack the education and training necessary to provide high-quality care. Studies have shown that children receiving high-quality early care perform better in school. The amount of education and training attained by a child care provider is the strongest predictor for the provider’s ability to offer high-quality care to children.

“ChildCare Education Institute is committed to offering child care professionals relevant and up-to-date training that provides the knowledge necessary for high-quality care. NAEYC’s 2010 Week of the Young Child is an opportunity for CCEI and child care staff to support the development of young children through increased teacher training,” said Maria C. Taylor, President and CEO of CCEI. “Many teachers work long days and find it difficult to attend training classes. Online coursework gives them the flexibility to take courses when traditional courses are not offered.”

To take advantage of this training opportunity, good April 12 – 18, 2010, child care staff can log in to CCEI’s learning management system at www.cceionline.edu and use the promotion code WOYC2010 when prompted. It is easy to set up an account if you don’t already have one.

Duluth, GA/ August 6, 2010 – ChildCare Education Institute provides child care staff with month-long, no-cost access to the CCEI professional development course Creating a Multicultural Environment, in honor of International Youth Day.

In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly established August 12 as International Youth Day to bring worldwide awareness and support to children and children’s issues. The theme for this year’s International Youth Day is Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. It reflects the General Assembly’s appreciation of the importance of dialogue between youth across cultures and generations.
CCEI encourages such cross-cultural communications among today’s children, as well. Therefore, CCEI is providing child care teachers and staff with no-cost access to the online course, Creating a Multicultural Environment, throughout the month of August in order to increase their knowledge about this important topic. This one clock hour course is awarded 0.1 IACET CEU.

“ChildCare Education Institute is committed to helping early care and education professionals nurture cross-cultural understanding amongst today’s youth,” said Maria Taylor, President and CEO of CCEI. “By taking advantage of this opportunity, providers can reinforce their diversity training and the skills required to continue fostering positive learning environments for their students.”

Registering for this great opportunity is easy. Log in to CCEI’s learning management system at www.cceionline.edu during the month of August, and use promotion code 080610 when prompted.

Duluth, GA/ May 6, 2010 – In honor of Provider Appreciation Day, child care staff can access CCEI’s professional development library, at no cost.

Provider Appreciation Day began in 1996 and is a special day designated to recognize the tireless efforts of child care providers, teachers, and other educators of young children. Between May 6 and May 16, child care staff can log in to CCEI’s learning management system at www.cceionline.edu and use promotion code PAD2010 when prompted. Students will then have access to over 100 online professional development courses, available in English and Spanish. Completed courses are awarded IACET CEUs and may be eligible for college credit.

“ChildCare Education Institute is committed to recognizing child care providers who work continuously to provide the highest-quality care to young children. This opportunity allows child care providers to try online training, at no cost. By completing coursework, they not only advance their education but also increase the quality of care they provide to children,” said Maria C. Taylor, President and CEO of ChildCare Education Institute.

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI), a distance training institution dedicated exclusively to the child care industry, announces today that it has been accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC).

The Commission’s decision to accredit CCEI was made after careful consideration of CCEI’s extensive Self-Evaluation Report, feedback from the Examining Committee’s on-site visit, and evaluation of CCEI’s curriculum by subject matter experts. DETC accreditation provides students, educators, institutions, and the public a reputable indicator of CCEI’s continued commitment to the education and professional development of teachers and management staff.

“Gaining accreditation by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council is a testament to the high quality of CCEI professional development programs and the integrity of CCEI’s business standards. Accreditation empowers CCEI to continue providing child care staff with the highest quality and most relevant training in the industry,” said Maria C. Taylor, President/Chief Executive Officer of CCEI.

About Distance Education and Training Council

The Distance Education and Training Council has been the standard-setting agency for correspondence study and distance education institutions since it was established in 1926. DETC’s mission is “to foster and preserve high quality, educationally sound and widely accepted distance education and independent learning institutions”. The Accrediting Commission of the DETC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency and is a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI) gives child care professionals the opportunity to aid the campaign against childhood obesity. Child care staff can enroll in HLTH100: Early Childhood Obesity, at no cost, and learn strategies for combating childhood obesity.

Child care providers are responsible for ensuring the health of the children in their care, including providing healthy food choices. HLTH100: Early Childhood Obesity provides child care staff with practical strategies to address childhood obesity in the early care setting. Students will learn to define obesity, identify the causes of obesity and determine risk factors. Students completing the course will be awarded 0.1 IACET CEU and receive a certificate of completion.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for child care staff to learn new skills and aid in the campaign to reduce childhood obesity. The knowledge gained from completing HLTH100: Early Childhood Obesity has the potential to affect over 14 million children currently in early child care settings. If every child care provider completed the course and implemented the strategies in their classroom, it would make a huge impact on the campaign against childhood obesity,” said Maria C. Taylor, President and CEO of CCEI.

To take advantage of this opportunity, child care staff can log in to CCEI’s learning management system at www.cceionline.edu and use the promotion code 022010 when prompted. It is easy to set up an account if you don’t already have one. Remember to use the promotion code when requested.

As early care and education providers, we strive each day to create environments in which children can learn and feel successful. We accomplish this through carefully choosing the materials, activities, and types of interactions present in the environment. We adapt activities to make them more challenging for some children and break some tasks down into smaller steps for children who are working to develop new skills. We ask provocative questions to expand children’s thinking and help children connect new information to prior knowledge.

All of these skills serve us well as we work to promote development across all domains of learning for the multiple children in our care. This is challenging work. No two children are alike in their developmental needs on a given day. The milestones and learning outcomes we use to guide our practice are just that- a guide. Many children will meet milestones within the expected age range and some children follow the developmental progressions provided in early learning standards exactly as they are written, without difficulty.

However, it is also common for some children to need more time to develop certain skills. This need may or may not be associated with a diagnosable disability. In some cases, children may even move through learning progressions more quickly than expected. Regardless of the reason, there are steps that early care and education providers can put in place to make sure that all children move forward on their unique developmental path.

According to the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC), there are certain practices that caregivers can implement to support all learners in inclusive environments. These practices are outlined in the 2014 release of the DEC Recommended Practices. We will explore some of these practices in different sections of the December newsletter. Before exploring the specific practices that support learning, it is important to identify a few foundational principles that make inclusive environments possible, specifically:

• The understanding of developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood: https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/dap
• The awareness of the professional, legal, and regulatory guidelines for serving children with disabilities in early learning programs: https://www.ada.gov/childqanda.htm
• A clear understanding of the principles included in the DEC Code of Ethics and the Joint (DEC/NAEYC) Position Statement on Inclusion: http://www.dec-sped.org/position-statements
• Engagement in ongoing professional development related to supporting children with diverse educational, social, and emotional needs.

The links provided in the December newsletter here lead to more information on each topic. Consider compiling some of this information into an Inclusive Environments binder that can be accessed by coworkers within your program!

As we move into the specific DEC Recommended Practices, you will notice that they focus on collaboration between practitioners and families. They are written to address a wide variety of needs – meaning that they will apply to all children, regardless of disability. They are also researched based and can be implemented in all environments.

Decisions about instruction, the environment, and our interactions must be intentional and informed by our knowledge of individual children. As we gather information about children, we are compiling valuable data upon which we can make powerful decisions. Here are a few recommended practices related to assessment:

• Create a systematic practice of ongoing assessment and information gathering.
• Work with family members and other professionals to gather information about the child.
• Use a variety of methods to gather assessment data, including observations from multiple sources and across multiple environments (home, classroom, etc.).
• Assessments should be conducted in the child’s dominant language and be appropriate for the child current level of development.
• Assessments should measure development across all areas of development to gather a complete picture of the child’s development, their strengths, needs, preferences, and interests.
• Share information gathered during assessments on a regular basis, in an easily understandable manner.
• Assessment data is used to create goals, target behaviors, track progress, and inform instruction.

Once assessment data is collected, caregivers can make decisions about instruction. Here are a few recommended practices related to instruction, according to the DEC:

• Children’s strengths, preferences, and interests will be incorporated into learning opportunities to boost engagement.
• Collaborate with family members and other practitioners to identify target skills that help a child learn new skills and connect socially.
• Integrate skills instruction into routines and across multiple activities throughout the day.
• Plan and adapt activities based on individual physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs of children to promote full participation in activities.
• Use systematic Instructional strategies, explicit feedback and consequences to promote learning and engagement.
• Identify functions of behavior in order to prevent and address challenging behaviors.
• Consider the frequency, duration, and pace of learning activities when creating instructional plans.
• Include language supports for individuals who are dual language learners or who need support in learning to communicate.
• Share strategies with other primary caregivers to promote interactions and reinforce learning across multiple environments.

Adapted from DEC Recommended Practices: 04/14/2014

Being a leader of a program that creates inclusive environments means you set the tone for the entire program. Beyond being aware of regulations and laws pertaining to working with individuals with disabilities, leaders should:

• Create a culture of belonging for all caregivers, family members, and children.
• Establish strong partnerships with families, service providers, early intervention agencies, etc.
• Develop policies, mission statements, and practices that support inclusion, collaboration, and shared decision making.
• Provide resources necessary to deliver a developmentally appropriate and inclusive environment.
• Provide professional development opportunities related to supporting children with special needs and creating inclusive environments.
• Coach and support employees in their efforts to implement recommended practices.
• Support children, families, and teachers during the transition into a new program.
• Ensure the timely exchange of information as children transition and adjust to new programs.
• Participate in professional associations and organizations that promote current best practices in ECE.
• Collaborate on the local, state, and national levels to advocate for the needs of all children.
• Evaluate practices for effectiveness and make adjustments to policies as needed.

Adapted from DEC Recommended Practices: 04/14/2014

Share with us steps you have taken to create inclusive environments for all learners on our Facebook page here.