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 CHILD CARE BULLETINIssue 7—January/February 1996 Infants and Toddlers in Child Care |
Promoting Quality Care for Infants and Toddlers More than 5 million infants and toddlers across the United States are in need of child care while their parents are at work. Yet, according to numerous reports throughout the past year, access to quality infant care remains a serious issue, particularly for low-income working families. As the Child Care Bureau celebrates its first birthday, it is most appropriate for us to turn the spotlight on the care of our youngest children.
On January 5, 1995, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala announced the establishment of the Child Care Bureau to streamline operations and to improve and expand child care services. Throughout this first year we have launched many initiatives to improve services and promote public awareness about child care issues. One of our first projects was the development of the "Healthy Child Care Campaign," an effort to link health and child care in states and communities across the country. Through these links, locally tailored strategies are being developed to promote the healthy development of children. The link between child care and health is critical for all children, but particularly for the care of infants and toddlers.
On this, the Child Care Bureau's first birthday, we are reminded of the critical importance of the early years which were outlined by Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children, the land-mark report of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. We know that for healthy development, infants and toddlers need close relationships with a small number of caring adults in safe, predictable, and intimate settings. These relationships start with their parents and later include other adults. To mark this new year, we ask all of you to renew your commitment to improving the quality of care for infants and toddlers by:
We salute the thousands of individuals across the country who work every day to care for very young children. We hope that the ideas and initiatives highlighted in this issue of the Child Care Bulletin will stimulate creative and new thinking about caring for infants and toddlers. Our youngest and most vulnerable children are counting on all of us!
-- Joan Lombardi Child Care Bureau January, 1996
Caring for Infants with Special Needs by Katy Beh NeasFinding affordable quality care for an infant or toddler with a disability can be challenging. To address this need, Easter Seal Solutions (ESS), a child care training and placement program, was developed by the Easter Seals Society of North Georgia.
The program recruits and trains temporary and permanent caregivers in early childhood developmental practices and in working with infants and toddlers with varying types of disabilities. In addition, Easter Seals staff will customize training for child care centers, replicate training packages for those outside of the Atlanta area, and provide consultations on issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The training program has seven sections and is based on developmental practices supported by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). One training section focuses on working with infants and toddlers with disabilities and other special needs. In another section on speech therapy, staff are trained to address the communication needs of young children, including how to meet different needs and ability levels within a group. The occupational therapy training focuses on the development of fine motor skills. Providers learn about feeding techniques and adaptations for different abilities. The physical therapy section presents gross motor skills training and includes diapering, positioning, and related issues.
Katy Beh Neas is a Senior Government Relations Specialist in the Office of Public Affairs, National Easter Seal Society. More than 40 local Easter Seal affiliates provide child care, and more than 90 affiliates provide infant and early intervention services. For more information, contact Katy at (202) 347 3066.
Starting Points Grants for Local Initiatives by Michael LevineThrough a grants program of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, selected states and cities will begin to implement the reforms called for in the landmark report, Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children. The report draws on scientific knowledge about the development of infants and proposes an action agenda to ensure that young children are provided with a healthy start. It recommends community strategies to supply quality child care choices, promote responsible parenthood, and ensure good health and protection for young children.
The grants initiative promotes implementation of Starting Points' recommendations by engaging key state and community leaders, improving public and private sector policies, and tracking the state's or city's progress in meeting the needs of families with young children, especially disadvantaged families. The grant network is also designed to allow foundation staff and national experts to monitor the impact of federal policy changes under different state and local conditions, and to test new public education strategies.
Last fall, 16 states and 12 cities submitted grant proposals that demonstrated innovative collaborations between public and private agencies that serve families with young children in "high-risk" environments.
Grants ranging from $150,000 to $300,000 have been awarded to 14 cities and states. The appropriation for the two-year initiative totals approximately $3.5 million. The selected cities and states are: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, San Francisco, Vermont, and West Virginia.
To obtain a copy of Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children, see the "Resources in Child Care" section in this issue.
Michael Levine is Program Officer for Carnegie Corporation of New York, 437 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, (212) 371-3200.
Studies Measure Impact of Family and Medical LeaveThe bipartisan Commission on Leave has released two studies on the use of family and medical leave policies and their effect on employers and employees. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) took effect in August 1993, requiring businesses with more than 50 employees to grant workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to address their own serious health condition; the serious illness of a child, parent or spouse; or the birth or adoption of a child.
One study found that a majority of employers have expanded the number of reasons allowable for employees to take leave. Many employers have changed their policies to allow male employees to take leave to care for sick, newborn, or newly adopted children. Approximately 90 percent of these firms reported no costs or small costs associated with administration, hiring and training, and continuation of benefits under the FMLA.
The Commission's mandate is to assess the effect of family and temporary medical leave policies, programs, and practices on employers and employees. "These are the first nationally representative, statistically valid data on the FMLA," said Ann Bookman, Director of the Commission on Leave. The Commission's final Report to Congress will include new data on parental leave and other forms of leave covered by FMLA, and will be available to the public in February 1996.
For more information, contact the Commission on Leave at the Department of Labor Women's Bureau at: (202) 219-6611, ext. 108.
Designing Group Care Environments for Infants and Toddlers by Louis TorelliA well designed environment is safe for infants and toddlers while it also challenges their motor skills, stimulates the senses, and supports their emotional well being. A group care environment should be designed to promote children's individual and social development through learning that is age appropriate and child directed. In surroundings that are safe to explore, infants and toddlers learn to map their environment cognitively, to manipulate it, and to master it.
For infants and toddlers, there is a close link between motor development and emotional competence. The child care environment should support appropriate movement as well as a young child's need to crawl, climb, run, and jump.
Using these principles, providers can create a "Landscape for Learning" when planning or renovating classrooms. The goal is to incorporate a variety of levels to create a setting that is safe, challenging, and child directed. Recessed areas, platforms, lofts, low walls, and canopies can be placed along the periphery to "sculpt" the room and create various age appropriate activity areas. The open center of the room allows for free movement and flexible activity space. The environment should be highly functional, attractive, age appropriate, and teacher supported.
Designing or remodeling a child care facility provides an opportunity to create room layouts that can optimize a developmentally designed program. Consider these guidelines:
A setting that is developmentally designed will increase the effectiveness of caregivers as well as enhance the experiences of the children.
Louis Torelli, M.S.Ed., is a partner with architect Charles Durrett in Spaces for Children, a child care facility design firm. For more information, contact: (510) 549-9980 or (800) 895-3121. *To obtain a copy of Caring for Infants & Toddlers in Groups: Developmentally Appropriate Practice, see "Resources in Child Care" in this issue.
Early Head Start Focuses on Successful Models for CareThe years from birth to age three are critical to a child's development. Providing comprehensive services that support families during these years can make a lasting, positive impact in their lives. In recognition of this, with Presidential leadership and broad bi-partisan support, the Early Head Start (EHS) initiative was established as part of the 1994 Human Services Reauthorization. This initiative extends Head Start services to infants, toddlers, and their families.
Last September, 68 EHS programs were funded in 32 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and two tribal communities in North Dakota and Washington. Together, these grantees will serve more than 5,000 children and families.
The EHS programs are community based and offer a wide variety of approaches for high quality child development and family support services. The EHS models funded include programs that emphasize family child care, center-based care, and home visiting (especially for families with infants).
EHS program sponsors include Head Start grantees, school systems, child care programs, colleges, community mental health centers, medical centers, city and county governments, Indian Tribes, community action agencies, and other nonprofit agencies. Depending on community needs and strengths, some projects will focus on specific areas, such as services for teen parents, family literacy, or substance abuse treatment.
To improve services for infants and toddlers, ZERO TO THREE\ The National Center and WestEd (formerly the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development) will provide technical assistance to EHS programs. In addition, a research strategy has been designed to include a rigorous national evaluation and in-depth local research to understand further the child, family, and program variables that contribute to positive outcomes. The evaluation plan, to be conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and Columbia University, will identify successful models and lay the foundation for longitudinal studies.
The proposed new Head Start Program Performance Standards will also include guidelines for serving families with infants and toddlers.
The EHS initiative will benefit families with young children by improving the delivery of early childhood and family support services.
For more information, contact Diane Carroad, Editor, Head Start Bulletin, 330 C St., SW, Room 2310, Washington, DC 20201.
Spotlight on. . .Kansas City's Early Head Start (EHS) program, a community-based, comprehensive family support system, builds upon existing partnerships to ensure a coordinated service delivery process for the city's most vulnerable children and families. As the lead agency for the EHS program, KCMC Child Development Corporation has been successful in facilitating partnerships that use Head Start support to leverage funds for improving the quality of child care.
Major partners with KCMC in the EHS program are the Swope Parkway Comprehensive Health Center and the Local Investment Commission (LINC). Swope Parkway provides well-baby checkups, immunizations, health screenings, parent and child interaction therapy, and other health-related services. LINC oversees a comprehensive approach to job development in low-income communities through collaborative agreements with private businesses, the Missouri Department of Social Services, and nonprofit organizations. Services available through LINC include adult education, child care subsidies, resource and referral services, and training for family child care providers.
As the EHS grantee, KCMC provides the leadership and the focal point, the Thomas-Roque Child and Family Center, which is on the grounds of Swope Parkway's Health campus and centrally located to the neighborhoods where the participating families live. In addition to child development services, families are offered literacy and life skills training, as well as home visits from parent educators. An EHS Family Advocate provides individualized case management to ensure that families' needs are met in the areas of child care, health, mental health, education, and parenting skills. The Family Advocate coordinates the services available to families through KCMC Child Development Corporation, Swope Parkway, and LINC.
Shirley Stubbs-Gillette is Director of Planning and Development at KCMC and responsible for the agency's Head Start Community Partnerships programs including Full Start, Thomas-Roque Child and Family Center, and Early Head Start. To learn more, call Shirley at:(816) 474-3751, ext. 603.
Fifty-three Comprehensive Early Childhood Demonstration Projects that serve public housing communities were funded in September 1995 through an interagency agreement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, and the Child Care Bureau. The demonstration projects will provide early childhood education, nutrition services, and other community services to children of low-income parents and guardians who are seeking, maintaining or training for employment. They will be administered by non-profit child care providers, Head Start programs, Resident Management Corporations or Resident Councils of Public and Indian Housing Developments.
Approximately 50 of these projects have identified infant and toddler care as a component of their child care services. Under these projects, infant and toddler care will be provided in family day care settings in or near public housing communities. Operation of these programs will begin in mid-March, 1996.
For more information about the Early Childhood Demonstration Projects, contact Brenda Bonds, Child Care Bureau, at: (202) 690-7214.
School-based Care Serves Young Children of Teen Parents by Susan Taylor BattenErica, age 16, wakes for school at 5:00 a.m., each day. Not only must she shower, dress, and feed herself before walking to the bus stop, she must feed, bathe, and dress Elliot, her infant son. At 6:30, Erica scurries out the door with books, lunch, diaper bag, car seat, and baby in tow. Luckily, Erica can take Elliot to school with her; she is fortunate enough to attend a high school that provides services to pregnant and parenting teens, including on-site child care.
Many school districts are providing school-based programs designed to help pregnant and parenting adolescents graduate from school or obtain a GED. Of the various services that these programs provide, such as flexible school options, case management, parent support and education, transportation, etc., child care is the most critical. School-based care not only allows young mothers to stay in school, but also supplies vital services, such as health screenings, for their children. These two generational programs aim to prevent welfare dependency for both the parent and the child.
Schools use a variety of models to provide child care for children of teen parents. Each model has particular strengths and benefits.
It is relatively easy to link on-site centers with preventive health services. For instance, in Florida, Pinellas County Schools has worked with the county health agency to conduct traveling well-baby clinics to provide examinations and screenings at the on-site centers. In St. Paul, Minnesota, children in on-site centers have accessed the school-based health clinic for emergency care and well-baby services.
It is also possible to link children with health services in family child care. For instance, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, county nurses visit such family child care homes to track infant immunizations and check-ups.
Schools may tap several sources to subsidize child care for teens, such as federal, state, local, and private funding. Federal funds most frequently used include the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG); welfare-related child care (JOBS, TCC, At-Risk), Head Start, and the Social Services Block Grant (Title XX). In addition, some districts use federal education dollars to pay for these services. Teen parent programs of the Los Angeles Unified School District in California and Columbus Public Schools in Ohio use Single Parent/Displaced Homemaker funds from the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act to subsidize in-school child care. Recent modifications to the federal Chapter 1 program also allow these funds to pay for child care.
State and local governments may set aside funding specifically to subsidize child care for teen parents. This is the case in the Minneapolis area, where Hennepin County funds pay family child care providers who work with children of teen parents.
A few states have passed legislation that brings additional education aid into school districts based on the number of pregnant and parenting students they serve. The enhanced average daily attendance or full-time equivalent (FTE) formulas generate revenue for local school districts. For example, Florida's Teenage Parent Program, as a part of the state Department of Education's dropout prevention plan, provides school districts with 1.6 FTEs for each student enrolled, and an additional FTE for their child. Much of these funds pay for child care.
While they have the potential to positively impact the lives of teen parents and their children, schools need strong linkages with key stakeholders in the community to provide services of a sufficient scope and scale. Key community child care institutions, including resource and referral agencies, provider associations, and local planning and advisory bodies can reach out to schools to facilitate these partnerships and to ensure that our youngest and most vulnerable families receive the best services available.
Susan Taylor Batten is a Senior Program Officer at the Center for Assessment and Policy Development. For more information about the School-Based Initiative for Adolescent Parents and Their Young Children, call Susan at: (610) 664-4540.
Initiatives Across the Country in Infant and Toddler CareBright Beginnings, a community based initiative, provides services to support and encourage all parents of young children, regardless of their income or where they live. The initiative has three key areas: a "Warm Welcome" home visitation program for all children born in Colorado; accessible child care; and help for teen parents and their infants.
"Warm Welcome" ensures that each new mother is offered a visit by a volunteer counselor within several weeks of giving birth. Trained counselors provide parents with a checklist of care and services that babies need during the first year of life, a list of services which parents may need to access, and a handbook or video which reviews how to provide for an infant's needs. They can also mentor new parents in developing their parenting skills during the first three years of the baby's life.
The child care component, to be completed by 1997, will ensure that all parents of young children will have access to quality child care. These services will include at least two meals daily, a provider to child ratio that provides personal attention, and a clean, safe environment.
The third component of Bright Beginnings calls upon the community to help ensure that teen parents have access to child care facilities. This will enable the teens to acquire the education and training they need to become self-supporting, while also providing for their children.
Bright Beginnings is funded entirely from private sources, individual and corporate contributions, and grants from foundations. The initiative is managed by the Colorado Children's Campaign.
For more information, contact Seth Grob, Director of Bright Beginnings, at: (303) 839-1580.
The Montana Early Childhood Project (ECP), in partnership with the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory (NWREL), KUSM Public Television, the state Child Care Resource and Referral Network, and Department of Family Services, has developed and implemented the Infant and Toddler Caregiver Telecommunications Homestudy Program. The project aims to develop the capacity of a rural state to deliver high quality training opportunities; increase the supply of trained infant and toddler caregivers; and demonstrate the effectiveness of telecommunications in reaching providers located in remote and rural areas.
Program participants chose one of four options, from only viewing the program to obtaining college credit. Thus far, of the 371 participants who enrolled in the program, 78 received a certificate of completion, 26 participated in formal discussion groups, and 16 received college credit.
In May 1995, ECP and NWREL participated in providing a five state "training of trainers" for The Program for Infant and Toddler Caregivers. That fall, CCDBG funds were made available to Montana's 12 resource and referral agencies to design locally appropriate training programs. The project's final report will be available early in 1996.
To learn more, contact Billie Warford, Montana Early Childhood Project, at: (406) 994-5005.
The Baby Steps Day Care and Teen Parenting Center in Norman, Oklahoma is an innovative response to some of the problems of teen parents and their young children. A community task force had found that the main reasons teen parents dropped out of school were the lack of adequate child care and the lack of supportive adults in their lives. A coalition comprised of the Junior League of Norman, Inc. (the project's founder), Head Start, Juvenile Services, Inc., the Department of Human Services Office of Child Care, and Norman Public Schools worked to address these problems.
The result of the coalition's efforts is Baby Steps, a center for infants and toddlers, which provides convenient and affordable care and other supports so that teen parents can complete their high school education. Teens bring their babies to the center and then go to school for regular classes. During one period, they return to Baby Steps for a state approved child development course for which they receive school credit. The students learn developmental theory and parenting skills while interacting with the children.
The center employs four caregivers, each of whom has a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or an early childhood degree. The ability of the caregivers to serve as role models is important. Caregivers work with teens who are often struggling with their own development, the demands of parenthood, and a need for a positive self image.
Since Baby Steps opened, 83 teen parents have taken part in the program. It is a creative and positive response to a problem, reflected by a marked increase in teen parent graduations and academic achievements, including one young woman who was named a National Merit Commended Scholar. Former students report that the skills they gained in the program helped both them and their children at a most critical time in their development.
To learn more, contact Prins Ella Anderson, Program Administrator, Oklahoma Office of Child Care, at: (405) 521-3561, or Dr. Jan Hininger, Baby Steps Center Director, at: (405) 360-2717.
Through CCDBG support, child care opportunities have increased in even the most remote villages in Alaskan communities served by the Tanana Chiefs Conference Infant Learning Program. This program works with providers and families of infants and toddlers who are experiencing delays in development.
In most cases, child care providers are extended family members or trusted family friends. In a village of 60 to 200 people it is not uncommon for everyone to know the needs of each family. This close structure of the village, and the reliance on one another to exist in a harsh climate with limited outside access, make it vitally important that all of the service providers coordinate with each other. Often, home visits include not only the parents or primary caregivers, but also the grandparents, aunts, uncles, elders, and neighbors who assist in providing for the child. An entire village may decide to learn simple sign language to help a child with a hearing impairment, or villagers may join together to help remodel a house to accommodate a child with limited mobility.
Through CCDBG funds, 40 villages now have a Tribal Family Youth Specialist (TFYS), a chosen village member trained to work with children from birth to age sixteen. Each TFYS coordinates weekly educational play groups that parents or caregivers attend along with the children to learn developmentally appropriate activities. The Tanana Chiefs Conference Infant Learning Program assists the TFYS in setting up play groups for infants and toddlers and also offers parenting skills training in various areas.
To learn more, contact Veleta Murphy, Coordinator/Early Intervention Specialist for the Tanana Chiefs Conference, Inc., at: (907) 452-8251.
Hope House in Memphis opened in August, 1995 to provide services to children ages six weeks to five years who are affected by HIV or have acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or whose parents or siblings have AIDS. Young children are referred to Hope House from hospitals, the Department of Human Services, and other HIV/AIDS support agencies. The center currently serves 14 children, although it is licensed to serve 38.
Now generating most of its income from donations, the partnership to start Hope House involved a combination of state funds, CCDBG funds, and private donations, and volunteer efforts from many, including the Junior League of Memphis, Methodist School of Nursing, University of Memphis Department of Social Work and School of Nursing. Their efforts resulted in the renovation of a Victorian home in midtown Memphis, and a program of services offered to children and families in which the adult to child ratios remain high (2:3 in the infant care rooms).
Unique and creative volunteer efforts served to maximize resources and involve the community. The building renovation contractor helped to raise $60,000 in donated supplies and offered advice on how to accomplish some renovation tasks with volunteer efforts. Hope House was able to pay off a van with the savings from renovation costs. A Memphis College of Art professor donated her time to sketch three "paint-by-number" murals as another way to encourage community involvement, by inviting people to visit the center and help paint the murals. Volunteers continue to provide services such as grocery delivery, rocking infants, playground assistance, data entry, lawn care, transportation, pricing equipment needs lists, organizing clothing and toy donations, and much more.
To learn more, contact Kristie Goldsmith, Executive Director of Hope House, at: (901) 272-2702.
In Vermont, CCDBG funds have helped to expand infant care capacity in the family day care home system. The funds have assisted family child care providers to attend training and to purchase equipment to enhance their abilities to care for infants. In addition, The Child Care Services Division has worked with the Day Care Licensing Unit to recruit new providers who will serve children under age three.
The Lavina Hackett Stewart Family Day Care Network has recently been established to expand child care options for state employees in central Vermont and to promote high quality care for children through training and supports for family child care providers. The Network links with Ben & Jerry's Children's Center through the support of the Vermont State Employees Association Child Care Labor Management Committee.
Providers who join the Network receive a paid membership in the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children; state holidays, three sick days, a week of vacation, and three training days (all paid) per year. They have access to a lending library of toys, equipment, materials, and books. Providers receive a newsletter, regular visits by the Network Coordinator, and access to provider support meetings to introduce curriculum materials and share ideas. New providers are offered weekly consultations, training, and start-up equipment such as cribs and changing tables. The Child Care Services Division supports the Network by providing child care subsidies for eligible families along with funds for training family child care providers.
For more information, contact Kim Keiser, Director, Vermont Child Care Services Division, at: (802) 241-3110.
Credentials for Infant and Toddler CaregiversThe Child Development Associate (CDA) National Credentialing Program, a training effort to improve the quality of child care, is administered by The Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition (the Council). Individuals apply for a CDA credential by providing documentation of training and experience in the early childhood care profession to the Council for assessment according to national standards (see "Staff Credentialing Programs Improve Skills," in the Child Care Bulletin, May/ June 1995).
Those pursuing the Infant and Toddler CDA must also document training and experience specific to three groups of children: young infants, mobile infants, and toddlers. For those not having full time work experience with each of the three groups, supplemental observations are arranged to review the candidate's capabilities.
To date, more than 5,400 caregivers have obtained the specialized Infant and Toddler CDA credential. For more information on the CDA program, call Marilyn Henry, Unit Manager for the Research and Communication Division of The Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition, at: (202) 265-9090 or (800) 424-4310.
National Study of Early Child Care Examines Different Care SettingsThe National Institute of Child Health and Development has recently released initial findings from their ongoing study on the effects of child care for infants and toddlers. The Study of Early Child Care aims to increase understanding about child care arrangements with caregivers other than the mother and their linkage to family life and children's development. Infants were observed in five different types of child care arrangements: father care (15%), grandparent care (17%), in-home care providers (15%), family child care homes (35%), and child care centers (18%).
Initial results, which focus on the child's first year, include findings about the age that infants begin care, the amount of time they are in care, the types of arrangements that families use, and the quality of care that infants receive. Investigators also reviewed the family factors that contribute to these characteristics.
The study found that half of the infants studied were in some form of care at three months of age. By six months, half of the infants were in child care for 30 hours per week or more. At the end of the first year, 35 percent of the infants observed had been in at least three different care arrangements.
In addition, the study examined the quality of care received by the child. Investigators analyzed levels of staff training, group size, adult to child ratios, and the safety of the care setting to determine the level of quality. The researchers found that center staff had the most specialized training, although 65 percent of the infants had caregivers with no specialized training in child care, child development, or early childhood education.
The study notes that "[p]arents may use child care primarily for economic and professional reasons, but their child care decisions are tempered by their own beliefs about childrearing and how they believe maternal employment could affect their children." Researchers found that children who entered care early (compared to those who entered later) had mothers who earned more and were in families with less income from fathers or other sources. Children who entered care early also tended to have mothers who worked more hours per week.
To learn more, contact the National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Network at: (301) 496-6591.
First Lady Highlights Child SafetyFirst Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a visit to the Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center in Washington, DC, kicked off a national campaign to keep children safe in their homes. Accompanied by Ann Brown, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chair, and Al Piergallini, Gerber Products Company President and CEO, Mrs. Clinton invited families and friends of new and expectant mothers to organize Baby Safety Showers, fun parties with the goal of alerting mothers to hidden hazards in the home.
Pointing out that more children die from accidents and injuries than from any of the childhood diseases, Brown said, "There are many safety concerns that just aren't obvious to most parents, but that can prove deadly." She added, "Parenting doesn't come with an instruction manual. It is strictly on-the-job training. The purpose of CPSC's Baby Safety Shower is to help good parents become even better parents by giving them simple safety messages to make their homes safer for babies."
The CPSC, in cooperation with Gerber Products Company and the Food Marketing Institute, has developed games, activities and written materials to help mothers to learn about safety. A Baby Safety Shower is a way of encouraging mothers to spread the idea to family and friends at the neighborhood level. Gerber is donating 2,000 kits explaining how to host a Baby Safety Shower. The kits can be replicated.
"This is only the beginning," said Brown. "We hope that groups and individuals will take this information and pass it on."
For more information, contact the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1-800-638-2772.
Safety Alert: Used Cribs Can Be Hazardous The best place to put a baby to sleep is in a safe crib. When selecting a crib, look for a certification seal showing that it meets safety standards. Cribs should meet the Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines:
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is interested in any incident in which a consumer product played a significant role in a resultant injury or death. To report a product-related injury, contact CPSC at: (800) 638-8095, fax: (800) 809-0924, or E-mail: amcdonal@cpsc.gov. Be sure to include information relevant to the injury, and your name, address, and phone number.
Healthy Child Care Update: Administration for Native AmericansThe Child Care Bureau has entered into an interagency agreement with the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) to support the Healthy Child Care America Initiative. Funds from ANA will assist the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) through grants to tribally controlled colleges for providing technical assistance to tribal communities in support of Healthy Child Care America efforts. The technical assistance will address child care curriculum development, health promotion and disease prevention strategies, as well as parental training, strategic planning, outreach, male/fatherhood involvement and cultural enrichment.
AIHEC is a cooperative effort of 30 member tribal institutions in the U.S. and Canada which serve nearly 25,000 students with technical, vocational, two-year, four-year, and graduate programs.
To learn more about the Child Care Bureau's AIHEC projects, contact Roger Iron Cloud at: (202) 690-6244.
Through an agreement with the Child Care Bureau, the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health provides technical assistance to help develop and strengthen linkages between the child care and health care communities. The National Center will track campaign activities and identify and disseminate health and safety resources and information.
To find out more or to provide information on local initiatives, contact: Karin Elliott, National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health, 2000 15th Street North, Suite 701, Arlington, VA 22201-2617, or call: (703) 524-7802, fax: (703) 524-9335, or E-mail: elliottk@medlib.geor getown.edu
Specialized Training for Infant and Toddler Caregivers by Sheila SignerAlthough much is understood about individual infant development, and both research and experience point to the importance of a child's first three years, caregivers need to know how to provide optimal care for infants and toddlers in groups.
Concerned about improving the quality of care for very young children, the California Department of Education collaborated with WestEd (formerly the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development) to create a comprehensive training system based on educational videos. It provides the theory and practice needed to understand and meet young children's needs within group settings. The Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers offers a series of 12 broadcast quality (closed caption format) videos in English, Spanish, and Chinese (Cantonese), along with trainer's manuals.
The training promotes developing warm, nurturing relationships between infants and caregivers and providing care that is individualized, culturally sensitive, and responsive to the child's cues and natural desire to learn. The child care environment should support this by being safe, healthy, comfortable, and convenient for the children and adults.
Also, the way that groups are organized has a great impact on the relationships within them. By assigning a primary caregiver to each child and family, and creating small groups that remain consistent over time, infants develop secure relationships that promote positive self identity, learning, and social skills.
The Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers offers specific recommendations for creating responsive relationships, understanding temperament and developmental differences, and facilitating cognitive and language development. The videos and guides also present practical advice on designing appropriate environments, organizing small groups, providing for continuity of care, and communicating with parents. The materials are organized by modules that can be used directly by caregivers or by group trainers.
The Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers offers trainer-of-trainer institutes within the state, and additional training sessions in participating states. In California, CCDBG funds provide fellowships for participants to cover the costs of training. Through outreach efforts of the California Department of Education, regional educational laboratories, and certified trainers, The Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers has trained approximately 28,000 child care providers nationwide.
To learn more, contact Sheila Signer, Program Associate for WestEd, at: (415) 331-5277.
Resources in Child CareWith each issue, the Child Care Bulletin will highlight resources available to the child care community. We encourage providers, parents, administrators, and other readers to share your knowledge of what is available so that we can pass it on to the field.
| The document is for informational purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, program, or individual by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Children and Families, the Child Care Bureau, or the National Child Care Information Center is intended or is to be inferred. For additional information on this or related topics, please contact the National Child Care Information Center at (800) 616-2242 or info@nccic.org. |
