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The Child Care Partnership Project North Dakota Infant/Toddler Enrichment Program |
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Description In North Dakota, attitudes about child care are changing. By teaching the teachers, the Infant/Toddler Enrichment Program is helping to improve the quality of child care throughout the state. Anyone who takes care of infants and toddlers is a target for the program. A network of child care trainers works to educate caregivers and parents, and encourages the long-term retention of child care workers. "You can’t believe the difference in child care," said one trainer. "The women’s attitudes about the importance of the job, using the knowledge, the atmosphere. . .the interaction is different." Partners The members of the Infant/Toddler Enrichment Program include:
History and Development WestEd Laboratory of California developed the model for the Infant/Toddler Enrichment program through a contract with the California Department of Education. In April 1993, the Bush Foundation contacted the North Dakota Department of Human Services (NDDHS) about implementing the program in North Dakota. In 1994, NDDHS received a grant from the Bush Foundation and contracted with WestEd Laboratory to implement a training program that helps caregivers understand and provide high quality child care. WestEd Laboratory has trained over 100 North Dakota trainers to teach some or all of the program to caregivers. In the first two years, between 600 and 900 child care providers attended each of four 10 hour training sessions. Some of the child care providers who attended the sessions included representatives from the health care industry, government, foster care agencies, Head Start, Early Head Start, and special education. Current Activities The Infant/Toddler Enrichment Program is designed to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers through the recruitment, training, and retention of infant and toddler caregivers. The core of the program is four 10-hour training sessions that teach the latest in child development theory, research, and practice. Topics include language and learning, age-appropriate activities, temperaments, and the creation of nurturing relationships. Since its start four years ago, the program has expanded geographically and educationally. In addition to the core curriculum, students can receive advanced training in shorter five-hour sessions that teach relevant topics, such as infant brain development. Training occurs in a variety of settings, such as parent education programs, teen parent programs, Head Start and Even Start centers, family child care association meetings, professional conferences, and college courses. The training program is also being adapted and used in more informal settings, especially on the tribal reservations in the state. Each of the four tribal colleges receives funding to implement the Infant/Toddler Enrichment Program. In every tribe, the program looks different. Some tribes focus on education and integrate WestEd’s materials into college courses. Other tribes focus on outreach and use the funds for education in informal settings like nutrition and health clinics. The expansion of the training model into informal community settings has garnered additional support from the community. One tribal college has established a full-time position to support early childhood development programs. On one reservation where relatives and elders care for most of the children, the program reached out to one of the grandmothers of the tribe. Trainers invited the grandmother to a training session where she worked with the program to adapt the curriculum for other caregivers on the reservation. Involving the grandmother helped build credibility for the training program and improved outreach among the informal network of caregivers. Resources The Infant/Toddler program is funded by a $2.5- million grant from the Bush Foundation that ends in 1999. The program also receives $50,000 a year from the federal Child Care and Development Fund. Participants pay a small fee to ensure their commitment to the program. The North Dakota Department of Human Services (NDDHS) administers the funds and contracts with other organizations or departments to implement the program. WestEd has a subcontract to implement their infant/toddler training course in North Dakota. The Early Childhood Training Center at North Dakota State University receives the bulk of the remaining funds for marketing, equipment, coordination of training sessions, and the evaluation of the program. Results Over 100 North Dakota teachers have received training by WestEd to teach some or all of the training modules to caregivers. In the first two years, a minimum of 600 child care providers received training in each of four 10-hour training modules, and some modules had more than 900 participants. The North Dakota Child Care Resource and Referral Network and the North Dakota Early Childhood Training Center are conducting an evaluation of the Infant/Toddler Enrichment Program, as required by the Bush Foundation. The evaluation seeks to determine whether the training program has increased the number of infant and toddler caregivers, improved the quality of care for infants and toddlers, and increased the retention rate of child care providers. Evaluators will conduct telephone interviews with providers and parents to determine if the training has made an impact on how they work with infants and how infants respond. Results will be available in 1999. Sustaining and Replicating North Dakota and Minnesota simultaneously implemented the WestEd program with help from the Bush Foundation. Neighboring South Dakota recently received a Bush Foundation grant and has started to replicate the model. Last year, a training session was held for professional child care trainers from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. These three states have formed a network to help each other replicate and sustain the program. The training curriculum in these three states does not vary dramatically, but the types of partnerships formed in each state to implement the program are different. Two challenges in a largely rural state like North Dakota are the physical distance between training sites and the small number of trainers in each area. All training sessions have to be strategically planned in order to maximize attendance, and some sessions are planned even though there are only three or four providers in the area. North Dakota was able to build on an existing training network that was in place before the Infant/Toddler Enrichment Program. This allowed the program to expand rapidly into many rural areas of the state. Probably the most effective way to ensure that the program lasts is to make it a part of the education and social service agencies that already exist. The principles of the Infant/Toddler Enrichment Program are now being incorporated into state licensing laws and voluntary guidelines for caregivers. Program participants have incorporated materials and lessons learned from the training into their daily activities. Regional Migrant Head Start offices have a complete library of videos that are used during regional training, and articles developed from the training are shared in child care newsletters. Infant/toddler training also is being included in higher education settings. Eleven institutions have received infant and toddler videos and other resources, and WestEd Laboratory worked with a curriculum consultant to incorporate infant and toddler videos and materials into tribal college early childhood development courses. Two of the tribal colleges began early childhood development associate degrees as a result of the infant/toddler program. Another tribal college is developing the degree requirements and coursework. Lessons Learned Be flexible and culturally sensitive. The Infant/Toddler staff adapted the training program to fit the culture. Training in tribal areas needed to be more informal and include the support of the elders. The program incorporated the grandmothers as trainers in order to build credibility and reach a wider audience. Plan the evaluation prior to implementation. Determine the outcomes that the evaluation will measure prior to the implementation, and establish a baseline for comparison. Go the extra mile for active participation. Some partners are necessary for the success of the partnership. If they are unable to participate in meetings, then change the meeting times or ask the partner to send a designee who can make decisions so that the partnership can proceed. Travel. Conference calls and written correspondence are not as effective as in-person meetings, especially in the early stages of the partnership. Face-to-face meetings help build the necessary trust and motivation among partners. Find a champion. Lieutenant Governor Rosemarie Myrdal traveled to California to learn about WestEd’s infant/toddler training program before North Dakota received the Bush Foundation grant. Her participation in and support for the training program helped to secure the grant from the Bush Foundation and raised public awareness about the program.
Contact Information Corinne Bennett |
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