Real Lives, Real Stories
Child Care Resource and Referral
During fiscal year '08- '09,
- Our Resource and Referral offered 90 workshops for Early Childhood Professionals
- There were 1,641 attendees at these workshops. Some of the following comments were made about the trainings:
- "Great trainer! Very personable"
- "I really didn't know much but thanks to you I have learned a lot - thanks"
- "Wish I could take the trainer with me to work"
- "Excellent Presentation"
- Good news is the new training calendar is out. Bad news is only a few openings left"
- Parents and teachers are very pleased with the recent changes to the resource room. The new materials are a welcome addition with the kiddies treadmill being a big favorite. Customers report that the materials are better organized and easier to find. The room is warm and welcoming.
- The 2009 Early Childhood Professional Educators Conference:
- Conference attendance maxed out at 250 this year. We had a waiting list of over 40 people.
- Our conference committee made up of 15 Early Childhood Educators (teachers, directors, owners, family childcare providers).
- The Conference Committee raised over $500 for door prizes and decorations.
Child Care Subsidy Program
This program assists parents with paying for the cost of child care services and allows parents to either work, attend school, or receive assistance for a special need or a crisis. Eligibility for the program is based on need, income, and family size. Most families who qualify for the program are expected to also pay a portion towards their child care expenses. One parent wrote:
"I am very pleased with the services you give to mothers like me. I work very hard 5 days a week and am not allowed any overtime, yet don't get paid enough to keep ahead. I can't afford child care. If it wasn't for you doing what you do, I would be working two jobs to afford child care or be out of work and scraping to get by. My worker has been wonderful. I can see that she sincerely cares for those she works for. She was very attentive and personal with me, my family, and our situation. My husband and I are grateful to know there are people who are concerned for families like us that can barely get by with bills. My worker made sure she reviewed everything and covered every aspect of expenses and income. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of you who single us out and show us how much you care. My kids are in a daycare because of the program. I know I can trust who is caring for them and not worry while I am at work; are they safe, are they being fed well, are they learning new things; this keeps me sane. Thanks again."
Education for the Stars
During fiscal year '08- '09,
- 131 child care providers received payments for coursework completed toward a degree in Early Childhood Education
- There was a total of 1,430 semester credit hours earned in Early Childhood Education
- The amount paid out to providers was $110,900 for the semester credits earned.
- This year we had 51 individuals to complete professional development plans that helped them in their journey to start back to school or complete their degrees in Early Childhood Education.
- Also our Professional Development Coordinator had 75 consultations that assisted individuals with information regarding: college choices, financial aid and assistance, and the registration process.
- Many Early Childhood Professionals completed their Associates Degrees and One finished their Bachelors Degree!
In Home Family Therapy
Journey to the Stars
During fiscal year '08- '09,
- A center we have worked with was on the verge of closing its doors. They applied for our Journey to the Stars program and became 100% involved in the process. Their director and staff willingly accepted changes that needed to be made. They also received new equipment as a result of their participation in the program. They had the Environment Rating Scale Assessment completed and done a fabulous job. This resulted in their Star Rated License increasing from a 2 Star to a 4 Star license. They are now participating in our Quality Maintenance Program and will be receiving funds to offset the cost for providing quality care.
- We also worked with the Davidson County Schools Early Childhood Classrooms to increase their star rating. There were 4 out of 5 sites increased their Star Rated License to either 4 or 5 stars. The other classroom will apply for a higher star-rating in the fall of 2009.
More at Four
Quality early learning in Davidson County is bursting at the seams! The More at Four early childhood professionals are going above and beyond the call of duty. While a 4.5 is the required score for a More at Four classroom to be considered high quality, our classrooms are reaching above and scoring, on average, a 5.46! Everyone deserves a thank you: Parents, teachers, administrators, and technical assistance staff. Way to go!
Quality Maintenance Program
During fiscal year '08- '09,
- One child care director that we worked with this year has worked on ways to show parents that children learn through play. The director conveyed a concern about parents wanting to see worksheets to prepare children for Kindergarten. The Center Management Specialist provided the director with several ideas to implement that would help parents to see what their child is learning on an everyday basis. Some of the suggestions were to implement a written daily report that describes what they children learned that day. Use dry erase boards to communicate daily / weekly objectives. Also, revise the parent handbook to include yearly objectives that each class will be working on.
- Another center had a situation to occur that allowed the Center Management Specialist to work with the director to implement a policy concerning conflict management. They now have a policy in place that all staff should follow. The Center Management Specialists also provided directors with strategies they could implement to ensure that the Environment Rating Scales are being implemented on a daily basis.
- This year we offered the Business Institute Trainings to all Family Child Care Providers and we had 20 to participate. Many participated in more sessions than was required.
- Two of the participating Family Child Care Homes were due for their reassessment for their Rated License, with the assistance of their Family Child Care Specialist, one maintained their 5 star rating and the other increased from a 4 to a 5 star license.
School Readiness Specialists
In early 2004, a School Readiness Specialist was referred to a family that had two young boys. The 4 year old, Eric, had been diagnosed with Attachment Anxiety Disorder and the school system was trying very hard to convince the mother that he would benefit from being in their preschool program. This family was dealing with multiple abuse issues and this mother was not comfortable having her child in school. The child's School Readiness Specialist contacted the mother to tell her about the Parents as Teachers home visitation program that she provided and the mother agreed to let her make home visits with herself and her 3 year old child. The Specialist and the school both encouraged the mother to send the 4 year old to school and gradually she allowed him to attend, but only on occasion. Often, when she did send the child to school, she would show up at the school as well and disrupt the day for all the children. After many home visits over the course of the school year and a lot of coaxing, the Specialist was able to convince the mother to send her son to school and to even consider sending her other son to preschool the following school year. When school started in 2005, both boys were attending school on a relatively regular basis. The School Readiness Specialist continued to make home visits with this family and was instrumental in helping this family find needed community resources. She became a very important person in their lives.