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Archive for the ‘Training’ Category

Infancy to preschool is usually referred to as the formative time span of childhood, during which children require special attention by the caregiver.

If you love children and want a career in child care, you need professional training and you should complete a certificate program.

Such a program will provide you with the skill and knowledge of taking care of little children. Certificate courses provide students a basic coursework and field experience of child development.

Family Child Care Course

Several community colleges offer certificate courses in family child care to teach skills to nurture infants and toddlers. They provide basic education in health and safety, and develop the ability to instruct younger children.

The duration of the program is usually from six months to one year, and students are required to complete 15 to 30 credits. The certificate course often teaches students first-aid techniques and curriculum development.

Course curriculum usually contains basic nutrition, child psychology, child behavior, child development and ethics of child care.

A minimum criterion to enroll for the certificate course is a high school diploma or GED degree. Colleges may require students to submit verification of latest vaccinations and a physical exam.

Child Care Management Certificate

Community colleges offer child care management certificates to prepare students for supervisory or administrative jobs in child care centers. Students learn the elements in childhood development of infants to 5-year-olds.

The programs develop the skills of effective communication with parents and to understand special children. The eligibility criteria for such a course typically includes a high school diploma or GED degree, a clean criminal record and clearance of health and drug tests.

The program coursework usually entails child development, discipline, safety, health, nutrition, child abuse, parent communication, care of special need children and education for infants and young children. To achieve the certificate, students are required to maintain the specified college GPA.

Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Child Care

Technical colleges usually offer diploma programs, which are slightly more advanced than the certificate courses. Average duration of the program is one to two years, with the completion of 35 to 60 credit hours. The core courses of the program may be in English, computers and mathematics. Read the rest of this entry »

Many states require that child care workers obtain several hours of training every year. Even in states where this is not a requirement, some child care centers require their employees to obtain such training to improve their skills as a provider.

Unfortunately, taking courses through child care training organizations or through colleges or universities can be expensive. The good news is, there are plenty of resources for free child care training courses–you just need to know where to look.

Internet

The Internet makes it easy to obtain training hours right from the comfort of your own home. While many fee-based child care training courses are available, there are also a modest number of free online workshops out there, too.

Some of these are listed in the Resources section below. Many states also offer training via the Internet to child care providers who work in that state. Read more about free state-sponsored training below.

State-Sponsored Courses

Many states (particularly the ones that require training) offer free training courses to child care providers. These courses are usually given in multiple locations throughout the state to make them easily accessible to most day care workers.

To obtain a listing of free, state-sponsored training courses, contact the agency that oversees day care licensing. Commonly, this is the state’s Department of Human Services or Department of Child and Family Services. See the References section for contact information.

Child Care Associations

If you or your day care center is a member of a regional or national child care association, there may be free child care training courses available to you. While there is generally a fee for membership, many child care providers find that the benefits (including free and reduced-price training) make the membership worth the fee.

Two of the most notable child care associations are the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Child Care Association. Read the rest of this entry »