Training for Community Partners: Early Childhood and Child Care

Professional child care providers become familiar with the needs and strengths of the children in their care and are able to support their growth and development. Similarly, their involvement with the families of young children offers them opportunities to provide parenting support and connect parents to community services, if necessary. The following resources provide training curricula and materials to help providers understand the child welfare system better and to recognize the overlapping issues affecting each system. Resources include State and local examples.

Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: Parent-Provider Partnerships in Child Care
ZERO TO THREE (2006)
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Helps workers promote positive parenting and healthy social-emotional development in children by building protective factors into their programs.

Strengthening Families Self-Assessment for Family Child Care Providers (PDF - 236 KB)
Center for the Study of Social Policy (2009)
Assists family child care providers to identify and improve practices to build protective factors in their work with children and families.

Through a New Lens: Seeing Woman Abuse in the Life of a Young Child: A Learning Module for Early Childhood Education Programs (PDF - 180 KB)
Baker & Cunningham (2005)
Explains signs of distress in children, how children might be affected by domestic violence, and strategies to support child adjustment. The learning module includes elements needed to create a lecture or lecture series.

A Training Guide for the Early Childhood Services Community (PDF - 1120 KB)
Hepburn & Kaufmann (2005)
Trains early childhood staff on the importance of mental health consultation when working with young children and their families and describes the administrative process for implementing a consultation model within an early childhood setting.

Using Data to Build Comprehensive Systems for Infants and Families: Facilitator Guide (PDF - 1780 KB)
Bohn, De Masi, Perkins, & Efinger (2009)
Reviews components of comprehensive early childhood service systems and helps professionals assess their current systems and develop data-based advocacy efforts. Also see the Resource Guide. (PDF - 4100 KB)

What to Expect and When to Seek Help: Bright Futures Developmental Tools for Families and Providers
Bright Futures & National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health
Presents tools to help parents and providers understand stages of child development, social and emotional milestones, and how to identify strengths in a child and childrearing abilities in a potential caregiver.

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State and local examples

Building Protective Factors with Families
Wisconsin Children's Trust Fund (2007)
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Presents a training program for early care and education providers in group centers or family child care programs that explains using a strength-based approach to providing services, protective factors and program strategies that support them, and self-assessment to ensure implementation of best practices.

Professional Development Training for Infant and Toddler Caregivers
Texas AgriLife Extension Service & Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
Offers free online training to child care providers, including topics on child development, nutrition, health and safety, routines and environments, challenging behaviors, communicating with families, and abusive head trauma.

Tune In for Child Safety
Mayor's Interagency Task Force on Child Welfare and Safety, New York State Office of Children and Family Services, & New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Helps group child care center staff learn the indicators of child maltreatment and outlines what to do if abuse or neglect is suspected.

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