Professional development in the field of Early Care and Education encourages growth and continued learning in current child care providers while helping prepare future providers for their careers.

The field of education is an ever changing field, and professional development opportunities allow for providers to gain new knowledge and skills that help them become better equipped to provide quality care.

July 1^st starts a new training calendar year. It is never too early to complete your training hours! Below, we have inked some training opportunities to get you jump started. 

The WKU Family Child Care Network is currently developing training courses and we encourage you to take part! We will include information for upcoming training in our newsletters, so be watching out for new opportunities each month. They will be TRIS-approved and count toward annual training hours. There will be both virtual and in person training. If you have any suggestions for training topics you are interested in, please reach out to your Family Child Care Specialist!

Now is the time to start planning your professional development for the new year. One option for your planning is to consider earning your Commonwealth Child Care Credential. This is a sixty (60) clock hour class that earns you a Kentucky recognized credential and a milestone achievement award of $100.

It is even FREE to take the class through scholarship dollars with the All STARS program.

Classes begin in January 2023 and end in May. There are eight Saturday classes during that time. This training counts towards your annual training hours and covers topics related to child growth and development, professionalism, program management, learning environments, working with families and so much more!

If you are looking for more knowledge and growth in your professionalism and work with children and families, then you can continue with sixty (60) additional clock hours of training and earn your national Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential. This again has a milestone achievement award but this time for $200 and is free after applying for the scholarship!

What better way to earn your professional development hours and better serve your children and families at no cost to you and earn milestone achievement awards along the way!

For information, please contact the office via telephone or email Sherri Meyer at sherri.meyer@wku.edu Hope to see you at the start of the next class!

Professional development plans for Licensed Type II providers should be updated yearly. However, every provider can benefit from creating goals for the next year. Here are some ideas to get you started on your plan!

• Take time for self-reflection. What have you completed in the last year? Have you reached a milestone, or are you currently actively working on one (think CCCC, CDA, degrees)? Another special milestone to consider is how many years that you have been in Early Childhood or been the owner of your own Family Child Care Home business – that is a major achievement!

• How can you build from those completed goals to continue to grow?

• What types of training could you look for would be beneficial for you, the children in your care, and their families?

• What professional goals would you like to work on? What resources might you need to help you begin the process of achieving that goal?

• Visit the Professional Development Plan information on the WKU FCCN website.  

Given the number of responsibilities you juggle daily, joining a professional association is unlikely to be among your top priorities. But thinking this way may cause you to miss the various benefits it can get you.

A Professional organization provides you with the benefits of resources, mentorship, and networking. Having someone to talk to about your challenges can help you grow as a business owner.      

• Join the National Association of FCC
• Join NAEYC
• Join KAECE

The Early Childhood Development Scholarship provides financial assistance, to the extent of available funds, in the form of non-repayable tuition scholarships for Kentucky students who are pursuing one of the following:

• Commonwealth Child Care Credential
• Child Development Associate
• Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education
• Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education or related program
• Director’s Credential

The Division of Child Care (DCC) announced that the scholarship application process is going electronic! DCC in collaboration with Child Care Aware and ECE-TRIS have created an online application process available in ECE-TRIS. Contact your Child Care Aware Professional Development Coach about your interest in applying for a scholarship. Your Child Care Aware Professional Development Coach will provide technical support to get you started with the online process in ECE-TRIS.

The Non-College Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to individuals seeking training for the Commonwealth Child Care Credential (CCCC) and the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. The CCC/CDA Credential Scholarship Program pays $420 for 120 clock hours of training on behalf of scholars to an approved training organization.

Professional Development coaches support Certified and Type II Family Child Care Providers with connections to scholarship opportunities to earn a CDA, KY Director's Credential, or Early Childhood Degree. They also assist providers with the CDA renewal application process, annual PD Plan updates, and information on keeping credentials and degrees current in the TRIS system.

Stephanie Koeller

Two Rivers Region

Allen, Barren, Butler, Daviess, Edmonson, Hancock, Hart, Henderson, Logan, McLean, Metcalfe, Monroe, Ohio, Simpson, Union, Warren, and Webster Counties

270-901-1245

stephanie.koeller@uky.edu

Kim Copeland

Salt River Region

Breckinridge, Bullitt, Grayson, Hardin, Larue, Marion, Meade, and Washington Counties

270-535-5569

kimberly.copeland@uky.edu

Debbie Sisco

The Lakes Region

Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Hopkins, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, Muhlenberg, Todd, and Trigg Counties.

270-534-3459

debbie.sisco@uky.edu

The WKU Family Child Care Network Specialists recently took part in the June Early Childhood Institute in Louisville, KY to learn more about the new Standards of Practice.

They also attended the National Association of Family Child Care conference in San Francisco where they had the opportunity to take part in breakout sessions on topics that included Health & Safety, Professional & Business Practices, Learning Environments and Curriculum, Family & Community Relations, Quality in Family Child Care, and much more!

They were able to interact with Family Child Care professionals and advocates from throughout the United States and share more about what the Family Child Care Network of KY is doing to help both current and potential providers.

Funded through Family Childcare Support Award SC 7362100001482

www.wku.edu/fccn