Online Trainings Available

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offers a variety of on-line courses for child care providers.  Click here to visit the AgriLife Extension Online Education website. 

Another Great Training Completed

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Feb. 22nd training in Kyle!  We especially appreciate our planning committee and presenters!!  

We had 246 participants, presenters, vendors and planning committee members participating.  This is our largest event yet.

We expect to offer the next training in February 2015, so check back here later in the year for more details.

Early Learning Guidelines Training Modules

These five modules cover important information in each of the four developmental domains featured in the Early Learning Guidelines.  These modules were developed to assist trainers as they provide trainings to child care providers on the Infant, Toddler, and Three-Year-Old Early Learning Guidelines. Each module features a Facilitator Guide, Participant Guide, and a PowerPoint Presentation for trainers to use in their training. Click here to access the training.

Little Texans Big Futures

New, updated Early Childhood Guidelines are now available.  Check out http://www.littletexans.org for great information and resources for child care providers and parents including:

• Infant, Toddler, and Three-Year-Old Early Learning Guidelines in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese
• Child development posters for your child care program
• Parenting guides in English and Spanish with child development information for four age groups: 0-8 months, 8-18 months, 18-36 months, and 36-48 months
• A parent's guide for selecting child care
• Our television and radio ads
• They also have mobile website

They have a new resource available for early childhood providers in Texas - an alignment of the new Infant, Toddler, and Three-Year-Old Early Learning Guidelines with the Texas Pre-kindergarten Guidelines. "Texas' Early Learning Pathways" creates a birth to age 5 child development continuum and shows how caregivers can support optimal development for young children for the first five years of life.

Child Care Providers Can Impact Costly Issue

Some of you may have seen the article in the June issue of the Community Impact Newspaper about truancy.  If you didn't see it, click here to do so.  You can also find out more by clicking here.  This is not just a public school issue, and child care providers can definitely help establish routines related to school attendance.  Click here for more info on how to help.  There you can also find "tools" for using with your families.

2013 Training a Success!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2013 Hays Co. Child Care Providers Training on April 6th in Kyle!!  We had a great crowd of 145 registered participants who care for 1,500 children in Hays and surrounding counties.  Special thanks to all of our presenters and exhibitors!    Click here to see the printed program from the training.

A huge pat on the back goes to our planning committee:  Stephanie Bonnet-Kramer and Marie Jones (Hays CISD), Rebecca Eichen and Maria Matts (Rocking Horse Academy), and Laura Petty (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in  Hays County).  Over the last year, our committee and planned and hosted 2 trainings which provided participants with a total of 10 training hours.  Our fall training on Sept. 29 involved 138 registered participants.

We will soon be working on plans for the fall training, so stay tuned to this site for all the details.

Also, if  you are interested in serving on the planning committee and/or presenting at future trainings, please feel free to contact Laura Petty at 512-393-2120 or ljpetty@tamu.edu.

Free Online Training on "Cognitive Skills"

The brain training experts at LearningRx of San Antonio Northeast has partnered with Professional Learning Board to offer a free online continuing education course to area teachers.  The class is named ”Cognitive Skills – Understanding Learning Challenges” and is designed to help teachers understand, identify and combat weak cognitive skills, which for some students can sabotage learning, even when excellent teachers use the best methods, materials and curriculum. By completing the course, teachers will earn 5 to 10 clock hours.  Click here to find out more details and enroll. 

Emergency Preparedness Resources

One of our sessions at the September 29th training was Emergency Preparedness Plans.  Special thanks to Rebecca Eichen with Rocking Horse Academy for sharing their Emergency Preparedness Plan with the participants.  It is quite detailed and would be a great resource for anyone working on their plan.

One resource that Dr. Connie Sheppard (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Bexar County) shared with me is the "Family Child Care Emergency Preparedness Guide"  that was developed in partnership by the NH Child Development Bureau, Child Care Licensing Unit, Child Care Resource and Referral Network, NH Emergency Management of Department of Safety and Easter Seals NH. Click here to view and/or download the guide.

Links to other resources can be found on the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services by clicking here.

Click here to access on-line Emergency Prep courses, among many others, available from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Also, for general emergency preparation and aftermath tools, visit the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) by clicking here.

Child Safety Seat Checks

Encourage your families to have their child's car seat at one of the Austin area inspections provided by Texans in Motion.  They provide 4-5 free trainings monthly, so you can contact Sherrianne Truex-Cabrera at STRUEXCABRERA@sw.org for other dates. 

Also, on the NHTSA website, families can also have car seats inspected at: 

Hays County Sheriff's Office
1307 Uhland Road
San Marcos, TX 78666
Hours: M-F 8am - 12pm; by appointment only
Contact: Deputy Manuel de La Rosa, 512-393-7373

Child Care Wellness Grant Program

While the deadline has passed for 2012, perhaps this is something to consider for next year, assuming the grant opportunity will continue.  Texas CACFP (Child & Adult Care Food Program) Child Care Wellness Grant Program funds Farm to Child Care (FTC) and Breastfeeding Supportive Child Care Practices (BSP) projects in CACFP child care centers and day care homes across the state. These grants are based on a competitive process where each application is reviewed and scored by a panel of experts.  This year, there was $650,000 available for child care facilities.  Click here to find out more.