Child Care Provider Education (San Juan County)

A long term objective was met. A day care center director in Lea County uses the Better Kid Care series as a new employee teaching tool and believes that the school has a higher teacher retention rate because of the initial training teachers receive, versus no training at all.

Short term goals were met. 89% of participants (of counties reporting evaluation data) increased their knowledge level on the following topics: child development ages & stages; immunization & infectious diseases; reducing stress; child abuse prevention; Child & Adult Care Food Program; encouraging healthy eating and physical activity; community resources; special needs children; marketing your business, food allergies, infants & toddlers; literacy; scheduling & transitions; toys; school age programming.
These topics met state child care licensing regulation competencies.

451 child care providers from Lea, Chaves, Eddy, Otero, San Juan, McKinley, and Roosevelt counties attended workshops at 6 centers and 2 Regional Child Care Conferences. They acquired 43 continuing education credits, thus a total of 19,393 continuing education hours were provided by Cooperative Extension.

Programs and child care centers served include: the Navajo Nation Child Care & Development Program; Kidz First Child Care Center; Fort Defiance Regional Child Care Providers Agency; Connections Agency Day Care Providers; Project Success (Gallup/ McKinley County Schools Child Day Care Providers). Collaborators included local Training and Technical Assistance Programs and Regional Early Care and Education conferences.

In 2011, the agent continued to work with Kidz First Child Care center in Farmington to plan and implement the child care provider training to the providers at Kidz First. Seven training workshops were scheduled during the 2011 school year. Ten child care providers attended these seven educational workshops planned and presented by the agent consisting of two lessons each session. Information was presented by the agent through the use of handouts, videos, and discussion of child care topics. A comparison of pretests and post test scores showed that 100% of child care providers improved their knowledge of these two topics. Continuing education credits have been earned by each participant. The agent has also worked with the local TTAP program to implement such trainings at San Juan Community College through the TTAP education program. Interest in these trainings has been shown by many other child care centers home centers throughout San Juan County, that need will be addressed in the coming year.

As a result of networking with Lea County Family Center, Economic Development Corporation of Lea County, New Mexico Department of Health and Family Resource and Referral, Lea County Extension Service has become a recognized source for educational programming and training for child care providers. 27% of providers have returned to the annual workshop for educational credits towards their license.

From 2006-2010 childcare providers in Lea County attended educational workshops. Workshop content ranged from “I CAN” nutrition education programs to general child care and guidance topics. Requests for programs came from the center itself or were requested by a licensing agency, such as Family Resource and Referral.

Six weeks after attending workshops, child care providers in Lea County visited the Lea County Extension Service to borrow equipment, curriculum, or receive additional training on a technique or program that was taught during the 2010 workshop such as the “Glo-Germ Hand Washing Activity” and “The Animal Trackers Physical Activity Curriculum”. The center based providers who have used the Better Kid Care Series for their new employees, reported that there is a higher retention rate with new hires. The providers seemed to be staying in their job because of the initial training they received from the Penn State series versus no training at all.