What Topics Would You Like Training About?

[MarinaVanessa]

Early Childhood Investigations holds free webinars about a variety of topics. They are all great and I always tell other providers about them and forward them my emails but I feel that not many of them take advantage of them (even the ones in my neighborhood). I was talking to another provider yesterday and I asked her why she didn't take advantage of the free webinars and she told me that a lot of the topics didn't relate to family childcare. We went back and forth for a bit about how the topics did or didn't relate to us in family childcare and so I decided that I would try to get them to change that.

So ... if you could watch a webinar what topics would you want to learn about?

Okay, so far this is what I have:

**Positive and effective discipline for the childcare setting including step-by-step directions and examples of how to handle common problems like toy "hoarding" and possesive behavior.
**Lunch-time battles. Ideas of how to make healthier meal plans and tips on how to get the daycare kids to eat them.
**Potty training. Creating a workable potty-training policy which can work for the parents. How much of it is our responsibility? Teqniques that work.
**Creating a positive partnership with parents. How to deal with difficult parents and parents that constantly push the policies.
**Biting in the childcare setting. What are our responsibilities? Creating an adequate biting policy. What to do when a child bites.
**Aggression in the childcare setting. Creating an adequate hitting policy. What to do when a child hits?
**Privacy rights. Protecting our childcare families rights. Protecting our own privacy rights. How much is too much informaition? What are "off-limits" topics and what are the exceptions. How to politely but successfully deflect the "nosey" parent.
** Understanding Floor Time
** Child Development. What to Expect and When to be Concerned. How to respectfully express concerns to the parent. What to do when a parent won't listen.
** Books: Strategies for Interactive Reading. How to determine whether a book is a "good" book. How to jumps-start a love for early literacy.
** Tools for builing an emotional vocabulary. How to teach young children how to "use their words"
** Character building. How to teach values and respect
** Observing and assessing developmental milestones
** Culturally sensitive care. How to support the cultures in the community and in our groups
** Disaster Preparation Training for Family Child Care Providers

[littlemommy]

Anything related to daycare! Haha. I'm still fairly new to running an in-home daycare, and run into several topics I could use help on. Discipline, lunch-time battles, potty training, dealing with parents who make things difficult.

I'm so glad I have this forum to look to for advice! I don't know many people in my town that do daycare, so it's nice to be able to go somewhere for help!

[MarinaVanessa]

Those are some good topics and very common questions. I added them to the original post. Anyone else have common topics that come up in daycare that you would like to get ideas on?

What about the gals with more experience? Are there any other types of topics that aren't as common that you would like to pick someones brain about? I know there has to be more.

[Cat Herder]

My privacy rights and an appropriate chain of command at the Local, State and National level.

[MarinaVanessa]

My privacy rights and an appropriate chain of command at the Local, State and National level.

Oooh privacy rights are a good one. I think it would be good to learn what types of things are off limits for BOTH us and the DC parents.

Can you elaborate on the chain of command thing for me? Sounds interesting.

[Blackcat31]

Here are some topics my local agency provides for us:

* Understanding Floor Time
* Child Development: What to Expect and When to be Concerned.
* Books: Strategies for Interactive Reading
* Tools for Building an Emotional Vocabulary
* Character Building: How to Teach Vlaues and Respect
* Observing and Assessing Developmental Milestones
* Culturally Sensitive Care: Learn to Support the Cultures in Your Community
* Disaster Preparation Training for Family Child Care Providers

Those are only a few that we have on a regular basis in my area. We are lucky to have tons of family child care trainings and classes available to us. It might have something to do with the fact that we have a college nearby that is VERY well known for its Early Childhood education programs. Several of the professors there are published authors in the area of young children, their education and care.

The one I can think of off the top of my head is Dr.Dan Gartrell. He has several books on Amazon. EXCELLENT teacher! I had the pleasure of having him as a teacher for several courses.

http://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Gartrell/e/B001HD3FE2/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1312902842&sr=1-1

[Cat Herder]

Can you elaborate on the chain of command thing for me? Sounds interesting.

Sure! We all have problems with inspectors being inconsistent and demading things that are not in print ANYWHERE. They seem to make things up as they go along.

Currently we just have to deal with it because there is no real form of unbiased checks and balances. We get no training on it because the trainers also work for the same sub-contracted CCR&R as the inspectors.

We are sent an "anonymous" survey once a year with our provider number printed on it or emailed to us with a "from" section very clear when you send it back.

[MarinaVanessa]

Thanks Blackcat. That's so awesome that your local agency has these trainings for you. We do lots of training here too and most of them are free. It's only once a week and you are only required to attend 25 hours of them a year but the classes are so much fun that I keep going even after I've met my "quota". Unfortunately this isn't offered just anywhere.

I like that Early Childhood Investigations makes these online training webinars available for free. I was hoping that they could do more topics that related to the family childcare setting and not mostly center-based. Most of the information on their webinars can be changed to suit family childcare but not all and I don't feel that many providers in my area or on this forum take advantage of the webinars because they aren't exactly tailored for family childcare. I'd like to change that so they can at least try to open up the topics a little more to include family childcare.

It's a little hard to find a webinar helpful when their suggestions and ideas are meant for children in the same age group vs mixed age ranges KWIM?

So I really want to know what types of things family daycare providers are interested in so that I can give her the list of what WE want to learn about too.

Catherder: Ok got it thanks!

[Cat Herder]

Shaken Baby Syndrome
Coping with Stress
Child Abuse Recognition
Dealing with difficult people
Carseat safety
Techniques to guide children with Autism
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Diabetes
Epilepsy
Celiac Disease
Peanut Allergy
Backbone
Saying NO and meaning it

Oh, and maybe some computer training??? I'd love to know how to make a calendar without having to use a measuring stick, ink pen and a digital camera.... I just don't have time to go to night classes anymore..

[Blackcat31]

Oh, and maybe some computer training??? I'd love to know how to make a calendar without having to use a measuring stick, ink pen and a digital camera.... I just don't have time to go to night classes anymore..

:::: try this: http://www.calendarlabs.com/

You can even add text to them. I print off a monthly one for every kid and add the days I am closed, the days their payments are due and any other important information I need the parents to know. (this is the one you can download and print right on using Microsoft Word, Office or Google Docs; http://www.calendarlabs.com/printable-calendar.php)


FTR- I got tired of using a rules and and a pen too....

[Cat Herder]

Thanks Blackcat!!!

My computer training consists of 80's B.A.S.I.C. training on those huge beige Apple computers and one Micro-Computers class in college (all drop down box stuff for toughbooks).

As soon as I learn one program, it is outdated or "no longer compatible".

[Abigail]

Wow, those are really great ideas. I think more classes on how to clean/organize/sanitize are important and especially meal planning. I eventually show an interest for every type of training, but it's usually when I need it. Right now I need to create a menu and I'm always in love with finding better ways to keep things clean.

[Unregistered]

Thanks for the feedback about what you want: Early Childhood Investigations webinars

Hi Everyone:

I am so excited to see so much discussion about my webinar series, Early Childhood Investigations! I received this feedback from Marina by email, and I want to share with you what I shared with her:

When I set out to create the series, I really wanted to focus on child care administrators. Of course, FCC providers ARE child care administrators, but they are also teachers, so the topics they are most interested in are those that capture the biggest part of working with families: child care itself.

In the beginning of the series, and earlier this year, I offered quite a few sessions that would apply to the topics you mentioned. For example, the session by Becky Bailey would have been very helpful on the topic of behavior management (and the recording is still available at http://www.ECEwebinars.org/webinar-resources) And the one by Vicki Ehlers, if fabulous about outdoor play. There are many classroom related topics with recordings in the Recordings and Links section of the site at http://www.ecewebinars.org.

Now, I am focusing on administrative issues a lot. In September, Tom Copeland, who you probably know is a very well-know FCC expert will be talking about one of the topics you mentioned in your list: How to deal with difficult parents and parents that constantly push the policies:

ECE Program Contracts & Policies 101: How to Establish and Maintain Effective Business Relationships with Parents
You can learn more about that session at:

http://ow.ly/62sgP

I’ve also offered several social-emotional sessions, and I am trying to get a child care legal expert and a child care financing expert to speak. I feel that those topics cross over for FCC and center programs. I am also working on getting Becky Bailey back next year.

As for the technology issues many of you have mentioned, I haven't offer them because it's hard to provide great technology training when the participant can't use the software as the training takes place. You can't do that in webinars, but I think I can find a way to provide a great technology training and I will add that to the list.

I happen to be in the midst of writing a book with Karen Nemeth for Gryphon House Publishing about using technology in early childhood. It's due out in January. I hope you will find it helpful.

I am so, so happy to see so many people taking advantage of the webinars. You've made my day... no my week...no, my year!

Fran Simon
Engagement Strategies, LLC
The producer of Early Childhood Investigations

http://www.ecewebinars.org

[Unregistered]

webinars

I have not read everything on this yet, but have skim read. My question is, do these webinars count as training hours for our licensing requirements? Thank you. Look forward to learning more. Are there any other free sites on the internet that you can get free training hours?

[Cat Herder]

Signed up and looking forward to them!!

Thanks!!