Highlights in this month's edition of "Monthly Minutes"

• March Trainings At-A-Glance
• Save the Date for Spring PD Specials
• CPR/First Aid - New Dates Added
• Annual Celebration of NH Early Childhood Professionals
• Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program (ECAP)

Hello Providers!

Thank you to the providers throughout the state with whom our team collaborated to update their Child Care Profiles and Staff Rosters through the New Hampshire Information Connections System (NHCIS) platform. Your active involvement in the Market Rate Survey not only provided valuable insights into the current child care services landscape but also proved beneficial in ensuring accurate and up-to-date information in their child care profiles. This updated information is particularly useful as our Outreach Specialists (CCRROs) are completing daily referrals for families statewide who are in search of child care.

Our Training and Technical Assistance Specialists (TTAS) are preparing for an exciting lineup of professional development opportunities next quarter. This includes preparing topics for each of the online collaboratives, hosting mini conferences at various site locations upon request, coordinating the Infant and Toddler Institute, Family Child Care Institute, and the spring Keys to Quality Conference.

Are you looking ahead to your next year training calendar for you and your staff? Reach out to us to discover which supports best align with your program's goals. We can help you plan professional development opportunities and provide technical assistance to enhance the quality of care you offer. Make sure to explore our Supports & Services Guide below, which outlines the assistance Child Care Aware of NH offers to providers and programs.

We want to express a huge thank you for all you do for families and children.

Enjoy this month's Monthly Minutes! 

Child Care Aware of NH would like to congratulate all those who participated in the 2024 Credential Challenge. We appreciate your hard work and dedication to the early childhood field. Thank you for submitting your application to receive a credential in the New Hampshire Early Childhood Professional Development System. We look forward to celebrating all of your accomplishments at the 2024 Annual Celebration of New Hampshire Early Childhood Professionals on April 8th, 2024!

Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program (ECAP)

We are thrilled to congratulate Jordan Holmburg, a teacher at Learning by the Lakes Academy, for completing the DOL/SNHS Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program!

Jordan Holmburg, with her mentor teacher Jennifer Aurigemma. They are both teachers at Learning by the Lakes Academy in Gilford NH.  

Are you interested in joining the rewarding field of early childhood education? Would you like to earn college credits while receiving on the job training? 

This 18-month program helps you take what you learn in your academic classes and put it into practice in an early childhood setting, all with the support of a mentor teacher. 

For more information, please contact: Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program powered by Southern New Hampshire Services apprentice@snhs.org (603) 668-8010, ext. 6188

Check out our Training At-A-Glance calendar! These monthly calendars are filled with great sessions for childcare providers to learn and connect. Explore the training opportunities available in the month of March, highlighted by of our Early Childhood Collaboratives. Be sure to check out each session on NHCIS for that month's featured topic, or view them below.

Continue to revisit the Professional Development page on NH Connections for updates and additions to the training calendar.

👀Stay tuned for the upcoming release of our next quarter's Trainings At-A-Glance calendar! This edition will offer a season filled with valuable insights, providing ample opportunities for learning and connecting with your peers throughout April, May, and June.

New dates added! We are thrilled to announce that due to the overwhelming success of our CPR/First Aid training sessions, we have additional dates. Join us March 30th or May 11th, 2024 in Concord for CPR/First Aid. These training sessions tend to fill up quickly, be sure to secure your spot by registering through NHCIS.

If you have already registered but find yourself unable to attend the class for any reason, we kindly ask that you withdraw your registration so others have the opportunity to attend.

Get your Health and Safety Trainings seamlessly synced with your NHCIS Registry! Here's how to streamline the process and have all your completed and future completed trainings effortlessly displayed on your NHCIS Professional Registry Training History:

1. Access your NHCIS account and locate your NH Registry ID in the top right corner in red. If you encounter a "0," rest assured it's a Zero, not the letter O. Copy (Ctrl + C) or write it down, and keep your Registry ID handy.
2. Log in to your ProSolutions account. Find your name in the top right corner, hover over it, and select "profile". Within your profile, choose NH from the dropdown menu and update your personal information as needed. Locate the "State Registry ID" field and input your NH Registry ID (Ctrl + P, or manually enter). Complete all required fields and remember to save, save, save your changes at the bottom of the page.
3. Navigate to the "Contact Us" section at the bottom of the ProSolutions page. Fill out the form with your details and include a message requesting the transfer of your ProSolutions trainings to your NH Registry. "Please transfer all of my ProSolutions trainings to my NH Registry."

After completion, your ProSolutions trainings will be visible in your NHCIS record within 5 days. And don't worry, any future ProSolutions trainings will automatically update there too!

Using scissors is a great way for children to develop their fine motor skills, enhance their creativity, and enjoy the power to change things when they cut them into smaller pieces. Putting scissors in a sensory table full of assorted paper, and providing them with envelopes to save their cuttings, is a great open-ended way to give kids an opportunity to practice their cutting skills. As their skills develop, they can move on to more structured cutting activities.  

Scissors can be a safety concern.

Here’s some tips to be able to use scissors safely in your program: 

• Choose safety scissors with rounded tips and blunt edges 
• Limit scissors use to a specific area of the classroom 
• Know how many pairs of scissors are out for kids to use. You could consider handing them to children individually, or tying them to the legs of the table. 
• Supervise children using scissors, especially if they do not have a lot of experience with scissors. 
• Talk with children about how to use scissors safely, and that scissors are a tool, not a toy. 

Child Care Accelerate is an innovative business support program designed to help New Hampshire child care providers optimize their business operations in two months. Our customized coaching journey allows us to partner with providers on their self-identified goals and priorities and share tools to improve their operational efficiency, build financial capacity and sustain a competitive edge. At program completion, providers are well-equipped to offer accessible and affordable services to meet the demand in their community, support future leaders, and fuel our economy.

The Opportunities to Succeed (OTS) Grant for $5,000,000 is to address child care provider business and facility expenses identified in the Child Care Provider Business Health Assessment and the Family Child Care Provider Business Health Assessment.

OTS grant applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, based on child care provider progress through Child Care Accelerate and the Family Child Care Provider Business Health Assessment Program. Grant funds are “first eligible, first funded”.

To learn more, log into or register for free on the SELA Platform at www.selanhmembers.com or use the QR below. You will receive approval of your registration within one business day. Once you log in begin with the START HERE tab.

QUESTIONS? Email sela@earlylearningnh.org or schedule a half hour Zoom with us using this link https://calendly.com/jcowell-2/30min?month=2022-11 or use the QR code.

Child Care Aware of NH is a statewide Child Care Resource and Referral Program of Southern New Hampshire Services. The preparation of this newsletter was financed under a Contract with the State of New Hampshire, Department of Health and Human Services, with funds provided in part by the State of New Hampshire and/or such other funding sources as were available or required, e.g., the United States Department of Health and Human Services.