Surveys Surveys Surveys!

Here are three chances to win gift cards and provide your input on Early Learning in Idaho and beyond. Your responses for all of these surveys will remain confidential. Your insights and feedback is valuable!

Idaho Early Learning e-Guidelines Survey

This brief, 10-minute survey aims to collect feedback and recommendations from professionals like you, influencing quality improvement initiatives and ensuring optimal support statewide. Your responses will remain confidential. Survey is open until Jan 31st.

You have the chance to enter a drawing for a $100 gift card sponsored by the Idaho Head Start Association (IHSA).

Environmental Sustainability & Child Care Survey

This 3-minute survey is designed to determine the interest of child care professionals in professional development and knowledge related to environmental sustainability and its connection to child care. 

Anyone who completes the survey will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 Lakeshore gift card. Survey is open until Jan 26th.

NAEYC Early Childhood Education Field Survey

Take 15 minutes to complete this survey that ensures NAEYC can get updated, state-based, and localized data and stories, about the current realities of what is happening across our profession so they can be shared with advocates, policymakers, the press, and the public.

You have the chance to win 1 of 20 prizes, including a $100 gift card.

Idaho's Child Care Local Market Rate

Update your Program's RISE profile

The Local Market Rates (LMR) are the maximum monthly amounts that the Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP) will pay per child. The LMR is based on an analysis of private pay or unsubsidized rates of child care in Idaho based on age (infant, toddler, preschooler, and 5 and over) and county of active, licensed child care programs.

Child care program owners and directors can help ensure the market rate is accurate by updating their rates in the Program Information Review (PIR) in RISE by January 2024. If you have questions about your PIR, please reach out to your Regional Office. 

Complete an IDAHOSTARS BADGE

and receive a $100 recognition

Badges are a recognition of completed professional development that consists of both LEARNING and DOING. Each badge represents expertise in a specialized area of early childhood development and care.

If you are a part of the IdahoSTARS Professional Development System (PDS), have taken trainings, received coaching, or have been employed at the same child care facility for 12 months or longer you may already be on your way to earning a badge! We want to recognize your hard work!

Read in more detail about IdahoSTARS badges in our blog post HERE.

View our BADGE GUIDE for help in determining points and which badge to work towards.

When you are ready APPLY HERE. Talk to your local Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) for help with this process.

TRAINING CORNER

Log into your RISE account to learn more or to register for these and other upcoming training opportunities. For training support, please contact trainingoffice@idahostars.org

WEBINAR TRAININGS:



1/18 - Strengthening Families Series: STRONG from the Start - FREE

1/23 - Sensational Children: Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder - $25

1/23 - Understanding Down Syndrome - $25

1/25 - Talking to Parents About Concerns - $25

1/25 - Visual Schedules: what, who, why, and how - $25

1/29 - Teaching Discipline the Positive Way - $399

2/3 - Introduction to the ASQ-3 - FREE

IN-PERSON TRAININGS:

1/16 - Strengthening Families Series: STRONG from the Start - FREE (Boise)

2/6 - Sensational Children: Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder - $25 (Boise)

2/10 - Child Abuse and Mandatory Reporting - $50 (Star)

HIGHLIGHTED TRAINING COMPANIES:

Institute for Childhood Preparedness

These on-demand courses teach preparedness techniques and skills at your own pace. Sign up and receive 24/7 access to the course, that you can take from anywhere and at any time. Course topics include safety, awareness, and emergency related information useful to child care programs.

Learn more>> https://www.childhoodpreparedness.org/

Quorum

Quorum is an online professional development membership program for early educators. With courses 2-5 hours long, learning is engaging, interactive and includes relevant content, games and videos. There is parent engagement component with every course, and access to a national online learning community through 24/7 discussions.

Learn more>> https://www.quorumlearning.com/

H&H Child Care Training Center (ChildCareEd)

ChildCareEd's mission is to provide early childhood educators with professional development training courses routed in best practices and current trends. We seek to support early childhood educators and the children and families they work with by developing high-quality courses in professionalism, child development, health, safety, nutrition, curriculum, special needs, and community. ChildCareEd’s vision is that of educators developing a deep understanding and appreciation for the complex cultural worlds in which they will care for children and families. We seek to attract and serve learners from diverse social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds, to be sensitive and responsive to their needs, and, above all, to assist all to achieve their fullest potential in their pursuit of early childhood education.

Learn more>> https://www.childcareed.com/a/united-states-of-america-idaho.html

Teaching Children to Share

Kim Resiberg

IdahoSTARS Child Care Resource Specialist

Learning how to share is a big challenge for all children because it often means putting aside one’s own needs in order to make someone else happy. Sharing is not a skill children have when they are born. Children need to be taught how to share and how to see their efforts have helped someone else feel happy or solve a problem.

Sharing helps children make and sustain friendships, play cooperatively, take turns, negotiate, and cope with disappointment. Sharing also teaches children about compromise and fairness. It is a key part of getting along with others. Children learn a lot from observing adults (teachers/caregivers/parents) and peers. When you model sharing in the classroom or at home, it provides a great example to follow.

Children also need opportunities to learn and practice sharing. Some ways to encourage sharing are as follows:



• Talk about why sharing is important with them.
• Point out good sharing in others
• When you see a child trying to share or turn-taking, provide plenty of positive descriptive feedback like, “ I like the way you let Claire have a turn on the swing!, Great Sharing!”
• Scripted Stories such as the Super Friend Story available at challengingbehavior.org is another great way to learn about sharing.

When children struggle with sharing, be sure to stay close and help them navigate the situation whether it is taking turns, making a compromise, or other. Teaching them and providing feedback is how they will learn how to share.

Learn more about sharing and other social-emotional skill building by taking the Pyramid trainings that IdahoSTARS is offering this year:

Module 2 Part 1 January 9th – 6 pm to 8 pm        

Module 2 Part 2 February 13th – 6 pm to 8 pm    

Module 2 Part 3 March 12th – 6 pm to 8 pm       

Module 3 Part 1 April 9th – 6 pm to 9 pm             

Module 3 Part 2 May 14th – 6 pm to 9 pm

Being Aware of Recalls

Health Consultant Corner

Stefanie Jones, IMH-E®

Infant Family Associate

Child Care Health Consultant

Items marketed towards infants and young children are generally safe when used according to manufacturer instructions, however, some items fail to meet Federal Safety Regulations posing risks of harm or death. According to USA Today nearly 100 children’s products were recalled from January 2023 to November 2023; including products claiming to meet CPSC Safe Sleep Standards and lead-tainted applesauce sickening hundreds of children.

In addition to the November recall list is the Miracle Baby Lounger; due to suffocation, fall risk and failing to meet marketing, labeling and instructional requirements. Although stores are required to remove all recalled products from shelves you may have been gifted or purchased recalled items.

How to stay up to date on product recalls:

SafeKids Worldwide offers a Children’s Product Recall Newsletter here.

Product recalls can also be found on the following websites:

• https://www.safekids.org/product-recalls
• https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls



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