APRIL 2013
Northshire Day School’s First Annual Wellness Day!
Saturday, April 20th (10 am – 2 pm), Northshire Day School, 5484 Main Street, Manchester Center
Join in the fun! This event is planned to provide children and their family’s information pertaining to overall wellness for themselves and their families. Tables will be set up throughout the building with information pertaining to WIC, Breast Feeding, Immunizations, the Family Meal, The Collaborative, Vermont Reading Partners, and much more! There will be a bounce house, yoga for parents and kids, Hullabaloo with Alexandra Langstaff, and information on nutritious snacks and meals! This event is free and open to the public!
Early Childhood Forum: Kids Just Need to Play (Outdoors)
Monday, April 22nd (6 – 8 pm), Bennington Early Childhood Center, 1506 Harwood Hill, Bennington
Join us for an evening of discussion, brainstorming, and action in advocating for children’s need to play and learn outdoors in both structured and unstructured settings. At this forum, we will explore work being done by organizations throughout Vermont to support efforts that allow children time to play in the natural world and we will network with others to continue the discussion, find resources, and take action in our homes, schools, and organizations. We will spend part of the evening outdoors, so please wear appropriate shoes and clothing. Light refreshments will be provided. To register to attend this free session, please RSVP to Linda Wellings at (802) 985-0308 or lwellings@shelburnfarms.org. This forum is free and open to parents, grandparents, mentors, health care providers and teachers. CC: 4. CDA: 1. AA.
Mother Goose Cares About The Early Years
Saturdays, April 27th, May 11h and June 1st (9 am – 4 pm), First Baptist Church, 501 Main St., Bennington
Mother Goose Cares About the Early Years uses books and early learning materials to give early care and education providers a framework in which to better understand the cognitive development, language development, social and emotional development, and motor development of children from birth to 36 months. Participants will receive guidance in the concepts and skills needed to introduce language and early literacy to infants and toddlers. Participants will also be encouraged to go back to the infants/toddlers in their care and practice some of the techniques and activities they’ve learned in the class; in this way they can return and share what they’ve done so that others may benefit. Participants will receive 16 free books and materials to go with them.
One credit from Union Institute is available to participants, arranged by the Vermont Center for the Book; enrollment fees are borne by the participant. Each workshop will count for 7 hours of training. This free series is being co-sponsored by BCCCA and the Southshire Starting Points Support Network. Please contact Anna Deery at abdeery@comcast.net or Brenda Schramm at baschramm@comcast.net or 379-7267 to register. Light morning refreshments and lunch will be provided. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions.
MAY 2013
Light Bulb Moments: Making the Transition from Product to Process Based Art
Wed., May 1st (6–8 pm), Fisher Elementary School, 504 East Arlington Rd., Arlington (Directions to Classroom Below)
The difference between process art and product art are those “Aha! Moments” that occur when the children are given the freedom to explore art. Sometimes, the biggest obstacle in making the transition from product to process based art in the classroom, is the teacher not the children. How can we let go of our preconceived notions that art should be “cookie cutter perfect”? What are some simple activities we can do that give children the freedom to explore materials, tools, and techniques? Come prepared to look through the eyes of a child during this hands-on exploration workshop. Each participant will walk away with a wealth of ideas to promote process art in their educational environment. Instructors: Peggy Hanson, Assistant Director at Happy Days Playschool in Arlington and Stacey Martin, Fisher Elementary School Pre-K teacher. CC: 1, 3; CDA 2,3, 8. AA. BCCCA. To enter the classroom, facing the front of the school, drive to the right side of the building (the Happy Days side) and park around the back by the dumpsters. There will be signs on the door to enter.
Afterschool Alliance Professional Development Conference
Saturday, May 4th (8am – 3:15 pm), Rutland High School, 22 Stratton Rd., Rutland
This event offers 6 professional development hours to child care, afterschool and summer youth program professionals. Workshops will include: Mother Goose Asks “WHY”?; Understanding Poverty & its Impact on Children; Movement, Learning & Brain Research; Creating a Cooperative, Engaging & Respectful Environment, The Art & Science of Paper Folding; Technology in Education & many more! $40 registration fee includes breakfast & lunch and is payable at the door. With questions or for more information, please contact Carrie Becker, VCAE Regional Coordinator, cbecker@rssu.org.
Bennington Early Literacy Project
Thurs., May 2nd & Wed., May 8th (6 – 9 pm), A light dinner will be included; OR Fri., May 3rd (9 am – 3 pm) and lunch will be included)
Site: Bennington Center for the Arts, West Road, Bennington
Bennington has been chosen to pilot and exciting Early Literacy Pilot! We will be collaborating with the following partners:
DCF (Department for Children and Families) and AOE (Agency of Education), SVSU (Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union), The Stern Center, Molly Stark School, Vermont Birth to Three, and the Bennington Free Library.
Phase One is for Early Care and Education Teachers, and Phase Two will involve the wider community and Parents. Please stay tuned for details to come on Phase Two.
GOALS:
- Improve early language and literacy outcomes for young children 0-8 years of age.
- Build upon several professional development efforts related to early language and literacy that are currently underway.
- Establish professional learning communities of early childhood educators; arranged horizontally by children’s age groups, and vertically across age groups.
- Foster a culture of shared priorities and knowledge among professionals.
- Create authentic partnerships with families across all levels.
PURPOSES:
- Enhance the knowledge and skills of early childhood educators serving children birth through grade 3 to support children’s oral language and early literacy development using strategies that are appropriate to the children’s developmental levels.
- Increase families’ awareness of the importance of conversation, play, and literacy.
Support families in their role as their children’s first teachers.
We are beginning phase one, which will be the Building Blocks online modules on Early Literacy, and then six hours of face to face training in Building Blocks. Before attending the training below, you will be required to complete the Building Blocks 12 hour online course (which is self-paced). Once you register for the workshop below, you will receive information about logging on for the online course. CC: 1, 3. CDA: 2, 8. Please register for the two, three hour sessions OR the all-day 6 hour session by contacting Danielle Depeaux at danielle.depeaux@svsu.org or 447-8419. Presenter: Brenda Buzzell, The Stern Center for Language and Learning. This opportunity is a free, grant funded opportunity.
ACT 1 / Commit to Kids
Thursday, May 9th (6 – 9 pm), School’s Out Children’s Center, 901 Main Street, Bennington
This 3-hour session helps early care and education providers, directors and schools gain an awareness and understanding of the ACT 1 legislative mandate related to child sexual abuse prevention. Directors and staff will view the Commit to Kids video after discussing types of sexual abuse, signs and symptoms of abuse, and types of offenders, including other children and adolescents who abuse. Targeting and grooming behaviors, boundary violations, and examples of healthy touch necessary for optimal child development will be covered. Responding to disclosures, myths and facts about abuse, short and long term impact of sexual abuse, and abuse of children with disabilities is included. CC: 1, 3, 4, 5. CDA: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8. A. AA. BCCCA.
Provider Appreciation Celebration Dinner: Honoring Early Childhood Teachers!
Friday, May 10th (6 pm), Bennington Lodge of Elks, 125 Washington Ave., Bennington
Friday, May 10th is Provider Appreciation Day! It is a special day to recognize early care and education providers and the important work that they do. It was started in 1996 by a group of volunteers in New Jersey. Provider Appreciation Day is appropriately celebrated each year on the Friday before Mother’s Day. This event is being co-sponsored by Bennington County Starting Points Provider Network (with a grant through Vermont Birth to Three), and BCCCA where Bennington County early childhood professionals will be our distinguished guests! Please join us with a guest on the 10th! There is a place on the BCCCA registration form to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
Infant/Child CPR
Monday, May 13th (6 – 9 pm), Sunrise Community House, 226 Union St., Bennington
Richard Scheffler of the Bennington Rescue Squad will offer this CPR certification class to early care and education providers. The $25 registration fee is due prior to the training; checks should be made out to Richard Scheffler and mailed to BCCCA, P.O. Box 829, Bennington, VT 05201 along with your BCCCA registration form. CC: 4. CDA: 1. AA.
Financial Assistance Program (FAP): All Your Questions Answered!
Wednesday, May 15th (6-8 pm), Bennington Early Childhood Center, 1506 Harwood Hill, Bennington
Members of Sunrise’s BCCCA FAP Team will present this training on all of the details of the Financial Assistance (aka subsidy) Program. Come with questions! CC 5. CDA: 5, 6. AA. BCCCA.
Charting Your Professional Development Roadmap
Tuesday, May 21st (6 – 8 pm), Federated Church of East Arlington, Ice Pond Road, East Arlington
Maureen Young from Northern Lights will present this workshop. She will help each participant identify where he/she is on Vermont’s early childhood career ladder or afterschool pathway so that they can decide where to go next or how to help their staff. We will look at Vermont’s early childhood career ladder, afterschool career pathways, career level and professional recognition bonuses, credentials, higher education options and professional development resources. Upon completing the workshop participants will be better prepared to take the next step in their career road map and to help others. Refreshments will be provided by sponsoring group, the Northshire Starting Points Network. Please register with Alyson Grzyb by calling (802) 447-1093 or via email at alyruby@gmail.com. CC: 5. CDA: 6. AA.
CDA Mentoring
Wednesday, May 22nd (6 – 9 pm), Bennington Early Childhood Center, 1506 Harwood Hill, Bennington
CDA 2.0 starts June 1! Have you earned your Child Development Associate (CDA) credential and wonder what the next step might be? Are staff, co-workers or colleagues in your community working (or hoping to work) on this credential and need support? Become a CDA mentor and/or advisor! Join us for this interactive training to get you going! Become familiar with the relationship between the mentor and the CDA candidate, we will discuss organization techniques for the candidate as well as reviewing other possible road blocks for the candidate or the mentor. Learn the skills and techniques to guide them through the CDA process. Training will include large group discussion, small and large group activities and hands on opportunities. Please bring the CDA book used for your own assessment process (if you still have it). To register for this free session, please contact the sponsoring agency, VT Child Care Industry and Careers Council (VCCICC), at (802) 985-2700 or via email at vccicc@comcast.net. CC: 5. CDA: 6. AA.
Effective Strategies to Engage Co-Workers in Problem-Solving
Thursday, May 23rd (6:30 – 8 pm), Bennington Early Childhood Center, 1506 Harwood Hill, Bennington
Come develop effective strategies to help colleagues learn the skills of conflict management and resolution. We will use mini-lecture, exercises and scenarios to help participants become more skilled in resolving conflicts while working with their apprentices/protégés. To register for this free session, please contact the sponsoring agency, VT Child Care Industry and Careers Council (VCCICC), at (802) 985-2700 or via email at vccicc@comcast.net. CC: 5. CDA: 6. AA.
Sunrise/BCCCA Office Closed: Monday, May 27th in Observance of Memorial Day
The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children.
~
William Havard
JUNE 2013
Get Connected: Using the Internet to Support Your Professional Development
Wednesday, June 5th (6 – 8 pm), Federated Church of East Arlington, 79 Ice Pond Road, East Arlington
Maureen Young from Northern Lights will present this workshop. She will help the participants find professional development opportunities on the statewide course calendar, track the workshops/trainings they attend, use BFIS resume, select a format for their IPDP, and locate financial resources. Our focus will be on the Northern Lights Career Development Center and Bright Futures Information System (BFIS) websites. If you have a laptop computer and would like to bring it to this workshop you may. Refreshments will be provided by sponsoring group, the Northshire Starting Points Network. Please register with Alyson Grzyb by calling (802) 447-1093 or via email at alyruby@gmail.com. CC: 5. CDA: 6. AA.
Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid
Monday, June 10th (6 – 9 pm), Sunrise Community House, 226 Union St., Bennington
This class is intended for those involved in child care that have a duty to respond to a first aid emergency because of job responsibilities or regulatory requirements such as child care workers, teachers, foster care workers, camp counselors, youth organizations, and coaches for children's sports organizations. It teaches how to manage illness and injuries in a child in the first few minutes until professional help arrives. Topics include First Aid Basics, Medical Emergencies, Injury Emergencies and Environmental Emergencies. The $25 registration fee is due prior to the training; checks should be made out to Richard Scheffler and mailed to BCCCA, P.O. Box 829, Bennington, VT 05201 along with your BCCCA registration form. CC: 4. CDA: 1. AA.
Meet Your Local Vermont Children’s Integrated Services Team
Wednesday, June 12 (6-8 pm), School’s Out Children’s Center, 901 Main Street, Bennington
Children’s Integrated Services (CIS) is a State of Vermont program designed to support pregnant women, families with children under six, and early care and education providers in Vermont. Join us to receive an overview of how the members of your local CIS team work together and individually. There will be important information for both home and center based programs about how to make a referral and what to expect after doing so. You’ll hear from each branch of CIS: Early Intervention, Early Child and Family Mental Health, CIS Nursing, Family Support and Specialized Child Care. Come, put a name to the face or voice on the other end of the phone, and be sure to bring your questions! CC: 2. CDA: 6. A. I, P. BCCCA.
Learn About the Environmental Rating Scales
Tuesday, June 18th (6 – 8 pm), Sunrise Community House, 226 Union St., Bennington
Each child care setting has an environmental rating scale that can be used to support your STARS rating in Vermont. Join us as we provide an overview of the various environmental rating scales, specifically highlighting the Family Child Care Environmental Rating Scale (FCCERS). We will take an in-depth look at the scale, using a variety of training techniques used to teach providers how the tool can be applied to their program. We will explore ways to help providers become comfortable using the scale to support their STARS rating, what feedback might look like and what to expect when a STARS assessor comes to their home program. Home and center staff are invited to attend. Please contact Brenda Schramm at 802-379-7267 or baschramm@comcast.net to register. CC: 5. CDA: 6. AA.
Toilet Learning & Other Toddler Themes,
Presented by Scott Noyes of Empowering Programs
Friday, June 28th (6 – 9 pm), First Baptist Church, 501 Main St Bennington
From toilet learning to temper tantrums, this seminar discovers why toddlers can be exciting and baffling. By looking at the complex child development issues that occur from nine months to three years, we begin to understand the stress and wonderment this age group has around their "emergence of self." This workshop counts for 3 hours of training. It is being co-sponsored by Bennington County Starting Points Provider Network (with a grant through Vermont Birth to Three) and BCCCA. There is a $10 registration holding fee that will be returned at the workshop. Dinner is included. Please contact Brenda Schramm at 802-379-7267 or baschramm@comcast.net with questions and please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions. CC: 1, 3. CDA: 2, 3, 8. A. I. P. To register please fill out the Scott Noyes Registration Form found on the next page. To learn more about Scott Noyes, please visit: www.EmpoweringPrograms.com. Parents Welcome!
A DAY WITH SCOTT NOYES
Saturday, June 29th (9 am – 3 pm), First Baptist Church, 501 Main St, Bennington
What's Up with Time Out?: Why are some programs banning the use of Time-Out? Wasn't this touted as the answer to scolding and corporal punishment? In this lively presentation we will examine the ambiguity surrounding Time-out, look objectively at this discipline approach and explore the ramifications of its use. Participants will be asked to consider if Time-out is punishing children for making mistakes in their behavior, relying on blame and shame to bring children "back into line." Does Time-out impose external control thus inhibiting children's ability to learn from their mistaken behavior and develop internal controls? The discussion will then turn to alternative guidance techniques that help children learn positive alternatives from their mistakes, reduce mistaken behavior, and resolve conflict without punishment. CC: 1, 2, 3, 4. CDA: 1, 2, 3, 4. A. I. P.
Helping Children Develop Healthy Sleep Patterns: The results of children not getting enough sleep are astonishing. Sleep deprivation can have serious effects on physical health and mental impairments. Inadequate rest impairs our ability to think, handle stress, maintain a healthy immune system and moderate our emotions. The loss of one hour of sleep for a child each night is equivalent to two years of cognitive maturation and development. In addition, sleep-deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories yet recall gloomy memories just fine. This presentation will review the facts about the importance of sleep and how to help children establish and maintain healthy sleep habits. CC: 1, 2, 3, 4. CDA: 1, 2, 3, 4. A. AA.
This day counts for 6 hours of Licensing training credit. It is being co-sponsored by Bennington County Starting Points Provider Network (with a grant through Vermont Birth to Three) and BCCCA. There is a $10 registration holding fee that will be returned at the workshop. Light morning refreshments and Lunch is included. Please contact Brenda Schramm at 802-379-7267 or baschramm@comcast.net with questions and please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions. To learn more about Scott Noyes, please visit: www.EmpoweringPrograms.com. To register please fill out the Scott Noyes Registration Form below. Parents Welcome!
>> Click here for Scott Noyes' program registration form<<
JULY 2013
Personal Safety/Basic Self Defense
Monday, July 8th and Thursday, July 11th (6 – 8 pm), Benn. Cty. Sheriff’s Dept. Conference Rm., 212 Lincoln St., Bennington
Participants will have the opportunity to learn about awareness and how to be safe in different areas including at home, when traveling and while out walking or jogging. Simple basic self-defense techniques along with some information on the safe deployment of pepper spray will be covered. Mace, the co-sponsors of this session, will provide containers of inert ingredients for participants to actually practice with. This two part series will be facilitated by Bob and Whitney Kalinowski. CC: 4. CDA: 1. A. AA. BCCCA.
Northern Lights Career Development Center News!