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    • Slide 1

    Quality Practices Library

    Welcome to the 4C for Children Early Childhood Developmentally Appropriate Practices Library! In these videos and resources, our early childhood experts share strategies that align with leadership, classroom and nutrition practices that are developmentally appropriate, as well as Step Up To Quality standards that you can put into action today.

    Check back frequently as we continue to build our library. If you have suggestions for videos you’d like to see us create please send us a message at coaching@4cforchildren.org.

    Learning and Development

    Curriculum and Planning

    Activity Plans

    • Download this PDF for a resource on Activity Plans

    Learning Standards

    • Download this PDF for a resource on Learning Standards

    Child Screening and Assessment

    Collecting Child Data for Planning

    Collecting data on children’s development is an important step in the planning process. This video will discuss different methods of collecting evidence and how to organize it into a usable system.

    Related Training

    Search on 4cforchildren.org/training for the following titles:

    • Keep It Informal: All About Assessment Planning
    • The Social-Emotional Field Guide: Observation and Assessment
    • Screening and Assessment 1: An Overview of Early Childhood Assessment Practices
    • Screening and Assessment 2: Developmental and Behavioral Screening Practices
    • Before Assessment: Observation
    • Assessment 101

    Additional Resources

    • Child Assessment and Screening
    • Child Portfolios

    Analyzing Child Data for Planning

    This video will help you understand how to individualize planning for children using the evidence and data you have collected.

    Related Training

    Search on 4cforchildren.org/training for the following titles:

    • Screening and Assessment 3: Planning and Revising Learning Opportunities
    • Using Authentic Assessment for Lesson Planning
    • Interest Based Curriculum Planning

    Additional Resources

    • Child Assessment and Screening
    • Child Portfolios

    Interactions and Environment

    Room Arrangement - Part 1

    The environment you create in you program or classroom can have huge impact on a child’s social and emotional development and their learning potential. In this video you will learn about some beneficial approaches to setting up an appropriate environment and schedule for the age groups you serve.

    Related Training

    Search on 4cforchildren.org/training for the following titles:

    • Designing Your Classroom to Ignite Learning
    • Designing Infant Toddler Environments that Make Sense
    • Infant/Toddler Environments for Group Care
    • It’s Useful! Creating Quality School-Age Program Environments

    Additional Resources

    • Environments

    Room Arrangement - Part 2

    This video provides more details about best practice strategies for setting up age-group specific learning environments.

    Related Training

    Search on 4cforchildren.org/training for the following titles:

    • Designing Your Classroom to Ignite Learning
    • Designing Infant Toddler Environments that Make Sense
    • Infant/Toddler Environments for Group Care
    • It’s Useful! Creating Quality School-Age Program Environments

    Additional Resources

    • Environments

    Adult and Child Interactions

    This video discusses the importance of, and strategies for building trusting relationships with children to help them develop strong social and emotional skills and decision-making skills to be successful in school and life.

    Related Training

    Search on 4cforchildren.org/training for the following titles:

    • The Social-Emotional Field Guide: Learning Environments and Experiences
    • Quality Interactions: Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Small Groups
    • It’s Beneficial! Supporting Healthy Relationships in School-Age Programs
    • The Intentionally Nurturing and Sensitive Teacher
    • Creating Emotionally Supportive Environments for Children

    Administrative and Leadership Practices

    Program Administration

    ODJFS Licensing Compliance

    Learn about the different types of non-compliances, as well as, systems and resources that your program can use to make sure that you are providing the best possible care for the children in your program.

    Additional Resources

    • State of Ohio Child Care Center Rules
    • State of Ohio Family Child Care Rules
    • ODJFS Keys to Compliance

    Understanding Licensing Non-Compliance

    This video discusses the importance of maintaining compliance with licensing rules to help keep children safe and provides a deeper understanding of the points system associated with each non-compliance.

    Additional Resources

    • For Serious Risk Non-Compliance documents on ODJFS
    • For eManuals/Rules for SUTQ
    • ODJFS: Serious Risk Non-Compliances and Point Values for Child Care Centers
    • ODFJS: Serious Risk Non-Compliances and Point Values for Family Child Care

    The Ohio Child Licensing and Quality System

    This videos shares tips on accessing and using the Ohio Child Licensing and Quality System (OCLQS) website, a one-stop site for your child care program’s licensing and Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) accounts.

    Additional Resources

    • Ohio’s Bold Beginning! Home Page
    • Bold Beginning! OCLQS Resources Page
    • OCLQS Home Page

    Classroom Self-Assessment

    Classroom self-assessments are tools used by child care providers/staff and focus on the learning environment, the materials accessible to children and adult-child interactions. The practice of continually assessing the environment of your classroom/program and your interactions with children is a critical step in maintaining and improving your program. Download this PDF resource for more information.

    Staff Qualifications and Professional Development

    Professional Development

    What is Professional Development?

    • Download this PDF resource to learn more about Professional Development and planning your early childhood education career growth.

    Staff Education: Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential

    CDA - Your Best First Step!

    This video provides information about the Child Development Associate, or CDA and how you can enroll in the 4C for Children CDA program.

    Steps to Getting Your CDA

    This video provides additional information about the requirements to earn a Child Development Associate, or CDA, and how 4C for Children can help you make the best decisions for your professional development.

    Family and Community Partnerships

    Transitions

    Welcoming New Families

    Transitions can be a challenging time for children and families, as well as, for child care program staff. This video will share some strategies to help children and families feel comfortable and welcome in your program so you can build the strong attachment needed for children to learn and thrive.

    Additional Resources

    • Books to Ease Your Child’s Transition to Preschool
    • Easing First Day Jitters
    • Searching for the Right Child Care Program
    • ODJFS – Transition Best Practice
    • Transitions Resource, from 4C for Children

    Related Training

    Search on 4cforchildren.org/training for the following titles:

    • The Social-Emotional Field Guide: Family and Community Relations
    • Looking through a Different Lens: Creating Partnerships with Parents
    • Building Relationships with Parents: Parent Engagement 1

    Saying Goodbye to Families

    Planning for a child’s transition out of your program is important and must be carefully planned to ensure closure for both the child and family. This video identifies strategies you can implement to help children and families prepare to leave your program.

    Additional Resources

    • ODJFS – Transition Best Practice
    • Transitions to Kindergarten, article from NAEYC’s Young Children
    • Transitioning to Kindergarten, Article by Janis Strasser
    • Making the Transition from Child Care to Kindergarten, Brochure from Child Care Aware of America
    • Transitions Resource, from 4C for Children

    Related Training

    Search on 4cforchildren.org/training for the following titles:

    • The Social-Emotional Field Guide: Family and Community Relations
    • Looking through a Different Lens: Creating Partnerships with Parents
    • Building Relationships with Parents: Parent Engagement 1

    Communication and Engagement

    Family-Teacher Conferences

    • Download this PDF for a resource on Family-Teacher Conferences

    Family Resources

    • Download this PDF for a list of resources that you can share with families in your program

    Marketing Your Child Care Program to New Families

    Child Care Program Portal: What's In It For Me?

    4C for Children provides free child care referrals to families by using information (vacancies, ages of children served, location, etc.) in the Child Care Program Portal. When your information in the database is accurate and complete, 4C for Children specialists are more successful in quickly matching and connecting families with your program. In addition, families searching for child care on their own can also more quickly match their needs with potential child care providers. For profit companies might charge hundreds of dollars for marketing leads but 4C for Children offers this service at no cost to you or the families searching for care. Watch this video to learn more.

    Child Care Program Portal: How to Update Your Profile Part 1

    Use the Child Care Program Portal to showcase your program! Families have many different priorities when searching for child care. How do you effectively communicate the unique information about your program such as current openings, ages you serve, when you are open, if you have experience with children with special needs, etc.? All of this information can be found in the Update tab of your Program Profile. This step-by-step tutorial will help you navigate and add details to the Update tab. Among other things, you will learn how to update your program information, vacancies, hours, ages served.

    Child Care Program Portal: How to Update Your Profile Part 2

    The Child Care Program Portal also allows you to add a personal touch to your profile and see how many families have viewed your Program Profile. Watch this step-by-step tutorial to understand the importance of the following tabs: Pictures, View Profile, Consumer Ed, and Referral Counts.

    4C for Children Child Nutrition Program

    Welcome to CACFP

    In this video you will learn how to contact 4C for Children to enroll in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, CACFP. You will also learn about some of the many benefits to your child care progam, and the children and families that you serve.

    CACFP Master List

    This video walks you through how to complete and update the CACFP Master List to help you maintain records of children enrolled in the Child Nutrition Program.

    Claiming Weekend Meals and Snacks

    This video will help you understand how to complete the Weekend Meal Claim Form to ensure you receive appropriate reimbursements as part of the Child Nutrition Program.

    CACFP Corrective Action Plan

    This video will help you understand how to complete and submit a CACFP Corrective Action.

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