6.3 Ongoing Training and Professional Development

6.3.1 Required hours of ongoing training Provide the number of hours of ongoing training required annually for CCDF-eligible providers in the following settings: a. Licensed child care centers: CDEC, Division of Early Learning Licensing and Administration requires through licensing rules that all licensed providers receive 15 hours of annual ongoing training, including at least 3 hours in social-emotional training. b. License-exempt child care centers: N/A c. Licensed family child care homes: The Colorado Department of Early Childhood, Division of Early Learning Licensing and Administration requires through licensing rules that all licensed providers, including licensed family child care homes, receive 15 hours of annual ongoing training, including at least 3 hours in social-emotional training. d. License-exempt family child care homes: The Colorado Department of Early Childhood, Division of Child Care Assistance requires through CCCAP rules that all Qualified Exempt non-relative providers receive 15 hours of annual ongoing training. e. Regulated or registered in-home child care: N/A f. Non-regulated or registered in-home child care: Non-relative Qualified Exempt Providers providing care under the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) complete the following training annually: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Child Care Providers, How Experiences Impact Early Brain Development (Year 1); Infant Safe Sleep Practices; Injury Prevention for Homes; Introduction to First Aid and CPR; Medication Administration Training; Playground Safety for Homes; Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma; Recognition and Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect; Standard Precautions, including Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases and Immunization; CCCAP Provider Basics Course; Transportation Rules; a child development course of their choosing (Year 2). All training is Department approved and completed in CDEC Professional Development Information System. 6.3.2 Accessibility of professional development for Tribal organizations Describe how the Lead Agency’s training and professional development are accessible to providers supported through Indian tribes or Tribal organizations receiving CCDF funds (as applicable). The Colorado Shines PDIS contains a Learning Management System that makes training widely available. As training is approved and added to the system - including training required by licensing as well as ongoing professional development - the self paced e-learning modules are available to professionals across the state. In addition, many of the modules are available as face- to-face learning experiences and can be utilized by qualified trainers statewide, including trainers associated with Indian tribes and tribal organizations. 6.3.3 Professional development appropriate for the diversity of children, families, and child care providers Describe how the Lead Agency’s training and professional development requirements reflect the diversity of children, families, and child care providers participating in CCDF. To the extent practicable, how does professional development include specialized training or credentials for providers who care for infants or school-age children; individuals with limited English proficiency; children who are bilingual; children with developmental delays or disabilities; and/or Native Americans, including Indians, as the term is defined in Section 900.6 in subpart B of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (including Alaska Natives) and Native Hawaiians? CDEC, Division of Early Learning Licensing and Administration (DELLA), requires coursework that is developed for child care providers and is aligned with the Colorado Competencies for Early Childhood Educators and Administrators. The content areas of these competencies, otherwise known as domains, describe knowledge and skills that early childhood educators need in order to work effectively with children from birth through age eight and their families. To increase knowledge and skills, early childhood educators are expected to participate in quality continuing education opportunities (e.g., college classes, community-based training, etc.). The domains included within Colorado’s Competencies for Early Childhood Educators and Administrators are: child growth, development, and learning; child observation and assessment; family and community partnerships; social-emotional health and development promotion; health, safety, and nutrition; professional practice; and teaching practices. DELLA requires through regulation that all licensed providers and staff complete the Department-approved trainings: ￿Recognizing the Impact of Bias on Early Childhood Professionals￿ or other Department-approved training on implicit bias, ￿Working with an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant,￿ and ￿Introduction to the Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education Programs.￿ For school-age programs, DELLA requires through regulation that all licensed providers complete ￿Injury Prevention￿ and ￿Playground Safety for School-Age Child Care Centers￿ to address the unique safety concerns of school-age programs. Providers who care for infants and toddlers have a variety of ongoing professional development available, in addition to their required training. This includes the ￿Infant and Toddler Care Sequence,￿ a six-hour free, online course sequence that focuses on the six practices that are essential in infant and toddler group care settings and the ￿Expanding Quality in Infant Toddler Care (EQIT) Course,￿ a 45-hour instructor-led training. Supporting the diverse workforce is also a priority for the Department. For example, Spanish is the second most spoken language in Colorado. The Colorado Shines Professional Development Information System (PDIS) and its coursework are available in Spanish. In addition, CDEC is in the process of translating its required coursework into Arabic. In addition to required training, CDEC offers a growing number of instructor-led and online, self-paced eLearning courses in Spanish for individuals to meet licensing requirements and engage in ongoing professional development related to Colorado Shines or other related topics in the field. Evaluation data is collected to assess the ongoing need to offer a more broad range of professional content in Spanish or other non-English languages. All participant-facing materials associated with the Expanding Quality in Infant Toddler Care (EQIT) Course are translated into and maintained in Spanish. Expanding Quality Infant Toddler Specialists are able to provide the EQIT course in Spanish and Arabic. Finally, the Early Childhood Competency Self-Assessment is translated into Spanish. The competencies outline what an individual should know and be able to do based on their role. CDEC also offers training to support children who are bilingual. Specifically, Module 8 of the Language and Literacy sequence focuses on young dual/English language learners. CDEC has also connected with external training providers to offer the instructor-led training ￿Dual Language Learners: Stages of Second Language Development and the Impact on Learning.￿ 6.3.4 Child developmental screening Describe how all providers receive, through training and professional development, information about: (1) existing resources and services the State/Territory can make available in conducting developmental screenings and providing referrals to services when appropriate for children who receive assistance under this part, including the coordinated use of the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment program (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) and developmental screening services available under section 619 and part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.); and (2) how child care providers may utilize these resources and services to obtain developmental screenings for children who receive assistance and who may be at risk for cognitive or other developmental delays, which may include social, emotional, physical, or linguistic delays: DELLA requires, through regulation, that all licensed providers and staff complete the Introduction to the Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education Programs course, which is available for free to all professionals through the PDIS. The training covers introductory competencies related to child development, growth, and learning. Providers can use the resources in the training to develop responsive and inclusive referral procedures and family engagement practices.