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: 16 hours. b. License-exempt child care centers: Military and Tribal center rules are determined by Military and Tribal Authority. c. Licensed family child care homes: 10 hours for licensee; 5 hours for staff or assistant. d. License-exempt family child care homes: Military and Tribal family child care homes have rules that are determined by Military and Tribal Authority. e. Regulated or registered in-home child care: N/A f. Non-regulated or registered in-home child care: License exempt related and unrelated providers are required to complete ongoing health and safety training which covers the required health and safety topics. Training is between 2-3 hours annually. These providers can also take 10 additional annual training hours which gives them a higher pay rate. 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). All providers, including those supported through Military and Indian tribes/tribal organizations have access to professional development offered through MiRegistry, Institutes of Higher Education or other community partners who offer training. MILEAP includes military and tribal organizations in all opportunities available to meet health and safety requirements. Individual Great Start to Quality Resource Centers across the state also do targeted outreach to tribal and military organizations to share information about Great Start to Quality and accessing professional development through MiRegistry. Great Start to Quality Resource Centers have engaged tribal representation on their Advisory Committees to help inform available professional development needs. 6.3.3 Professional development appropriate for the children, families, and child care providers Describe how the Lead Agency’s training and professional development requirements reflect the range 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? Training and professional development is based on the Core Knowledge and Core Competencies (CKCC) which address competencies around English learners, children with disabilities and cultural competence. Our early learning guidelines (ELGs) also address these areas and provide quality standards and early learning expectations for infants, toddlers, preschool and school-age children. The CKCC are aligned to the ELGs. Michigan offers a school age focused credential the Michigan Youth Development Associate Credential (formerly the school-Age Youth Development Credential) that is earned through professional development based on the National Afterschool Association Core Knowledge and Core Competencies and includes observation and work experience. In addition, licensing requires infant toddler focused coursework to be an infant or Toddler lead Caregiver and our career pathway recognizes the Infant Toddler CDA and Infant Mental Health Credential as well as the School Age Youth Development Credential. With funding from PDG B-5 we will launch a body of online training developed by the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health covering a variety of topics including Pregnancy and Postpartum - Attachment, Separations, Trauma, Grief & Loss, Relation Focused Practice and Observation and Listening, Screening and Assessment/Infant/Young Child Development, Cultural Competence. We also have an inventory of higher education coursework focused on infants and toddlers. In addition, we are working on an online foundational infant and toddler focused coursework that will offer 45 hours of infant and toddler specific content and will incorporate the Program for Infant and Toddler Care (PITC) Essential Practices. In May 24, we launched a multilingual three-part online training series to support providers with accessing content to support multilingual learners. Through our Preschool Development Grant B-5 (PDG b-5) Initiative work, in November 23, we were able to launch new online modules to support providers who care for children with delays and disabilities. It is titled All Together: Caring for Children with Delays and Disabilities. Additionally, Michigan offers technical assistance and training around supporting children with disabilities through our GSQ Resource Centers, and through a partner agency, Early on Training and Technical Assistance (EOTTA). We currently have a PDG B-5 project with EOTTA, All Together, that is focused on professional development and coaching to support providers with inclusive practices and working with families with special needs. This project provides 4 free training modules as well resources for providers. Modules include an overview of the Early On services and the process for referring children, inclusive care for infants and toddlers including strategies for supporting them, inclusive care for preschoolers also including strategies for support children, and how to build collaborative relationships with families and other organizations that support children with special needs. It offers 2 CEU’s and/or SCECH’s once a participant completes all four modules with 80% competency. It’s resources are also available in several language including Spanish and Arabic. While the state has not partnered or developed professional development designed to support children who are Native Americans, Resource Centers do use provider feedback and demographics to develop training to meet the needs of their provider populations. 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: Providers receive information in their initial health and safety and child development training about developmental milestones, screening and referral processes for Early On and Preschool Special Education. Michigan has Infant Mental Health Consultation Services available to child care providers which include observation, training, coaching and working with families to support children’s healthy growth and development, with a focus on social emotional development. In addition, our state partner Clinton County Regional Education Services Agency’s Office of Innovative Projects provides a specific training series Caring for Children with Delays and Disabilities and provides a series on the Essentials of Early On. Great Start to Quality has an indicator around the importance of developmental screenings and Quality Coaches support providers with information on the importance and approved screening tools. When a provider participates in the Quality Improvement Process and begins the level, Reflecting on Quality, https://greatstarttoquality.org/reflecting-on-quality/ a focus on Self-Reflection begins on program practices and compiles evidence of indicators the program is currently meeting. Programs use the indicators to determine areas of improvement and create goals. One of the resources offered to help providers identify approved screening, assessment and curriculum tools to meet quality level requirements is https://greatstarttoquality.org/wp­ content/uploads/2023/02/Approved-Screening-Assessment-and-Curriculum­ Tools_List_12.2022__vertical.pdf Providers can access and use resources in different ways. They can use an approved screening tool to gather information to support conversation with a family where they can share contact information for early intervention and local school district information to support preschool special education eligibility and access. A provider might work directly with an Infant Mental Health Consultant who will support the family with developmental screening, resources and possible referral for specialized services. Great Start to Quality Resource Centers (Resource Centers) and Great Start Collaboratives also support providers and families with awareness and access to resources to support children’s healthy growth and development. Several of our regions offer free access to Ages and Stages Questionnaires that parents and providers can access.