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: Child care center administrators and staff members must complete health and safety training for each required topic area within one year of employment. After the first year of employment, the child care administrator and any staff who have responsibility for planning and supervising a child care center, and staff who work with children, shall participate in on-going training activities annually. Annual on-going training hours are from five to twenty clock hours depending on the individual's education and experience. Health and safety training shall be completed as part of the on- going training so that every five years, all of the topic areas will be covered. Any staff working less than forty hours per week may prorate the required training hours based on the number of working hours per week (required clock hours range from five to twenty hours). b. License-exempt child care centers: There is not a specific number of ongoing training hours that must be completed annually for license exempt child care centers. Religious sponsored programs operating with a Notice of Compliance and receiving CCDF subsidy must complete 16 hours of orientation training. In addition, health and safety training for each required topic area is required to be completed within one year of employment and then again as a part of the ongoing training every five years. Non-CCDF religious sponsored child care programs operating with a Notice of Compliance are exempt from on-going training requirements; except for completion of CPR, FA, and IT-SIDS (if applicable). There is not a specific number of ongoing training hours which must be completed annually. All license-exempt centers and family child care homes, including religious sponsored programs, participating in the subsidized child care assistance program must complete preservice/orientation and ongoing health and safety training. c. Licensed family child care homes: Family child care home operators and staff members must complete health and safety training for each required topic area within one year of employment. After the first year of employment, the operator and staff members shall participate in on-going training activities annually. Annual on-going training hours are from five to twenty clock hours depending on the individual's education and experience. Health and safety training shall be completed as part of the on-going training so that every five years, all of the topic areas will be covered. Any staff member working less than forty hours per week may prorate the required training hours based on the number of working hours per week (required clock hours range from five to twenty hours). d. License-exempt family child care homes: There is not a specific number of ongoing training hours that must be completed annually for license exempt family child care homes. Religious sponsored programs operating with a Notice of Compliance and receiving CCDF subsidy require staff to complete a minimum of 16 hours of orientation within the first six weeks of employment and health and safety training for each required topic area must be completed within one year of employment. License exempt family child care homes must complete ongoing health and safety training which covers all the required topic areas every five years. Non-CCDF religious sponsored child care programs operating with a Notice of Compliance are exempt from on-going training requirements; except for completion of CPR, FA, and IT-SIDS (if applicable). e. Regulated or registered in-home child care: An in-home child care operator must complete health and safety training for each required topic area within one year of employment. After the first year of employment, the operator shall participate in on-going training activities annually. Annual on-going training hours are from five to twenty clock hours depending on the operator's education and experience. Health and safety training shall be completed as part of the on-going training so that every five years, all of the topic areas will be covered. f. Non-regulated or registered in-home child care: In-home operators and staff members must complete health and safety training for each required topic area within one year of employment. After the first year of employment, the operator and staff members shall participate in on-going training activities annually. Annual on-going training hours are from five to twenty clock hours depending on the individual's education and experience. Health and safety training shall be completed as part of the on-going training so that every five years, all of the topic areas will be covered. Any staff member working less than forty hours per week may prorate the required training hours based on the number of working hours per week (required clock hours range from five to twenty hours). 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). Professional development opportunities are available to any early educator through the statewide Child Care Resource and Referral System. NC Child Care Resource and Referral offers a variety of professional development opportunities each month for early care and education and school-age child care professionals. All providers including Indian tribes or tribal organizations are included on a listserv maintained by their local CCR&R to receive updated training and professional development opportunities via email. Providers can also find trainings on their local or regional CCR&R website. Individuals register on-line for training and professional development opportunities in their area. Child Care Health Consultant trainings are also available to any child care provider, including the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. 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? Through Child Care Resource and Referral, technical assistance and training is provided statewide specific to infants (CCR&R, Child Care Services Association, Specialized Birth-Three Technical Assistance Program) and school-age (CCR&R, Southwestern Child Development Commission core services) educators and programs. Through CCR&R, Smart Start and other, a variety of trainings are offered statewide in Spanish to individuals with limited English proficiency. Teachers can request translators for required trainings, if one is not already provided. Online trainings often offer translation of trainings in a variety of languages in addition to Spanish. Child care programs can meet specified standards to be certified as Developmental Day programs. These programs offer specialized services to children who are diagnosed with developmental delays or developmental disabilities or have been identified with a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay. Developmental Day programs must have one person on staff who holds a NC Birth through Kindergarten Continuing or Initial License issued by the NC Department of Public Instruction; a NC Provisional Preschool Add- on License issued by the NC Department of Public Instruction or a Residency License issued by the NC Department of Public Instruction. Staff with these credentials must provide the program oversight and supervision for caregivers in classrooms with children ages birth to three years. The professional development requirements for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians (EBCI) are the same as for any licensed and subsidized child care programs. In order to participate in the subsidized child care program, EBCI early childhood programs must meet higher standards required by a 3-5 star rated license in the QRIS system. 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: Local professional development providers, such as CCR&R, offer a variety of training topics which includes information about developmental screenings. The Infant Toddler Quality Enhancement Project conducts a training opportunity annually for technical assistance practitioners on developmental monitoring and screening. Completion of this training opportunity enables the technical assistance practitioners to provide training and technical assistance to the child care workforce so they can embed monitoring and screening in their daily practices. Providers may access information about developmental screenings and developmental milestones and information about referring families to existing developmental screening resources through the Lead Agency’s public website, https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Portals/0/documents/pdf/C/CCDF_Developmental_Screening_FIN AL_8_18_Update.pdf?ver=2019-12-02-142115-983 . Additional information related to Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment program and developmental screening services available under Section 619 and part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is found on the following DCDEE webpage: https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Parent/Developmental-Assessments In the future DCDEE will work with the new Division of Child and Family Well Being to consider ways to coordinate services. Providers also agree by annually signing the Child Care Provider Agreement that they will use the resources available to them to discuss developmental monitoring and screening with the families they serve and that when concerns arise or become reasonably apparent to the provider, the provider will refer those families to developmental screening resources. Providers also agree that they will provide developmental screening information to families which includes referral resources and instructions.