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: Center, Preschool, or School-Age License: If working 30 or more hours per week, certify 13 hours of annual training. If working fewer than 30 hours and more than 20 hours per week, certify 11 hours of annual training. If working fewer than 20 hours and at least 10 hours per week, certify nine hours of annual training. If working fewer than 10 hours per week, certify seven hours of annual training. All staff working with infants are required to annually take one hour of safe sleep training prior to providing care to infants. All staff are required to take one hour on mandated reporter of suspected child abuse or neglect annually. b. License-exempt child care centers: N/A c. Licensed family child care homes: Family licensed providers certify annual completion of a minimum of nine hours of department-approved training related to child care, including one hour on safe sleep prior to providing care to infants and one hour on mandated reporter of suspected child abuse or neglect. Group Licensed providers are required to take 10 hours of annual training if a supervisor or director. Staff working 30 or more hours per week, certify eight hours of annual training. Staff working fewer than 30 hours and more than 20 hours per week, certify six hours of annual training. If working fewer than 20 hours and at least 10 hours per week, certify four hours of annual training. If working fewer than 10 hours per week, certify two hours of annual training. All staff working with infants are required to take one hour of safe sleep training prior to providing care to infants and annually. All staff, including the director, are required to take one hour on mandated reporter of suspected child abuse or neglect annually. d. License-exempt family child care homes: Self-Declaration: Provider is required to take three hours of annual training including one hour on safe sleep prior to caring for infants and one hour on mandated reporter of suspected child abuse or neglect. The emergency designee is required to take one hour on safe sleep prior to caring for infants and one hour on mandated reporter of suspected child abuse or neglect. e. Regulated or registered in-home child care: Shall participate in specialized training related to child receiving care if provided by and/or approved by the department. Shall complete one hour of department-approved training annually on safe sleep prior to in-home provider having unsupervised access to infants and one hour on mandated reporter of suspected child abuse or neglect. f. Non-regulated or registered in-home child care: N/A 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 Early Childhood Workforce Registry approved training is promoted on the Online Training Calendar available from the Registry website. The calendar is searchable by topic, age group, training delivery type, location. Each calendar listing provides full registration information and links to the sponsoring training organization. Finding approved training is easy and accessible to anyone, anywhere in the state. The Registry maintains permanent records of training completion for individuals employed in all types of programs including tribal organizations and affiliates. All individuals who have attended Registry approved training have access to the specially designed Licensing Report which shows all training completed by date range. Individuals can print that report free of charge from their personal Registry account. All Registry services are free and available to anyone in North Dakota, including the Tribal Nations and the Trenton Indian Services Area, via the Registry website. 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? The 15-hour Getting Started course is required for all operators and employees of licensed and regulated programs within the first three months of employment. Throughout the duration of this course, participants will learn how to establish a safe and healthy learning environment for children of all ages, races, cultures and abilities. The course is designed to fulfill the health and safety requirements for preservice and orientation training. Learning objectives of the Getting Started Course: Development and Responsive Interactions, Safe and Effective Environments, Health and Nutrition, and Abuse and Reporting. Participants are able to choose a track based on the ages of the children they work with. There is no difference in the way the required training is delivered or made accessible to providers who have children receiving subsidy, children of different age groups, English Language Learners, children with developmental delays or disabilities, and Native Americans. The online, self-paced course is available to anyone free of charge and contains voice over for those limited ability to read or have vision impairments. Additionally, providers who work with infants must complete a Safe Sleep training prior to being left unsupervised with infants. The Lead Agency, with Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five Renewal Funds, is working to have the Getting Started, Safe Sleep, and Mandated Reporting courses translated into both Somali and Spanish. The Workforce Registry is translatable into English and Somali for the end user and the Lead Agency continues to seek out training vendors that offer trainings in languages other than English. 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: The Lead Agency’s contracted Inclusive Child Care Support vendor provides training opportunities in implementing a developmental screening program using ASQ-3 and ASQ SE-2 in CCDF eligible child care programs. The child care programs that go through the ASQ Training have access to the ASQ Online System as they are entering the screenings and seeing the scores. Topics in the training sessions include partnering with parents, sharing results, and how to make referrals to Part B and Part C. The Lead Agency’s contracted Inclusive Child Care Support vendor also reviews all results that come through the system and if any scores have concerns, the vendor reaches out to the child care provider to offer support and answer any questions. The Lead Agency partners with community agencies to provide training, technical assistance, resources, funding and coaching services to support child care providers who serve children with developmental delays and disabilities. Differentiated supports include self-paced trainings, webinars and individualized, in person inclusion coaching opportunities. With parent consent and a release of information, service providers under Part C and Part B of IDEA, partner with child care providers to share the child's screening or assessment results as well as goals and accommodations written in an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Educational Program (IEP). A contracted Inclusion Support Agency works with child care providers to create a Care Plan, which assures the provider and relevant caregivers have access to the child's updated developmental goals and individual needs, supports and services. Additionally, statewide trainings and updates are offered to child care licensing professionals to ensure ongoing supports are routinely offered to existing and new child care providers.