Welcome to the new Child Care Champions blog! We love the conversations that come up in our trainings so much, we wanted to find a user-friendly way to make them accessible to anyone and everyone who wants to take part. When someone suggested we do a blog, we LOVED the idea and hopped to it!
We want to use this blog not only as a way to dig deeper into some amazing ways we can promote the development of healthy, loving, socially-aware children, but also as a venue for you to share. We believe that everyone has a story, and we know (from personal experience!) that the CCC topics can stir some things within us, that simply cannot remain unsaid or un-processed. Please use the Comment section as a viable way to share your experiences, ask your questions, or simply vent.
For those of you who are new to Child Care Champions or have been to one (or several!) CCC trainings and could use a refresher, here is a list and brief synopsis of the 8 (previously 7) core topics we talk about when we come into your centers:
-Attachment & Infant Mental Health - Investigating the fascinating formation of relationships between children and caregivers
-Brain Development & Touch - Understanding the development of the brain in the early years; how touch impacts development; and the critical importance of relationships in brain development
-Regulation & Social Development - Identifying signs of dysregulation in children, helping children learn to calm themselves, and creating an environment for learning
-Temperament - Identifying 9 basic traits of human temperament, how those traits impact both the caregiver and the child, and exploring strategies in working with children's unique styles
-Separation - The flip-side of attachment. Looking at transitions from parents to caregivers, caregivers to caregivers, and back again; addressing staffing patterns, room arrangement, and issues of transitions
-Inclusion of All: Issues Related to Culture and Special Needs - Examining our own beliefs and cultural practices to help us be sensitive to all the children in our care; learning about Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) and how to make referrals
-Play Matters - Exploring the role of play in cognitive and social/emotional development; understanding the important role of parents and caregivers in supporting children's play
-Challenging Behaviors - Looking at behavior through the lenses of temperament, regulation, and all previous topics; understanding all possible reasons for behaviors and how positive responses can build stronger relationships between young children and their caregivers
So, there you have it! Our 8 core trainings. As I was typing those (most of them straight from the CCC flyer- why re-invent the wheel?), I couldn't help but wonder what some of our conversations about these topics have been that you have found yourself re-playing in your mind, or mulling over as you are brushing your teeth, driving down the road, managing a child's meltdown, etc... Or, maybe something has come up and you have been just dying to bounce it off someone and get some feedback. Would you care to share? Please click the Comment link and tell us!
So thrilled to be sharing this new CCC venue with you. See you at the next post!
Sincerely,
Lillian and the CCC team
