Quality Corner

Lesson Plan Slump? Look Towards the Kentucky Early Childhood Standards!

The early years of a child's life are a critical window for development and learning. The Kentucky Early Childhood Standards are an important building block to ensure all children in our state have the opportunity to build a solid foundation. The Kentucky Early Childhood Standards outline what children should know and typically be able to do by the time they enter kindergarten across multiple domains.

As you may know, understanding the Standards and implementing them into your weekly lesson plans are a marker of quality for the Kentucky All STARS program. Part of what sets certified and licensed Family Child Care providers apart as Early Childhood Educators (not just babysitters!) is a deeper knowledge of child development and being able to use that intentionally in planning meaningful learning opportunities for their unique multi-age settings.

If you find yourself experiencing writer’s block with your lesson plan, you may want to ask yourself:

Does my existing curriculum align with the Kentucky Early Childhood Standards?
What are the children in my care excelling at?
What are some new developmental goals I can create for each child?
What are some skills each child needs to work on?
What are the interests of the children in my care? How can I combine those with skill development to create fun and engaging learning opportunities?

For more information, you can become more familiar with the Kentucky Early Childhood Standards at https://kyecac.ky.gov/professionals/Early-Childhood-Standards/Getting-Started/Pages/Start-Here.aspx

Regulation Reminder

Training Hours Are Due! The end of the training year is coming fast! Do you have all your training hours in? Certified Providers need to have a minimum of 9 hours of training, while Licensed Providers need a minimum of 15 hours of training. Check out our training calendar for some great independent studies, or talk to your Specialist to plan out the last of your hours!

Save the Date!

Professional Development Training

View the WKU FCCN Training Calendar for more information and to register.

Personalized training based on YOUR needs!

The WKU FCCN offers customized and affordable training on a variety of topics.

Training Request Form

Lesson Planning for Multiple Ages

Lesson Planning can take a good chunk of time from any provider’s day. Lesson planning when you have children of different ages and abilities can be an added challenge that may not be thought of when writing down a quick plan at the end of the week. So let’s talk about quality lesson plans, how to incorporate multiple ages, and create some templates for your program to takeaway.

FREE TRAINING

The Family Child Care Network will be offering a 4-part training series focusing on strengthening business practices. The purpose of this training is to strengthen childcare providers’ foundational knowledge of fiscal terms, concepts, and practices. It encourages providers to realize the importance of financial planning to the sustainability of their business. It provides tips and best practices to help break down fiscal processes into manageable steps.

This training is intended to be one part of the learning process to build providers’ understanding of good business practices.

Whenever possible, it is recommended that this training be supplemented with technical assistance and ongoing peer-to-peer sharing opportunities such as communities of practice. During this training, you will be introduced to financial reports that can help you better manage your center’s finances. We will also be helping you understand the concept of internal controls and how they can strengthen your program's fiscal health.

Each month the WKU FCCN provides independent studies. Independent studies are online and work at your own pace. They are available for registration until the 15th of each month. Independent studies must be completed within two weeks.

Topics include:

Being Prepared for Emergencies
Caring For Infants In a Mixed-age Setting
Curriculum-based Assessment
Developmental Screening
Evaluating Your Services
Family Engagement
Family Engagement: Literacy Bags
Health, Safety, and Nutrition
Infant and Toddler Development
Early Childhood Environments: Learning through Routines and Rituals
Language and Communication for Infant and Toddlers
Let’s Get Appy
Parent Handbooks
Preventing Burnout
Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse Neglect and Safe Sleep
Science in an Early Learning Classroom
Social Studies in an Early Learning Classroom
The Stressed Child
The Value of Play

Training Calendar

A publication of the WKU Family Child Care Network

Funded through Family Childcare Support Award SC 7362100001482

www.wku.edu/fccn