Infant and Toddler Training Project
The overarching goal of the project is to build resources and connections for caregivers and consultants to expand their knowledge and support related to infant-toddler development, reflective consultation in child care, and early childhood mental health. Through (a) curriculum development, expansion and/or translations, (b) training and professional development for consultants, (c) analysis of system resource gaps, and (d) a pilot project pairing child care consultants with mental health specialists who model reflective practice strategies, grant activities are helping build both individual capacities and interagency connections. Together, the activities are leveraging and enhancing resources which can ultimately improve care giver access to mental health resources for use in caring for infants and toddlers.
Project Activity Areas
- Program for Infant Toddler Care (PITC) as a
Curriculum training
Writing and development of a training plan based on the original PITC Curriculum training, including new and expanded resources - Training of Trainers session for the PITC as a
Curriculum training
Train the trainer activities and materials developed for trainers to lead the revised PITC as a Curriculum training - 20-Hour Training Development for Environmental
Rating Scale (ERS) Consultants
A 20-hour training for Child Care Resource and Referral ERS Consultants focused on infant toddler development, relationship-based consultation, and reflective practice - ERS Training Delivery
Led by field-based consultants and CEED staff, eight online or in-person sessions are being developed. The entire training will be submitted to MN-CPD upon completion of the training and analysis of evaluation outcomes. - Reflective Consultation Pilot: PITC Coaches
provide reflective consultation to ERS Consultants
Seven PITC coaches are paired with seven ERS consultants for this pilot project focused on providing and modeling a consultation model for use with infant-toddler providers. The project also seeks to build PITC consultation skills in a parallel reflective process model with mental health specialists. - Training Series and Translations to Build on the
Minnesota Core Competencies from the Minnesota Department of
Human Services
Trainings based on four 2-hour sessions have been created to accompany the Minnesota Department of Human Services Infant and Toddler Caregiver Companion Guide. The original document has been translated into Spanish, and focus groups will occur to embed cultural suggestions for Hmong, Spanish, Tribal, and Somali trainers who will be using the training guide in their work with child care providers caring for infants and toddlers. - System Gap Analysis
A gap analysis to identify existing and missing training offerings (in Minnesota and other states) on infant/toddler training content is underway to inform the Minnesota infant/toddler credential development.
Project Staff
Christopher Watson, Principal Investigator
Yvonne Godber, Project Coordinator
Vicki Hawley, Project Coordinator
Elizabeth Menninga
Funding
Minnesota Department of Human Services