you
are hereWelcome to the PSU Better Kid Care Program
Penn State Cooperative Extension family living agents bring life to Better Kid Care with training sessions for parents and child care providers throughout Pennsylvania.
Better Kid Care is an award-winning program that offers an estimated 200,000 hours of training each year. Yes, it's a big job! But what could be more important than the welfare of our kids? We believe that caring for America's children and youth is everyone's business. And we're here to help.
| Getting Started in Child Care? |
| Information for Care Givers |
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| Resources for Parents |
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Related Links |
Getting Started in Child Care?
Child Care: Is it the job for me?
Receive a free video tape developed for people considering the job of
caring for children in their own home. Get an excellent overview of
what is involved in becoming a home-based provider. It is available
in both English and Spanish versions. Just call the Erie County Extension
office to obtain your copy (814-825-0900).
Better Kid Care Information Kit
Child Care providers can receive a free educational information kit
in the mail by calling toll-free (1-800-452-9108). The Better Kid Care
office at Penn State will send you "101 Plus ways to Keep Kids
Busy" booklet, "101 Plus Ways to Care for Kids" booklet
and "The Basics of Caring for Children in Your Home", a notebook
of resources for home-based providers. Program enrollees receive twelve
tips pages per year plus six pages of snack ideas, and six activity
pages.
Direct Training Workshops are scheduled for child care providers in the spring and fall each year. Each conference gives providers an opportunity to earn six DPW training credits while learning new information on a variety of topics designed to broaden their knowledge base by focusing on needs they have expressed. Click on Direct Trainings for a description of scheduled trainings.
Satellite Trainings are offered
throughout the year. These interactive trainings allow you to learn
from experts and share with other child care providers from around the
country. You earn 2 or 3 DPW training credits for each session. Click
on Satellite
Trainings for the calendar of scheduled trainings.
Learn-at Home Video
Trainings
Do a workshop in your home. Work at your own speed. Videos and workbooks
are sent to your home, free of charge. You view the videos, complete
the assignment pages, and return them for comments by readers who are
child care professionals. Receive 2 training credits for returning the
assignments.
Child care providers can call the toll free number (1-800-452-9108) to request programs or access them from http://www.betterkidcare.psu.edu. Current titles available are:
| LV1 - Family Day Care… it's a business | LV27 - Is Block Play Really Important |
| LV4 - How Safe Is Your Day Care Home? | LV28 - How to Work with Problem Parents |
| LV8 - Kids in the Outdoors | LV29 - Junk Makes Great Learning Material |
| LV9 - The "M" Show: Music, Movement and Math | LV30 - Violence, Kids, Discipline, and Keeping the Peace |
| LV10 - Space Matters | LV31 - Active Kids Are Learning Kids |
| LV11 - Let's Play | LV32 - Secrets of How to Get Parents Involved |
| LV12 - Let's Talk | LV33 - How to Make and Use Puppets |
| LV13 - Caring for Infants and Toddlers | LV34 - What Brain Research Tells Us about Infant Care |
| LV14 - The Joy of Discipline | LV35 - How to Take the Stress Out of Caregiving |
| LV15 - Program Planning and Transitions | LV36 - Working with Wood - Kids Can Do It! |
| LV16 - Discovering Art and Science | LV37 - Eating Times - the ups and downs |
| LV17 - Snack Time: It's More Than Juice & Crackers | LV38 - Pets in Child Care? |
| LV18 - Supporting Stressed Children | LV39 - New Ways to Plan Activities |
| LV19 - Using Art Materials | LV40 - Let's Celebrate |
| LV20 - Behavior Is Contagious | LV41 - Exciting Backyard Science Activities |
| LV21 - What's Normal Development? What's Not? | CY1 - Child Care and You, Part I (for orienting new center staff |
| LV22 - A Good Four Letter Word - PLAY | CYII - Child Care and You, Part II (for new center staff) |
| LV23 - Communicating with Children | |
| LV24 - Learning to Read before Six??? | |
| LV25 - Summertime Care | |
| LV26 - Believe it or Not…You Can Be a Storyteller |
Web-Based Learning Units
Another easy way to receive training is through these home-based learning
units available only on the web. Shorter than video based units, providers
receive one hour of training for completing each unit. To explore this
opportunity, go to http://www.betterkidcare.psu.edu.
Current titles for Web-based learning units available:
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Dramatic Play: "I'll be the Mommy, you be the dog…"
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Emergent Literacy Begins at Birth
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Toilet Training
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Caring for Groups of Mixed Age Children: It's a Juggling Act
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Is Sharing a Problem
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Playing Detective about Biting
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Picky Eaters - What Can You Do About Them?
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Spaced for Playing and Learning in a Family Child Care Home
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Super Sand
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Wonderful Water
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What Will the Children Play With?
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Children and Television
Child Care Provider
Telephone Help Line
Need help with a problem or special concern? Call the toll free number
(1-800-859-8340) to talk with a professional staff to answer your questions.
Responses often involve written materials sent to the caller.
County Resource Library
The county resource library includes a collection of over 100 books,
videos and theme boxes for child care providers to check out and use
free-of-charge. Sample book titles include:
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The Basic Guide to Family Child Care Record Keeping
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Child's Play:200 Instant Crafts and Activities for Preschoolers
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Games to Play with Baby
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Including Children with Special Needs in Early Childhood Programs
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The Multicultural Caterpillar: Children's Activities in Cultural Awareness
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Hello Toes! Movement Games for Chilldren
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A Very Practical Guide to Discipline with Young Children
Theme boxes include:
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Caterpillars and Butterflies
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Dinosaurs
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Insects
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Many Children Many Lands
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Under the Sea
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Music
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Food
County resources may be reserved for a period of 3 weeks and can be picked up at the Cooperative Extension office between 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. A complete listing of books is available by calling the office (1-814-825-0900).
A variety of parenting publications are available from the Cooperative Extension office for child care providers to give parents of children in their care. If you are interested in receiving copies of any of these publications to distribute to parents of children in your care, please contact the Cooperative Extension office at 814-825-0900.
Family Time Bulletin
Four age-graded workbooks, one for each of the seasons - winter, spring,
summer and fall, are available for parents of children ages 2 - 3, 4
- 6, and 7 - 8. Each is filled with fun ideas for seasonal family activities,
crafts, recipes and more.
Toddler Topics
A series of 6 free newsletters covering issues for parents of toddlers
(ages 18 mos. - 3 yrs.). The series includes health and safety, food
ideas, family time activities and parenting tips. The information is
ideal to distribute to parents of young children. Call to reserve your
copies in January (814-825-0900)
Family Time/Work Time
This is a valuable newsletter for working parents to strengthen the
family. It gives many ideas for balancing family and job. (Also available
in Spanish.)
Parents Count
This newsletter is designed for you to copy and distribute to the parents
of the children in your care. The topics correspond to the Satellite
Trainings held throughout the year. (Master copies are available in
Spanish also.)
Fact Sheets
A quick way to learn tips on working with children who bite, have problems
sharing, children who won't eat and more, are through the fact sheets
which have been developed to accompany the Satellite Trainings. Call
the Cooperative Extension office for a complete listing of titles (814-825-0900).
This page last updated Monday, October 18, 2004 12:54
Copyright Information
This publication is available in alternative media on request.
Penn State is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity University.
This site is a product of Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
Please e-mail us with your questions, comments or suggestions at ErieExt@psu.edu.