Child Homecare Training Certificate

The three-course certificate program will teach you the foundations of child care, including: basic child development, health and safety, nutrition, and behavior management and discipline. The first course includes practical guidelines for child care and explores options for careers and vocations in early child care. You will learn the foundations of early childcare, including basic child development, health and safety, nutrition, and behavior management and discipline. The foundational application focuses on the identification of normative similarities and differences of intellectual, emotional, social, and physical theories at each developmental stage in early childhood. The fundamentals of family microsystems, family types, and the subsequent macrosystems are explored in order to design appropriate child care providing strategies.

As a career technical education course, the course has a competency-based focus across three key areas: knowledge, skills and abilities, and behaviors and characteristics. Practical guidelines for childcare and exploration of options for careers and vocations in early childcare are weaved into the competency themes including supporting child development, caseload management, accountability, communication, monitoring and enforcement, and leadership. You will gain a deeper understanding of the roles adults and caregivers in professional areas of service providing for the needs of infants and toddlers.

Upon critically assessing theoretical and practical research on appropriate elements of caregiving to facilitate decisions for a healthy environment designed for infants and toddlers, you will create a final project presentation at the end of the first course.

The second course is an introduction to topics common to childcare providers, including: licensing, record keeping and insurance; safety, facility preparation and regulations; illness and injury prevention; creative and enriching activities; communication with parents; and menu planning. You will learn practical guidelines for building and/or working in successful and nurturing childcare environments.

In the third course, students learn how to care for and nurture development for multi-age children in an early childhood environment. Emphasis on addressing topics related to the care and nurturing of multiple children include: sibling adjustment, birth order, temperament, family dynamics and parenting styles, communication and stress management, effective discipline and age and gender considerations. Students explore careers and vocations in Early Childhood Care and Education.

• Live face-to-face classes
• Collaborative project-based learning
• 24-hour tutoring
• Live counseling available
• 24-hr library services
• Career Counseling
• Professional development
• High quality professionally designed courses
• No textbook fees

Upon successful completion of the first course, you will be able to:
1. Identify and describe normative similarities and differences of intellectual, emotional, social and physical theories at each developmental stage in early childhood, especially in infants and toddlers
2. Critically assess research of theoretical and appropriate practical elements of caregiving to facilitate decisions for a healthy environment designed for early childhood, especially in infants and toddlers 
3. Apply knowledge of family microsystems, family types and the subsequent macrosystems to childcare providing strategies
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the roles of adults and caregivers in professional areas of service providing for the needs of infants and toddlers 

Upon successful completion of the second course, you will be able to:
1. Define the State of California Family Child Care Homes and childcare centers licensing requirements.
2. Identify successful childcare business practices and develop policies and procedures for staff relations and supervision.
3. Identify developmentally appropriate indoor and outdoor childcare learning environments.
4. Demonstrate menu planning and health and safety practices and regulations for infant and toddler caregiving environments.
5. Develop a handbook to strengthen relationships and enhance communication with clients, caregivers, staff and community.
6. List childcare daily routines and age-appropriate curriculum.
7. Identify strategies to promote cultural continuity.

Upon completing the third course students will be able to:
1. Describe age appropriate expectations for physical development for children ages 0-5 years.
2. Apply Piaget’s theory of cognitive development to define how children’s understanding and behavior change and develop in the first 5 years.
3. Identify how social learning takes place and how modeling can be used as an effective tool for teaching young children.
4. Analyze and critique current research on the influence and significance of birth order and gender on children.
5. List possible stereotypes based on a child’s gender and the impact on development.
6. Identify how caregivers can adjust their expectations and behavior to support and give optimal guidance to each child’s individual temperament.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the factors necessary for promoting positive self-esteem in children.
8. Describe attachment styles, and define ways in which caregivers can promote secure attachment in children at each stage of development.
9. Name of possible reactions to the birth or adoption of a new sibling according to age, gender, and birth order.
10. Describe ways to help family members adjust to the changes in roles, responsibilities and routines that accompany transitions such as the birth or adoption of a new sibling(s).
11. Identify developmentally appropriate techniques to help caregivers manage sibling rivalry.
12. Demonstrate positive discipline and developmentally appropriate guidance techniques for children of varying ages.
13. List and demonstrate age-appropriate communication techniques.
14. Identify how systems affect the developing child and discuss the family systems model.
15. Identify personal parenting/caregiver style and how each affects the developing child.
16. List ways to successfully co-parent and/or work with caregivers.
17. Recognize how one’s culture and ethnicity influence parenting/caregiving.
18. Discuss and define ways to prevent, identify and manage stress to promote a healthy family lifestyle, including identification of community resources.
19. List possible challenges for families with multiple children, multiples and children with special needs.
20. Identify career, vocational, and educational pathways related to caring for with multi-age children.