Charity Reese is Awarded Certification

The Alexander County Partnership for Children is pleased to announce Charity Reese has successfully passed the North Carolina Child Care Health Consultant Training Course though NC Division of Public Health and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Public Health and is certified as a Child Care Health Consultant (CCHC). The course provided information, resources and learning opportunities for Mrs. Reese and included web-based distance learning, face-to-face training, and a final project.

As a CCHC, Mrs. Reese is a health professional who knows about child health, child development, and health and safety in child care settings. Mrs. Reese works together with child care staff to promote healthy and safe environments for young children in Alexander County.

A Child Care Health Consultant has expert information, resources, and referrals to offer. Through onsite and telephone consultation, health education and technical assistance a CCHC works with individual child care facilities to help create environments that best support the healthy growth and development of young children. The CCHC partners with child care providers to:
• Assess the health and safety needs and practices in the child care facility.
• Develop strategies for inclusion of children with special care needs.
• Establish and review health policies and procedures.
• Manage and prevent injuries and infectious diseases.
• Connect families with community health resources.
• Provide health education for staff members, families and children.

Child Care Health Consultants interpret NC Child Care Rules and the National Health and Safety Performance Standards to provide guidance to child care programs. They are not responsible for regulating child care facilities. Mrs. Reese works is housed at the Alexander County Partnership for Children and her position is funded with NC Smart Start monies. Congratulations to Charity!!!

Start With the Arts Festival Planned

Young children and their families are invited to participate in the Start With the Arts Festival on Saturday, September 11, 2010 from 10:30 to 12:30 at the Hiddenite Educational Center. The festival will include dance, music, and special art activities along with displays of children’s art, food and fun! You will not want to miss this exciting opportunity designed with children in mind. All activities are FREE! The Start With the Arts Festival is the culmination of Start With the Arts Alexander, funded by the LEGO Children’s Fund which provided a $5,000 grant to the Alexander Partnership for Children for Start With the Arts.

The Start with the Arts Program was developed by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and followed a curriculum to introduce the participating children to visual arts, creative drama, creative movement, and music with a literacy enhancement component. Four sessions that lasted eight weeks were held during the past year. Each session included a theme that allowed participating children to receive take home materials to extend the session into their home with parental support. Parents and children participated in each session together. Martha Burgin, artist with the Hiddenite Center taught the classes which reached out to over sixty children and families in Alexander County.

Changes Announced for Car Seat Program

Beginning August 1st parents and legal guardians requesting a car seat inspection at the Alexander County Partnership for Children will need to make an appointment for this service. This change is being made to allow adequate time and resources for this valuable service. ACPC recognizes the importance of children riding safely and works to ensure this safety by providing free car seat inspections.

Alexander County Partnership for Children, 1565 NC Highway 90 West, Taylorsville is a Permanent Checking Station that inspects child passenger safety seats for appropriateness and correct installation. If the technician determines that the seat must be replaced due to damage, age, missing manufacturing information, recalled child passenger safety seat, improper fitting in car, improper weight and/or height requirements or any other reason based on technician’s knowledge of child passenger safety, ACPC will exchange the seat and provide a new seat for Alexander County residents.

Replacement seats are provided with funding from United Way, Buckle Up NC, and other donations. ACPC depends on donations from recipients to assist in providing the child passenger safety seat replacement. Inspections are completed by Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians and are completed by appointment only. Please call 632-3799 extension 16 to make an appointment request. Every attempt is made for the appointment at a time convenient for both the parent/legal guardian and the technician.

Play to Learn Returns!

The Play to Learn Program at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, 31 Pleasant Hill Church Road, Taylorsville returns on Wednesday, August 18th. This exciting program is a FREE playgroup for parents and their preschoolers, three four and five year olds as well as younger siblings. Sessions will be held through the school year and will meet one time a week on Wednesdays from 10am to Noon.

Activities are based on the Creative Curriculum for the children and help parents/caregivers by providing age appropriate adult/child interactions through play. Information on child development, community resources and ideas for activities to be shared at home are provided to participants

The Play to Learn Program uses several ways to reach children and enrich their learning experiences. The program provides an enriched, developmentally appropriate learning environment with materials and activities to assist in the development of physical, cognitive and social skills for developing children.

Registration is currently being conducted for this FREE program. Interested parents are asked to register by calling the 828-632-3799 to receive a registration form or by emailing Tiffany@alexanderchildren.org.

Start With Arts Alexander Session To Be Held in August

Looking for that last minute back to school activity for your child? Don’t miss the final session of Start With the Arts Alexander, a FREE preschool arts program funded by the LEGO Children’s Fund and coordinated by the Alexander County Partnership for Children in collaboration with the Hiddenite Center. Classes will meet on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:30 to 11:30 beginning August 2nd with the final class on August 24th. All classes will be held at the Hiddenite Center. This is a great opportunity for three, four and five year old children.

Martha Burgin, artist with the Hiddenite Center will be teaching the eight classes. With over 20 years of experience as an art teacher Martha brings a wealth of experience and creativity to the program. She provides art lessons through the Hiddenite Center along with Art After School, Kids Summer Art classes, and educational outreach programs in local schools. When asked about the Start with the Arts Alexander program, Martha expressed her excitement to be a part of an Arts Program that incorporates all aspects of the Arts. “Parents will not want to miss this marvelous opportunity for young children. This program will help prepare children for kindergarten.”

Using the Start with the Arts Program developed by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Start With the Arts Alexander follows a curriculum to introduce the participating children to visual arts, creative drama, creative movement, and music with a literacy enhancement component. Sessions include themes that allow participating children to receive take home materials to extend the session into their home with parental support. Parents and children participate in each session together.

To register your child please call the Alexander County Partnership for Children at 632-3799 or email info@alexanderchildren.org.

Congratulations to 41 Certified Early Childhood Educators!!!

North Carolina is the first in the nation to increase its workforce professional development standards by certifying the education of those who work directly with, intend to work with, and/or work on behalf of children ages birth to twelve. Early Educator Certification (EEC) recognizes and validates educational accomplishments of Early Educators. Individuals, children, programs, and society benefit when the education of those working in a profession increases. EEC is acknowledgement of an individual’s verified level of educational achievement, based on standardized scale.

The North Carolina Institute for Child Development Professionals (Institute), founded in 1993, is the certifying body for Early Educators in North Carolina. The mission of the institute is to define and advocate for the implementation of a comprehensive early childhood professional development system that provides supportive, accessible, and individually appropriate education which is linked to compensation in order to ensure high quality care and education services for children and families.

The Early Educator Certification Scale that reflects the amount of education earned in the field of early childhood education (ECE), child development (CD), and/or related fields of study. EEC is acknowledgement of an individual’s verified level of educational achievement, based on a standardized scale. EEC does not issue a personal or teacher license. For example, North Carolina Birth-through-Kindergarten licensure is granted under the authority of the North Carolina State Board of Education to individuals who successfully complete formal education and student teaching requirements through an accredited teacher program.

Currently over 41 early childhood educators in Alexander County have attained the Early Childhood Educator Certification. Centers and Family Child Care Homes participating in the certification process include: Alexander Head Start; LuLus Child Enrichment Center; Millersville Child Development Center; Salem Sloan Child Enrichment Center; and Sandy’s Family Child Care Home. Others centers and Family Child Care Homes in Alexander County are in the certification process or have obtained certification since the last certification listing. Congratulations to these Early Childhood Educators!!!