The Green County Child Care Network would like to than Only in Wisconsin Giving for the recent grant to ensure our child care educators can access trainings that would otherwise be cost prohibitive and ensure continuing education requirements are met for child care regulation.  Abbi Kruse recently provided an all-day training, including lunch, for GCCCN members to help them improve their ability to meet children’s social emotional needs using conscious discipline, a brain based program. Local school district employees and parents were also welcomed to attend. Overall, the program teaches the educator to understand their own emotions and the child’s emotions to so we can help children better manage their own. It builds resilience. We can learn that it is okay to be disappointed or sad. And we learn how to manage our response to that. In turn, children can learn from us.

Conscious Discipline is a step in changing the culture to teach self-regulation among children. But really, it’s all about connection. Because connection brings willingness, and helps a child feel safe so they can learn.  There is a second, shorter virtual offering in February as well. 

 Other professional development that the network has accessed using this grant is partial scholarships for Masters degrees, meeting sensory needs of children, and CPR/First Aid. Several members have now completed the T-TAP train the trainers ensuring local child care professionals can become mentors and trainers for other network members to meet the specific needs of the regulated child care programs in our county.