Child care and early education: Training

The Center for Inclusive Child Care provides free relationship-based professional development (RBPD) including support, modeling and resources to child care programs throughout Minnesota. A coach will partner with your program to provide support focused on the successful inclusion of children with special needs or challenging behaviors, implementing health and safety best practices and/or supporting the unique needs of infants and toddlers in your care.

A professional development advisor can help with career planning. Find one by visiting Child Care Aware of Minnesota or calling 1-888-291-9811.

Develop, Minnesota's Quality Improvement and Registry, offers professional development and quality improvement tools to support early learning and school-age care. Visit Developtoolmn.org to:

• Search for training opportunities
• Search for coaches, consultants and mentors
• Create professional development plans
• Design quality improvement plans
• Track and verify employment, education and training history
• Document achievements, including accreditation and Parent Aware ratings.

• Child Care Facility Revitalization Grants are available for facility improvements, minor renovations and related equipment and services, including assistance to meet licensing requirements, needed to establish, maintain or expand licensed and legal unlicensed child care and early childhood education sites. Grant funds may not be used for construction or major renovation of facilities. For more information, visit the First Children’s Finance Child Care Facility Revitalization Grants webpage, email First Children’s Finance at grants@firstchildrensfinance.org, or call (612) 473-6020 for more information.
• Child Care Aware regional grants are available on a competitive basis, helping child care programs improve the safety and quality of their programs. For more information, visit Child Care Aware's grant program website, or contact the local grant administrator using the Child Care Aware's Local Resources website. 
• Child care providers may be eligible for higher education scholarships through the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Minnesota program. To learn more, visit Child Care Aware's T.E.A.C.H. website, or call the Child Care Aware Coordinating Office at 651-290-9704. 
• Child care providers may be eligible for scholarships to earn a Child Development Associate credential. To learn more, visit Child Care Aware's CDA Scholarship website or call the Child Care Aware Coordinating Office at 651-290-9704. 
• Financial bonuses are available through the R.E.E.T.A.I.N (Retaining Early Educators Through Attaining Incentives Now) program, aiming to keep strong, well-trained child care providers in the field. For more information, visit Child Care Aware's bonus reward website.

Contact Achieve, the Minnesota Center for Professional Development, or call 855-378-3131 to:

• Set up individual and organizational accounts on Develop 
• Find and connect with trainers
• Plan and print a learning record
• Become an approved trainer
• Offer approved training
• Find career planning tools
• Search for educational opportunities.

The Minnesota Department of Education guides work on high-quality learning in early childhood education. 

Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs): Minnesota's Early Learning Standards, are a shared set of expectations of what child can know and do. 

• ECIPs for Birth - 5 are on the Minnesota Department of Education site
• Minnesota's Learning Guidelines, School-Age Indicators of Progress (DHS-6398) (PDF) are here. 

The Knowledge and Competency Framework for Early Childhood Professionals combines what an early childhood educator needs to know about research and theory, and the skills needed to work effectively in the field.

Resource for trainers and coaches are available through Child Care Aware of Minnesota and Achieve, the Minnesota Center for Professional Development.

An accompanying document to the Minnesota Department of Education's Knowledge and Competency Framework, Minnesota's Knowledge and Competency Framework for Trainers (DHS-5294) (PDF) is here.

Eager-to-Learn is an innovative, community based, e-learning program of Child Care Aware of Minnesota. Courses are designed to provide quality, accessible, educational opportunities for child care professionals.