The First-5-California-funded program, Improve and Maximize Programs so All Children Thrive (IMPACT) just completed the second year of its grant cycle.
The IMPACT program is designed to support and highlight high-quality childcare settings in Family Childcare, Family, Friend, Neighbor care providers, and Tribal Childcare programs. A total of 29 individuals participated in a whopping 757.5 hours of professional development training, including local, regional, and national/international conferences and college coursework. And 22 of them received stipends from IMPACT of more than $500 as rewards for their hard work
Training that many attended included:
- Tribal Head Start Conferences and workshops
- Rainbow Kit & Safe Space Training for Early Childhood
- Health, Safety & Quality in a Time of Covid
- Racial Equity for Early Childhood
- Trauma-Informed Practice
- WestEd workshops on Mindfulness, Teaching Self-Regulation, and Supporting Children in Difficult Times
- Outdoor Classroom topics and Nature-Based education
- Pediatric CPR & First Aid
- College coursework in the pursuit of furthering degrees or increasing levels of Child Development Permits
- And many, many more not listed here.
IMPACT is not the only Quality Improvement program in town!
- The Quality Counts California Grant is for staff in Tribal Childcare and licensed Family Childcare Homes serving infants and toddlers
- The CA State Preschool Block Grant is for State-Funded Preschool Centers
- The Pathways Grant supports individuals working in any of the above programs with incentives for completing higher education or professional development.
Each program has slightly different parameters for who can participate and what the requirements are. If you are interested in checking out the variety of quality improvement supports available to childcare providers, email First 5 Humboldt for more information.