Resources for Providers We at YoungStar feel that knowledge is power and it is with this in mind that we have collected the following resources to help support the continuous learning of providers. Whether you are just starting on your journey or have been providing care for years, the resources and tools on this page can help you learn about and improve the quality of your program. Click below to view the resources in each category. Early Care and Education Partners The following organizations help to train, support, and advocate for the early care and education workforce. Supporting Families Together Association (SFTA) SFTA is a member organization for Wisconsin’s Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies and Family Resource Centers. SFTA directs various YoungStar services, employs Environment Rating Scale (ERS) observers and provides information on professional development opportunities. Visit the Supporting Families Together Association webpage to learn more. Wisconsin Registry Wisconsin Registry is our state's recognition system for the early care and education profession. They provide a listing of training opportunities throughout the state and assign career levels to the early education workforce. YoungStar accesses information from The Registry to verify the education and training of lead program staff. Visit the Wisconsin Registry website to learn more about Program Profiles, Career Levels and Professional Development. Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA) WECA is a statewide agency offering professional development, advocacy, and support to early childhood providers. WECA administers the T.E.A.C.H. and REWARD programs that help to make scholarships and salary stipends available to the early care and education workforce. WECA also has information on Credit for Prior Learning. Visit the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association website to learn more. Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners WECCP is a collaborative project funded by the Department of Public Instruction, the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Health Services. WECCP serves as the collaborative source of information on issues of cross-sector interest, state initiatives, and research-based practices. You will find information on WI Model Early Learning Standards, WI Pyramid Model, Health, Nutrition and Safety, Diverse Populations, Family Engagement and many more. Visit the Collaborating Partners website to learn more. Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health (WI-AIMH) WI-AIHM is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of social-emotional learning and relationship-based practices through raising public awareness, providing resources for professional development, and advocating for policies that are in the best interest of infants, young children, and their families. Visit the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health website to learn more about social emotional learning and the Wisconsin Pyramid Model. Requirements for Onsite Rating To be eligible for an onsite rating, programs must complete a Self-Assessment and develop a Quality Improvement Plan. Self-Assessment YoungStar Self-Assessment - Group Child Care Autoevaluación de YoungStar - Cuidado infantil grupal YoungStar Self-Assessment - Family Child Care Autoevaluación de YoungStar - Cuidado infantil familiar YoungStar Self-Assessment - School-Age Program Autoevaluación de YoungStar - Programa para niños en edad escolar Other school-age self-assessments that are accepted in YoungStar YoungStar Self-Assessment - Day Camp/Short Term Operational Program Autoevaluación de YoungStar - Campamento de día/Programa operativo a corto plazo Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) Recommended - QIP (Ver. 2021) English -- Spanish Birth to Five Programs School-Age Programs General Sample (B) QIP Spanish Quality Improvement Plan-Sample A Quality Improvement Plan-Sample C Element A: Lead Staff Education Research indicates that providers with higher levels of education are linked to improved outcomes for children. YoungStar verifies Lead Teacher and Director educational qualifications through The Registry Program Profiles Maintaining Your Registry Program Profile English Spanish Creating a Program Profile (pdf) Managing Employee Invitations to Access Your Program Profile - The Registry (pdf) Creating a Program Profile Director Serving in a Dual-Role Group Director Serving in a Dual-Role School-Age Director Serving in a Dual-Role Element B: Learning Environment and Curriculum Providing a safe, nurturing, and responsive environment is the foundation for supporting the learning and development of young children. Developmentally Appropriate Environments (DAE) Supporting Varied Levels of Difficulty Children learn new skills in their own way and at their own pace, which is why it's so important that you have an understanding of how best to support a variety of needs in a variety of ways. The following presentation provides information on the different ways a child may learn, as well as gives tips on how to provide each child with supportive learning opportunities that are challenging, yet achievable. Supporting Varied Levels of Difficulty and Addressing Different Learning Styles - PowerPoint This presentation opens according to the user's individual computer preferences. Press F5 to view the presentation in full screen with the included animations (recommended) Making Adaptations for Children with Special Needs One of the most important things you can do as a caregiver is to understand and learn how to adapt an activity or learning opportunity so that every child in your care can be successful. Under most circumstances, the adaptations that you make should be simple and cost little to nothing to implement. The following resources will help you better understand what it means to make an adaptation and provides tips on the various adaptations you can make. Tips for Adapting Toys and Materials for a Variety of Needs Kara's Kit - Mini Posters - Adaptation ideas (both general and for specific learning areas) Presentation - Developmentally Appropriate Environments for All For more information and resources on creating accessible learning environments, see the Early Childhood Inclusion webpage. Fostering Positive Interactions with Children Building a positive relationship with the children in your care is a foundational component of good teaching. A positive adult-child relationship built on trust, understanding and caring will foster a child's cooperation and motivation and increase their positive outcomes while in your program. The following resources provide information and tips for building and supporting strong relationships. Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) Building Positive Teacher-Child Relationships (What Works Brief #12) Overview Handout Open Ended Questions and Statement Ideas Providing Descriptive Feedback Learning Center Ideas and Templates for Documenting Learning Standards Preschool Learning Center Material Ideas School-Age Learning Center Material Ideas Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) Template School Age Curricular Framework (SACF) Template Observation Checklists The following checklists are meant to help you assess the classroom environments within your program to determine if they meet the DAE criteria for B.1.3. DAE Observation Checklist - Infant/Toddler Classroom - this checklist can be used for preschool and school-age children as well DAE Observation Checklist - Family Child Care Environment Kit Idea Guides The following idea guides are meant to help programs see some of the ways that the different toys or materials found within the various environment kits can be used. A list of the toys and materials that were a part of each environment kit is also included if you are interested in purchasing similar items for your program. 0-12 Month Guide 12-24 Month Guide 24-36 Month Guide Environment Kit Materials List Learning Environments Early Childhood Developmentally Appropriate Practices: Play is the Way! Defining Quality Curriculum Element C: Business and Professional Practices Early education programs that use effective business and professional practices are more likely to provide a high-quality learning environment, stay in business, and interact more sensitively with children and families. Budgets Budget and Taxes Quality Indicator Information Program Policies Checklist of Group Child Care English Spanish Policies Review and Receipt Signature Sheet Policy Checklist for Family Child Care Policy Checklist for School-Age Policy Checklist for Short Term Operational Programs Professional Organizations List of Professional Organizations Recognized by YoungStar Family Engagement YoungStar Family Literacy Engagement Strategies English Spanish YoungStar Intake Questionnaire (Cultural Survey) English Spanish Information and Sample Family Child Care Provider Contract with Family English Spanish Protecting Children by Strengthening Families Guidebook and Self-Assessment Strategic Planning Model Work Standards Other Resources Tom Copeland's Taking Care of Business Blog for Family Child Care Programs List of topics that cannot be asked about in interviews Small Business Resources for Child Care Programs Element D: Health and Well-Being Children need access to daily physical activity and nutritious meals and snacks to help them develop lifelong healthy habits. Early education settings are a key place to start building these habits. Nutrition in ECE Farm to ECE Wisconsin Farm to Early Care and Education: Considerations for Programs in YoungStar Growing Minds Farm to Preschool Toolkit - Contains farm to preschool resources, including lesson plans, “This Week in the Garden” activity guides, “Farm to School Goes Home” parent handouts, local food sourcing guidance, and tips for cooking and gardening with young children. Reach for the Stars with Farm to Preschool - Aligns the Early Childhood and Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scales (revised editions) with farm to preschool activities. Farm to OST Tool (assessment used in place of the WI Youth Garden Self-Assessment) Breastfeeding Wisconsin Breastfeeding Coalition Resources Ten Steps to Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care Centers Healthy Bites Healthy Bites Book (2nd Edition) - Wisconsin guide for improving childhood nutrition What Works in ECE - Healthy Habits USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program Handbook Physical Activity in ECE Wellness in Early Care and Education Active Early Book - Wisconsin guide for improving childhood physical activity Active Out of School Time (OST) - A Wisconsin Guide for Improving Childhood Physical Activity for School-Age Children What Works in OST Winter Fun - Outdoor Play Activities for Infants and Toddlers Other Resources Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Mandatory Reporter Online Training Additional High Quality Practices The following High-Quality Practices have been identified by research to be most closely linked to improved child outcomes. Curriculum Aligned with WMELS/SACF Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards Preparation for WMELS Alignment Assessment Alignment with Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards Review Tool Curriculum Alignment with Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards Review Tool Educational Information for Engaging Families in WMELS WMELS Tip Sheets Cognition and General Knowledge English - Spanish Health and Physical Development English - Spanish Language Development and Communication English - Spanish Social-Emotional Development English - Spanish Using the WMELS Family Tip Sheets English - Spanish Approaches to Learning English - Spanish School-Age Curricular Framework Curriculum Alignment with SACF Assessment Alignment with SACF General Information Document Descriptions, Rationale, and Examples Sample School-Age Weekly Activity Plan to Use With School-Age Curricular Framework Sample QIP Aligned with the School-Age Curricular Framework Child Portfolios Resources coming soon Intentional Planning to Improve Child Outcomes Lesson Planning Quality Indicators Learning Activity Plan Sample Learning Activity Plan Assessment Sample Planning Form for Children Ages Birth to Five Sample Activity Planning Sample Developmental Activity Plan Pre-school and School-Age Activity Plan Sample School-Age Personal Learning Goals and Weekly Plans Guidance for Choosing/Developing Assessments in Programs Developmental Screening and Assessment General Information Your Child's Development - DCF Tip Sheet (pdf) Tip Sheets for Implementing Developmental Screening (English and Spanish) Guiding Principles for Screening and Assessment A Comprehensive and Aligned System of Screening and Assessment Screening Families are Partners in Children's Developmental Screening ASQ Readiness Checklists: Group Family School-Age Enrollment Inventory English Spanish YoungStar Day Camp Enrollment Inventory Sample Waiver Assessment Approved Accepted Child Assessments for YoungStar Purposes for Assessment in Child Care Programs Strategic Assessment for Child Care Guidance for Choosing/Developing Assessments in School-Age Programs Developmental Assessment Tools for School-Age Programs Tracking Child Outcomes Tracking Summaries Sample Template for Classroom Tracking Summary Six Simple Ways Classroom Tracking Summary Sample Work Sampling Tracking Summary - 4-year-old classroom Individual Assessment Individual Child Assessment Summary Assessment Summary 1 Assessment Summary 2 Assessment Summary 3 Assessment Summary 4 Learning Objectives Tracking Form Social Emotional and Inclusion Training YoungStar inclusion trainings can be found on the Early Childhood Inclusion Trainings webpage Wisconsin Pyramid Model trainings can be found on the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health webpage Strengthening Families Training Program Self-Assessment for Center-Based Early Care and Education Programs (Strengthening Families) Program Self-Assessment for Family child Care Providers (Strengthening Families) Community Based Program Self Assessment Strengthening Families Program Self-Assessment Family Child Care Group Child Care Community-Based Program Other Resources - School-Age School-Age Trainings Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) TRIBES Training Service-Learning in Community-Based Organizations The Collection of Youth Outcome Measures Tools summarizes information about tools that school-age programs can use to measure youth progress. More information on this is available in the Soft Skills Hard Data report from the Forum for Youth Investment. Tips for improving the connection between the school day and afterschool programming National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Safety in the Science Classroom - Books & Resource
