Child Care Council Inc. has been awarded $68,000 in annual grant funding for up to five years from the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities to provide a behavior support program in child care settings in Monroe and Wayne counties.
These grant funds enable Child Care Council to serve children with developmental disabilities who are exhibiting challenging behavior that may affect their placement in a licensed, registered or legally exempt child care program. The Council will provide free, on-site, intensive technical assistance to help implement positive behavior strategies and to increase provider understanding of a child’s behavioral needs. In addition, the Council will work with providers to develop customized plans that will benefit the child and enhance their positive experience in child care. Providers can benefit from up to 15 hours of technical assistance per child.
“A recent Child Care Council survey revealed that 50 percent of providers have a child with special needs in their programs and 79 percent of providers have experienced behavior challenges while working with children with disabilities,” said Child Care Council CEO Barbara-Ann Mattle. “We are grateful to the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities for this funding, which will enable us to provide hands-on support to providers to help improve the level of care for children with disabilities.”
Mattle noted that this latest grant funding also expands on the special-needs services currently provided by the Council, such as free, enhanced child care referrals to parents who have a child with a developmental disability.
Behavioral Training Series
As part of the grant, Child Care Council also is offering a behavioral training series to inform providers about special-education laws and how to assist the families they serve. The three-part class series will cover 1) how the Americans with Disabilities Act pertains to a provider’s program when working with children with disabilities; 2) research-based intervention strategies to address challenging behaviors; and 3) how to identify the differences between a “meltdown” and a tantrum.
Upcoming class dates are as follows:
-Rochester: March 12 and 19, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
-Rochester: May 23 and 25, and June 1, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
-Newark, Wayne County: June 13, 20 and 27, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
While the technical assistance is available to providers at no charge, a fee of $30 is required for the class series. For more information about the training series or about the behavior support program, child care providers can contact Kristen Torkelsen, special needs advisor at Child Care Council, at 585.654.1224 or at [email protected].
