Promoting Informed Child Care Choices: A Training Guide for Child Care Subsidy Staff

CCDF Lead Agencies, subsidy staff, their supervisors, and others responsible for training subsidy staff can use Promoting Informed Child Care Choices: A Training Guide for Child Care Subsidy Staff as a tool for professional development.

This training guide consists of ten modules, which can be used by groups or individuals. Each module offers ways to enhance skills and knowledge related to consumer education and parent, family, and community engagement. These skills and knowledge are important because every interaction parents have with the subsidy system is an opportunity for subsidy staff to: 

support families’ well-being and parents’ abilities to work help ensure that children from low income households have the best possible early childhood and school-age care and education experiences, and  promote family engagement in children’s learning and development. 

The training modules may also help staff feel and be more responsive when a family cannot immediately be served with subsidy. 

Further, these training modules will help staff implement requirements included in the CCDBG Act and the CCDF Final Rule.

How to Use This Guide 
The modules are intended to be useful for subsidy staff in a variety of roles. For example, these modules may be used in professional development for subsidy staff who: 

interact with families applying for child care subsidies;  help families locate and connect with early childhood, school-age, or comprehensive services; or  work in the community to support early childhood care and education services and help to build the capacities of services and service providers. 

The titles of the modules are: 

Building a Shared Understanding of Consumer Education and Consumer Engagement  How Subsidy Staff Can Promote Consumer Engagement  Strength-Based Attitudes  Relationship-Based Practices  Building a Shared Understanding of Family Engagement  How Subsidy Staff Can Promote Family Engagement  Creating Welcoming Environments That Are Inclusive and Culturally and Linguistically Responsive  Building Community Partnerships  Self-care and Managing Stress  Summary Learning Reflection