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About the Program At Childcare Resources, we believe data should be used to guide how programs are developed and implemented. We utilize both quantitative and qualitative information in order to provide evidence-based programs that help children, families, and early educators in our community achieve greater results. This in turn positively impacts lives across Indian River County and beyond. This is the snapshot of impact from the 2022-2023 fiscal year that you made possible: 3,921 children impacted by our whole child development model

What does our roadmap for high-impact teacher support look like? Coach's Column Amanda Gooch May 1, 2023 What does our roadmap for high-impact teacher support look like? Being a teacher is hard work. Teachers often need the summer to refresh and recharge. Even those of you who work year-round typically spend the summer reorganizing, finalizing plans for the upcoming year and looking forward to the fresh start we all count on fall to bring. This school year may have brought many of you a wave of challenges. Amidst all of these challenges, there is a very good chance many of you were unable to recharge as often as you may have need throughout the school year. When you are running on fumes, an already challenging job can feel overwhelming and sometimes impossible . It may often feel like the starting line of a marathon year. There will always be challenges hiding behind the bends and turns that you won’t be aware of until they are right in front of you. You are going to need a compassionate, supporting team of people cheering you on and the right tools in your toolbox to get you over the finish line. Luckily, contrary to popular belief, teaching is not a solo endeavor. Teaching is a team sport. So how can directors and administrators provide the kind of high-impact teacher support that gets teachers and students where they need to be? The kind of support educators need right now is something actionable, something they can apply right away. They need concrete examples of what this work looks like. They need scaffold support that will meet them where they are and show the how to take it to the next level, a road map to navigate the race route. This is where the partnership of our early childhood education coaches here at Childcare Resources comes in. We are here to support administrators and teachers as you create a culture of growth though goal-setting, assessment, and non-evaluative feedback. We help to support and accelerate growth through informal observations, training, modeling, mentoring and professional development. As you enter into this summer season, how can we work in partnership with you to help finalize “survival guide” plans for next year as you prepare for a fresh start? How can we map a “fail proof” route so that there will be evidence for success for all? Let’s coordinate the ultimate summer road trip with prepping for summer and into next school year. Step One: Determine your destination – Where will you go to get refreshed? What will you do when you get there? Step Two: Give yourself a check-up before you hit the open road – Your health and well-being need to be the first priority. Step Three: Don’t forget to pack the essentials – Do you have all that you need to begin another incredible school year? What needs to be left behind? Step Four: Happy travels – be in the moment. Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself. If you are like me and run out of ideas to relax and de-stress over the summer, click this link for 86 ideas to choose from. Which one are you looking forward to trying? Starting in June, our coaching team will be off until August. We look forward to working with you all when we return. Have an absolutely incredible summer. Make sure to come back refreshed, revived and ready to start an incredible new school year in August. Wishing you the best, Amanda Back to Coaching Back to Newsletters

Explore the high-quality childcare program we offer our families. For Families About the Program Find out More Preliminary Application Apply Today Current Families Find out More The Childcare Resources School Find out More Contracting Centers Find out More Well ness Find out More

The Importance of Early Experiences & Sensory Play Every Day | Lisa Murphy | Ooey Gooey Lady The Importance of Early Experiences & Sensory Play Every Day November 2020 Handout (PDF) Back Lisa Murphy Ooey Gooey Lady

How to get parents involved in preschool activities Coach's Column Amanda Gooch July 1, 2023 While you are all in a preplanning mode as we round out the end of an incredible summer, lets revisit what we learned during one of our past professional development workshops. During this particular workshop, we focused on parent engagement with Rhonda Meyers of Heartfelt Impressions Learning Centers. She helped us to really focus as a teacher or school in making outreach decisions to increase parent engagement. Here are just a few simple ways to promote parent engagement in early childhood education: Educators can invite families to participate in activities such as accompanying the class with a hands on project or speaking at a "show and tell." Other ideas include inviting family members to share special talents or visit the classroom at any time. Educators can also offer getting-to-know-you meetings, make relationship-building home visits, and create welcoming spaces in the program and schools. Hosting an open house, creating a parent board, and planning special parent engagement projects are other ways to involve parents (Popsicles on the Playground, Muffins with Mom, and Donuts with Dad etc.). To learn more about how to get parents involved in preschool activities, click on the link below: How To Get Parents Involved In Preschool Activities! When we get parents involved in preschool activities we are providing an opportunity for simple interactions that are both meaningful and important in early childhood development for their children. We first learned about simple interactions from Dr. Dana Winters from the Fred Rogers Institute during our February professional development workshop. To recap, simple interactions are playful, respectful, enjoyable and rewarding interactions and experiences for young children. Simple interactions with children are an important aspect of early childhood education and are a building block for many skills including problem solving, social and emotional intelligence and self-regulation. Simple interactions provide opportunities for children to safely explore, test out, and try new things. By establishing these simple interactions through connection, reciprocity, and inclusion, we are developing positive relationships with young children and an opportunity for them to grow and thrive Starting in September, Childcare Resources will be hosting an Early Childhood Educator Community of Practice. One of the many focuses of this group will be to dive deeper in our enhancement of these simple interactions and how we can help further our establishment of the practice. We will practice appreciative noticing and reflective wondering to understand the dynamics in the simplest interactions. We will also discuss how simple interactions weave together to form the basic building blocks of relationships in order to make positive developmental impacts. To learn more about Simple Interactions and the Fred Rogers Institute’s approach in examining adult-child interactions in everyday contexts, click on the following link: Simple Interactions More information will be coming out soon on how you can be the first to sign up for this limited availability community of practice. Together we will start the school year off strong with Conscious Discipline. Wishing you the best, Amanda Back to Coaching Back to Newsletters

More WHATs, HOWs, and WHYs of Fine Motor | Dr. Marianne Gibbs | Write Out of the Box More WHATs, HOWs, and WHYs of Fine Motor October 2020 Handout (PDF) Back Dr. Marianne Gibbs Write Out of the Box Join Dr. Marianne Gibbs in this virtual workshop exploring fine motor skills, self-help skills, and sensory activities!

Conscious Discipline: February 2020 | Kim Hughes | Conscious Discipline Conscious Discipline: February 2020 February 2020 Handout (PDF) Back Kim Hughes Conscious Discipline

< Back Meet Gianna Gianna began in the Childcare Resources (CCR) program when she was around 9 weeks old. From a physical standpoint, during her time at CCR, Gianna learned to crawl, walk, and run—developing fine and gross motor skills that help her both hold a pencil for writing and pedal a bicycle. From a less visible but equally important mental standpoint, Gianna’s brain built millions of synaptic connections, with nearly 85% of brain development happening before the age of five. During these first years, Gianna learned how to communicate with the big world around her through language. She practiced letters and sounds with teacher-led activities and learning experiences during her days at the CCR School. While Gianna was in school, so was her mother, Victoria. The affordable high-quality childcare provided by CCR allowed Victoria to work full-time and attend school part-time, and, as a result, she gained skills that helped her advance in her career. Victoria is now pursuing her Bachelor's in Organizational Management. “Childcare Resources helped me achieve my personal and professional goals," says Victoria. "It has also allowed my daughter to learn and grow in many aspects of her childhood. As a result, Childcare Resources has greatly benefited both of us.” Previous Next

When we look at what children are doing in the present and observe engaging behavior, we are able to assess children’s development. Coach's Column Amanda Gooch January 1, 2023 An essential question we need to ask ourselves to enhance our practice is: Why does play matter? Children learn through play and play to learn. Children learn about themselves, their bodies, their feelings. They learn and connect with others around them. They learn about their environment and "things" in their environment like toys and nature. Through active hands-on play; children will develop their motor and movement skills, problem solving and cognitive skills, language, social and emotional skills. An additional essential question we need to ask ourselves to enhance our practice is: What is the importance of play-based learning? Play-based learning at its finest utilizes the environment as a third teacher, in conjunction with the students and classroom facilitator. A place were every activity and object placed in the space has a purpose, adds to the learning, and helps scaffold information across the learning domains. In children’s brains, when they are playing, they’re doing the deepest learning. Children learn best when at least one of these four pillars are present in the classroom: The child is able to take an active role in the learning environment The child is engaged The information presented is meaningful The child is able to learn and interact in a social context Many of you may believe that we need to choose between play-based learning and rigorous academic standards when integrating the two is very possible. To find out more about play based learning, click on this Resilient Educator link . Now that we understand the importance of play and why play matters, let’s talk about the importance of child engagement in play and learning. During our most recent professional development day, we explored with the help of Mr. Alan Guttman, the R.A. McWilliam's Scale for Teachers’ Assessment of Routines Engagement; also known as STARE. When we look at what children are doing in the present and observe engaging behavior, we are able to assess children’s development. Measuring group and individual levels of engagement provides immediate and relevant feedback regarding the quality of the care environment. What are some words you would use to describe what engagement looks, sounds, and feels like when observing when a child is engaged? Click on this link (PDF) for a more comprehensive form to complete on assessing child engagement in the classroom: By taking a deeper look into the comprehensive data collected on child engagement in our classroom we are able to ensure paths to high quality engagement. As educators we are creating learning environments that support frequent and long periods of sophisticated engagement. We are also balancing intentional interactions that are attuned and aligned with genuine child interests and passions. By observing, reflecting and being prepared to interact flexibly we are in essence following the child’s lead. With the information collected we are able to show engaged support of learning through our CLASS lens. We are spending most of our time in active facilitation by being involved with our students, providing intentional opportunities and guidance for learning and development. We are also furthering our student’s emotional and behavioral support by emphasizing children’s interests, motivations, and points of view. It’s going to be a wonderful and interactive time at our next professional development day. We welcome Dr. Dana Winters from the Fred Rogers Institute as she presents “Simple Interactions” on Saturday February 11th 2023. Just a friendly reminder, the workshop will be hosted at Indian River State College Muller Campus, Richardson Center. Together we will gain an deeper understanding of the role of interactions in human development; identify ways that human interactions can be encouraged across all levels of a system; and apply the conceptual foundation of developmental relationships to the everyday practice of supporting the learning and growing of children, families, and colleagues. I can’t wait to see you all there. I thank you for your dedication and willingness to pour into the next generation through education as we elevate and promote the highest quality early childhood development and education in Indian River County. Wishing you the best, Amanda Email Amanda Register For Simple Interactions Back to Coaching Back to Newsletters

< Back Meet Desmond When DeShannon heard about Childcare Resources through a local community partner, she knew immediately that this could be the opportunity she was looking for. As a single mother, she was determined to give her son, Desmond, the best possible start. Shortly after enrolling, it became clear that Desmond wasn’t hitting his early communication milestones. “He wasn’t talking,” DeShannon recalls. “And I started to worry he might be having trouble hearing, too.” Thankfully, Childcare Resources offers more than high-quality early education. Through its Wellness and Early Intervention Program, the school conducts regular hearing, vision, and developmental assessments for all enrolled children. During Desmond’s hearing screening, the staff identified signs of hearing loss. The Wellness team guided DeShannon through navigating insurance and local referrals, supporting her through each stage of the process. After Desmond received his hearing aids, Childcare Resources began on-site speech therapy and basic sign language lessons to strengthen his growing communication skills. “All of the challenges I was facing as a single mother were made easier with Childcare Resources by my side,” DeShannon says. “They pointed me in the right direction and made sure I wasn’t alone.” DeShannon felt real peace of mind knowing that Desmond was receiving both the early intervention and high-quality education he needed, all in one place. She saw firsthand how the care and support he received helped him grow. Desmond’s classmates even learned sign language, creating a classroom community where everyone could connect. Today, Desmond communicates clearly, expresses his needs and ideas, and enjoys spending time with his friends. He especially loves reading, learning new things, and continues to grow more confident each day. “The staff show him so much much love and patience,” DeShannon says. “I can’t thank Childcare Resources enough for helping with his hearing loss and always being so kind. They truly care about him.” Desmond recently graduated from Childcare Resources— fully prepared for kindergarten. Previous Next

< Back Meet Alison & Sierra When her daughter was an infant, Alison realized that something needed to change. “I was a single mother struggling to find employment that would provide Sierra and I with what we needed ,“ says Alison. After learning about the early education program offered by Childcare Resources, Alison quickly enrolled Sierra when she was nine months old. “Childcare Resources helped Sierra come out of her shell ,” says Alison. During Sierra’s time at Childcare Resources, Alison made the decision to go back to school in addition to working full-time, earning an Associate’s Degree in General Education. In 2018, Sierra graduated from the Childcare Resources School and moved on to kindergarten. Alison also graduated that same summer, having earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Today, Alison is a Certified Child Welfare case worker and works in the adoption unit of a statewide nonprofit. Sierra recently started fifth grade at a local elementary school, where she is thriving. “During her last school year, Sierra received awards for improving on math and reading skills almost each quarter,“ says Alison. “Sierra also plays softball and recently participated in the county-wide track meet .“ “Without you, I would not have been able to fully support myself and Sierra. I would not have pushed myself to go back to school at all, “ continues Alison. “Childcare Resources helped Sierra grow into the smart, independent, and loving child she is today. “ Previous Next

Joy is not about removing challenges. It goes not make the work we do easier or faster. Joy gives us direction. Coach's Column Amanda Gooch May 1, 2026 Let's take a moment and look back together to reflect our latest professional learning opportunity with Dr. Nefertiti Poyner from Mighty Works Education Group. For those of you who were able to attend, I hope you enjoy reading about our walk down memory lane as we take a deeper look at finding joy and purpose in our early education practice. When we last gathered together, we talked about something that doesn't always get named in the work we do. Not just what we do, but how we experience it. We talked about the reality that this work is meaningful and demanding. And somewhere along the way, for many, purpose did not really disappear; it got buried under the weight of the day. During our time together, we had the opportunity to reflect on: • What brought us into this work. • What has felt heavy or overwhelming. • What still feels meaningful, even now. There were moments of honesty. Moments of recognition. And for many, moments where some began to connect what matters most. What we began to uncover during our session, was what often interferes with our sense of joy and purpose. It is rarely just one thing. It is often: • The pace of the work • The expectations we carry • The responsibilities we hold • The thoughts we do not always pause to examine As we explored this together, many began to recognize that joy is not gone, but rather it has been harder to hear. That awareness creates choice. And choice is where change begins. A simple idea was introduced. Joy is not about removing challenges. It goes not make the work we do easier or faster. Joy gives us direction. Instead of focusing only on how much we are doing, we need to pause to consider whether we are moving in the direction that matters most. This is how we bring the joy and the four pillars that help make our purpose meaningful and clear: • Alignment : Getting clear about what truly matters • Intentionality : Choosing how you show up on purpose • Consistency : Repeating what matters, even when it's hard • Integration : When it becomes part of who you are One of our key takeaways from our time together was the realization that purpose doesn't disappear; it often gets buried under the weight of the day. What interferes with our joy is often both internal and external. Alignment, Intentionality, Consistency and Integration are not about doing more; they are about being in agreement with yourself. Joy and Purpose are not always loud, sometimes they can be quiet and easy to miss. Together, we can be reminded that it is always there. The work we do matters. Not just in what we give to others, but in who we are becoming as we do it. What we felt in our time together, the clarity, the pause, the reflection, we don't have to leave it there. We always return to it, again and again. So, I ask you, what does JOY look like in your practice? We would love to see pictures of your classroom that reflect the joy and purpose you see ever day. Those pictures will be highlighted in next month's newsletter. As you continue to reflect on your learning, our team is here to support you through ongoing technical assistance following the workshop. This support is designed to help you put ideas into practice, strengthen your approach, and navigate any challenges that may arise along the way. We hope to talk with you soon. Wishing you all the best, Amanda, Todd, and Jensen Back to Coaching Back to Newsletters