A Message From Our Director

Dear CCRS Providers,

I am writing to inform you that you may be eligible to participate in a study about your experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and now. This study explores how roles and responsibilities, stress, and attitudes have been impacted and what needs have gone unmet. The experiences of childcare providers and their families have not been heard and this study aims to listen to their voices (both child care providers and their children, if possible). The adult survey will take approximately 30-40 minutes to complete and participants who fully complete it will receive a $20 Amazon e-code. You may be invited to participate in a follow-up interview or focus group at a later time for additional compensation.

If you have children between the ages of 12 and 17, there will be an opportunity to enroll them in a shorter survey. Children who fully complete the survey will receive a $15 Amazon e-code. Eligible youth participants will receive a direct link to the survey after parents provide consent and contact information for youth in the parent screener.

If you would like to learn more, are 18 years old or older, and are fluent in English, please email mmcovidstudy@illinois.edu;  the study team will send you a link to complete an online eligibility screener. Please remember to check your Junk and Spam folders for a link from Qualtrics, the online survey platform.

Thank you for considering participation in this study. The more participants we have, the better we will understand the experiences people have had related to the public health crises and be able to improve.

Thank you so much,

Brenda Eastham

(on behalf of Jacinda K. Dariotis, PhD, MAS Study Principal Investigator)

The Big Give 2022 – Thanksgiving Giveaway

If you, or someone you know, needs help providing a turkey for Thanksgiving, Stone Creek Church, in cooperation with The Urbana Meijer and The Universitv of Illinois Office of Volunteer Proqrams, is offering a whole frozen turkey and a bag of holiday groceries this Thanksgiving season.

To receive a Thanksgiving Meal please pre-register in ONE of the following ways:

Option #1 – Online Registration (preferred option)

Complete the online registration form by visiting www.sccwired.com/urbanabiqqive  (Registration opens October 24th at 12:00pm)

Option #2 – In-Person Registration

Register in-person at any of the following Stone Creek Food Pantry dates: October 24th OR November 7th, 4:00 – 6:00 pm at Stone Creek Church

Option #3 Registration by Phone

Please note: This is the longest method.  Only call: 765-280-6417 to register by phone beginning on October 24th. Do not call the church.

When you register, you will be assigned a time to pick up your turkey and groceries. You can pick up your turkey at your assigned distribution time. When you arrive at your distribution appointment, you must bring a Picture ID. However, if you are picking up for another person that registered in advance, you can bring their ID and pick up food for them.

Distribution:

Saturday, November 19^th at Stone Creek Church Stone Creek Church, 2502 S. Race St. Urbana IL

For more information, please email us at thebiggive@stonecreekwired.com.

Ofrenda para el día de Acción de Gracias 2022

Si usted o alguien que usted conoce necesita ayuda obteniendo un pavo para el Día de Acción de Gracia, la Iglesia Stone Creek, en colaboración con Mejier de Urbana y la Oficina de Programas para Voluntarios de la Universidad de Illinois están ofreciendo un pavo congelado entero y una bolsa con comida para complementar la cena en esta temporada de Acción de Gracias.

Para recibir la cena de el día de Acción de Gracias por favor registrarse con anticipación eligiendo UNA de las siguientes maneras:

Opción #1- Registrarse en línea (opción preferida)

Llene el formulario en línea visitando la pagina www.sccwired.com/urbanqbiqqive ,  empezando el 24 de octubre a las 12:00pm

Opción #2- Registración en persona

Regístrese en persona en cualquiera de las siguientes fechas: Octubre 24 0 Noviembre 7, de 4:00pm-6:00pm en la Iglesia Stone Creek

Opción #3- Regístrese por teléfono

Por favor tenga en mente que este es el método mas largo.  Solamente use el siguiente número telefónico: 765-280-6417; usted puede empezar a llamar desde el 24 de Octubre. Por favor no llame a la Iglesia.

Después de registrarse, usted será asignado (a) una fecha y hora para pasar por su pavo y la bolsa de comida. Cuando usted llegue a su cita, usted deberá presentar un documento de identificación. Si usted esta recogiendo la comida de parte de otra persona, usted simplemente necesita presentar la identificación de esa persona y puede llevarles la comida.

Distribución: Sábado, Noviembre 19 en la Iglesia Stone Creek

Stone Creek Church, 2502 S. Race St. Urbana IL

Para mas información, por favor enviar un correo electrónico a thebiggive@stonecreekwired.com.

In-Person Provider Training Classes!

We are offering in-person trainings this fall! Listed below are the trainings being offered for October and November.

Thinking Outside the Book (In-Person)

Thursday, October 27, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Rantoul Public Library, 106 W. Flessner Ave., Rantoul, 2.0 Training Hours   FREE

Presenter: Kari Britton, Director, Happi Time

Reading is FUN-damental, but so is expanding on a story to encourage active participation and creative thinking! We will look at many ways to enhance your story time, and we will also learn different ways to bring a story out of group time and incorporate it into other areas. Participants will participate in a small make-and-take activity to create something they can use right away in their classroom.

Trash to Treasure (In-Person)

Wednesday, November 9, from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Rantoul Public Library, 106 W. Flessner Ave., Rantoul, 2.0 Training Hours   FREE

Presenter: Rhonda Costa, Director, The Caring Place

Turning items headed to the trash into classroom activities, art materials, and objects to keep the children engaged in learning.

Program for Infant Toddler Care (PITC) Module 1: Social-Emotional Growth & Socialization (In-Person)

Saturday, November 12, from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (1 hour lunch on your own)

Decatur Day Care Center, 2074 E. Lake Shore Dr., Decatur, Contact Hours: 8 = 6 hours face-to-face, 2 hours online assessment   FREE

This is a hybrid training and participants must complete the face-to-face session and online assessment to receive credit.

Presenter: Kathy Martin, Infant Toddler Specialist, CCRS

Social-Emotional Growth and Socialization explores topics on social-emotional development in the first three years, temperaments of children and caregivers, socialization, guidance and discipline, environments, and gaining an understanding of children’s behavior. Training will begin with an overview of the basic concepts of early social-emotional growth and socialization and their application to the group care context. An emphasis is placed on the development of a nurturing relationship between the infant and caregiver. The overview addresses the importance of responsive caregiving, the individualization of care through an understanding of infant temperament, the critical role of family and culture in early identity development, exploring developmentally appropriate play strategies with ages of infancy, creating supportive physical environments, and stages of emotional development.

Process vs. Product Art (In-Person)

Tuesday, November 29, from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Carle Conference West B, 810 W. University Ave., Urbana, 2.0 Trainings Hours   FREE

Presenter: Sue Heidle, Early Childhood Consultant

We will discuss the pros and cons of Process and Product Art. We will also do a few projects so you can experience the differences.

To register for any of these in-person offerings, contact Jenny Garinger at (217) 333-7816 or by email at garinger@illinois.edu.

Caregiver Awareness Survey

A caregiver/provider home visiting community survey is now available to all our providers and professionals associated with our program to help us to learn more about awareness, experiences, and perceptions of home visiting. Below are the two links (one for caregivers and one for professionals). Please select the appropriate link to provide us with your input. Remember, the more you tell us, the better equipped we will be to provide you with the assistance you need. 

Link for Caregivers: https://forms.gle/L1TE2VjrzBLuazL78

Link for Professionals: https://forms.gle/p3WxNU3AKqnorsw76 

Daddy Dialogue

Are you a daddy or soon-to-be-daddy that would enjoy getting together to talk about topics that directly impact you as a dad? All dads – past, present, and future – are welcome!

For questions, please contact Jeremy Smith at (309) 322-6621 or at JSmith@TheBabyFold.org.

This Month’s Topic:  “The Importance of Fathers”

Guest Speaker:Tzia Hibler, LCSW

November 15, 2022
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
105 N Mattis Ave, Suite J
Champaign, IL 61821

Zoom Training Opportunities for Child Care Providers

Below are listed the Zoom trainings now available for child care providers.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS/SUID/AAP Safe Sleep) (Zoom training)

Tuesday, October 25, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, 1.5 Training Hours   FREE

Presenter: Kathy Martin, Infant Toddler Specialist, CCRS

This training discusses Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS/SUID/AAP Safe Sleep), including behaviors that increase the risk of SIDS, safe sleep habits, licensing standards, and resources for further information.

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To register for any of these new Zoom offerings, contact Jenny Garinger at (217) 333-7816 or by email at garinger@illinois.edu. 

If you prefer to do trainings on your own schedule, remember the Gateways i-learning website is always available at https://courses.inccrra.org. These trainings are Gateways Registry-approved and cover a variety of child development and early childhood education topics. Trainings automatically appear on your Gateways Registry Professional Development Record (PDR), and they are FREE. Be sure to have your Gateways Registry online username and password to login.

New Trainings Now Available at Illinois Gateways

New trainings have recently been added to the Gateways ilearning website. These trainings are available to all child care providers in the state, free of charge! They will help you meet requirements for DCFS licensing as well as count toward health and safety training hours. Check out https://courses.inccrra.org for easy access to these exciting new trainings.

Supporting Breastfeeding-friendly Environments – This training will help child care providers understand how to create chest/breastfeeding-friendly policies and environments that align with state and federal laws, Illinois licensing standards, and best practice. It was developed by the Illinois Public Health Institute with support from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Women’s Health and provides one clock hour of professional development credit.

School-Age and Youth Development Credential Level 1 – While this series of trainings has been around for a while, it is now available completely online! Providers are now able to take all 16 modules of the SAYD Credential Level 1 online and earn their credential. 

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You can still find several other trainings you might need on ilearning as well, including Trauma Informed Care for Child Care Providers and Lead in Water

New Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Now Available

Hello! My name is Randi Kinsella and I am excited to join the Caregiver Connections team as an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant for SDA 10! I will serve Champaign County, as wel as Iroquois, Macon, Piatt, Vermillion and Douglas Counties. I have lived in Champaign for almost twenty years, the first four having been at the University of Illinois where I graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a focus in Child and Adolescent Development. I  went on to obtain a Masters of Education in Child Development from Ashford University. I spent fourteen years working at a private preschool, most of that time serving as Principal. During this time I also conducted trainings for local staff along with presentations on Best Practices at a National Conferences. I am excited to serve the Early Childhood Education field in a different capacity, and look forward to working with you!  

The mission of Caregiver Connections is to “support child care providers, families and communities to build capacity in nurturing positive relationships, healthy social-emotional development and resiliency for all young children.” We provide child- or program-focused infant/early childhood mental health consultation for children 0-5; these are designed to strengthen the capacity of child care providers and families to effectively meet the social emotional needs of young children. This is done through observation and collaboration with providers, early childhood educators and families. Caregiver Connections also provides professional development opportunities and trainings on a variety of topics, including: trauma, culture and diversity, child development, and the importance of healthy relationships/attachment.   

Randi should be contracted through: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NQX55WV-FY2023CaregiverConnectionsConsultantSurveyPreservice

Our Offices are Open!

Child Care Resource Service is to the public.  Walk-in hours are as follows:

• Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri,  8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Tues 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

We ask that all visitors wear a mask when entering the CCRS offices. If you are feeling unwell, please stay home and call us rather than coming in.

Walk-in staff will be available to take and print forms and to answer basic case information such as payment entry dates, case approval and information needed.  For all other questions, you should continue to call the public phone line (217-333-3252, Option #2) to talk to a resource specialist.  Walk-in staff does not have access to all case information.

If you are only dropping off information, paperwork, billings, etc., we suggest you continue to use the drop box located at the front doors of Bevier Hall.