1. What is quality first??

2. What is quality first?
Arizona’s quality improvement and rating system.
Identify quality standards
Assess early care and education programs
Support programs in increasing quality standards
Empower families

3. Components of quality fIrst
COACHING
Individualized guidance and support
Monthly on-site visits
Targeted training and technical assistance
Support of goal development & implementation
ASSESSMENT
Environment Rating Scales (ITERS, ECERS, FCCERS)
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
Quality First Points Scale
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
Incentives to purchase materials/furnishings
Quality First Scholarships
DHS licensing fee assistance
SPECIALIZED ASSISSTANCE
CCHC
Mental Health Consultation
Inclusion of Children with Special Needs
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Early Childhood College Scholarships
Components of quality fIrst

4. Current participation
960 providers
775 Centers
185 Family Child Care
Statewide
Variety of program types

6. Star Rating SCALE

7. introductions
The 3-5 topics we will cover
Child Care Health Consultation Deanna Matthews, CCHC Program Specialist

8. What is a Child Care Health Consultant?
A Child Care Health Consultant is a professional who has knowledge about the health and safety of children and about early childhood settings. The CCHC is specially trained to work directly with child care providers in family care homes, centers, and other group care settings.
Public Awareness is part of law that created FTF. Along with the work we do in children’s health, family support and early learning; by law, we are required to increase public information on the importance of early childhood development and health.
When we talk about a Strategic Communications Plan – it’s different than a marketing or advocacy campaign. Those campaigns focus on getting a narrowly-defined audience to take short-term action. Our Strategic Communications effort is focused on changing what diverse people VALUE and giving them multiple opportunities over time to act on that commitment.
Our goal is to ensure that early childhood –that children have what they need to start school healthy and ready to succeed – is something that everyone VALUES, in the same way that we value education, or independence, or freedom.
Why would the framers of the initiative build public awareness in to our work?
1. To ensure the long-term viability of this effort -- EC has to be something that people fundamentally VALUE and FOR THEIR OWN REASONS, not necessarily for the reasons that you or I may value early childhood, since we actually work in the field.
2. People make decisions every day that affect young children and their families. I’m not just talking about parents, caregivers or service providers. I am also talking about policy makers, elected officials and business leaders. Without this critical awareness, their decisions may not be in the best interest of our youngest citizens.
Finally, when early childhood becomes something that our society values, we are more likely to put the resources and energy towards that value that it requires. The work we do in public awareness ensures that early childhood will be on everyone’s short list of must-haves; not just a nice-to-have.

9. CCHC’s
Since 1987 CCHC’s have been working side by side with the ECE community to support their efforts in providing a healthy and safe environment for the children, staff, and families they care for every day.

10. Who Can Be a CCHC ?
In Arizona a CCHC is a nurse, health educator , or other health professional who has completed specialized training. (

11. CCHC Training
The AZ CCHC’s complete the Child Care Health Consultation training adapted from the nationally approved curriculum developed at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
NTI:
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau has declined funding a national Child Care Health Consultant (CCHC) Training program beyond June 30, 2013.

12. Training
Following a train the trainer model all CCHC’s in Arizona complete the CCHC training prior to working with Early Care providers. Currently Arizona has CCHC’s 6-active CCHC trainers.

13. After CCHC Training
The CCHC then participates in the following professional development activities:
Assigned a Mentor CCHC
Attend CCHC Professional development meetings held quarterly
Program fidelity monitoring and visits conducted by the Administrative Home

14. CCHC and FTF
First Things First Statewide Child Care Health Consultation Program
CCHC is in all 28 regions providing services to all Quality First providers
CCHC service only sites are funded.

15. What Does a CCHC Do?
The role of the Child Care Health Consultant is to deliver information, conduct training, and provider other direct or referral services related to health and safety.

16. Child Care Health Consultants
CCHC’s provide services:
over the telephone
by visiting child care programs
through training child care staff or parents. (

17. What Topics Might a CCHC Address?
A CCHC addresses:
Site Assessments
Immunizations
Nutrition
Safety and Injury Prevention
Recognition and Reporting of Child Abuse
Outbreaks

18. CCHC Continued… Communicable Disease Health Promotion for Staff
Health Issues for Families
Quality in Child Care
Environmental Health
Medication Management

19. Health
Child Care Health Consultation is a preventative health strategy based on a train the trainer model to provide health and safety information to those who care for children in out of home care environments. (

20. CCHC Standards Caring for Our Children 3rd Ed.(
Caring for Our Children 3rd Ed.
The CCHC standards are research based, best practice standards for health and safety to improve care for children in early education and child care programs.

21. CFOC 3rd Ed. CFOC 3rd Ed. & CCHC’s CFOC 3rd Ed.
CFOC standards are higher standards than licensing requires
CCHC’s use CFOC standards
CCHC’s help ensure safe and health practices and environment
Definitive source on best practice in health and safety in early care and education settings
Evidence-based
Expert consensus
Model for health and safety practices

22. CFOC 3rd Ed. Partners
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) • American Public Health Association (APHA) •National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (at University of Colorado (NRC) • Funded through Maternal and Child Health Bureau Cooperative Agreement (MCHB)

23. Impacts of a CCHC
Child Care Health Consultants impact the health and safety of the staff, children and the families in their community.
CCHC’s have the opportunity to impact the health and safety of the birth to five population in their community. (

24. Impact of CCHCs
Policy: Positive impact on standard-based health & safety policies
Practice: Effective in promoting specific health practices in child care programs
Regular Source of Care: Contributes to increased # of children with up-to-date immunizations & regular source of medical care

25. Continued…
Specialty Consultation: Contributes in specialty areas, nutrition & physical activity, & oral health
Process of Consultation: Collaborative relationship between director and CCHC facilitates effective consultation (

26. Evidence Based
CCHC’s role in child care facilities adds to high quality care, which adds to school readiness. Child care health consultation (CCHC) is an evidenced based program that supports the effectiveness in improving the health, safety and quality of child care environments for young children.

27. THANK YOU Please feel free to contact me for additional questions or information. Deanna Matthews Child Care Health Consultant Specialist Direct Mobile