By Teri Banas

LANSING – Thanks to a unique, year-long training program, more than 30,000 additional children across Michigan are now in the care of an adult educated in basic health and safety techniques, according to the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC).

To date, 18,985 people have completed the Great Start to Quality Orientation Training course, required this year for “relative and aide” child care providers who receive state subsidies through the Department of Human Services.

Approximately 13 percent, or 2,922 providers, have not completed training and have been dropped from the DHS subsidy program.

Child care advocates say the training - which covered CPR, first aid and more – goes a long way toward improving the quality of care for Michigan’s most vulnerable children.

“We won’t stop until each provider receives training, but this is a significant milestone,” said Judy Samelson, CEO of the Early Childhood Investment Corporation.

ECIC and its nine Great Start Regional Child Care Resource Centers across Michigan were charged by the state with providing the training.

It was a gargantuan task. In total, 1,340 separate training courses were offered from March through September this year across the state. The training days ranged from “stadium style” sessions in the Detroit metro area for hundreds of providers to one-on-one personalized classes for providers in rural northern Michigan.

Quality care is training focus

“This achievement represents months of intensive work by many child care educators and the Great Start Regional Child Care Resource Centers across the state,” said Samelson. “For months we have been keenly focused on one vital purpose – to improve the quality of care youngsters received outside the home.”

While Michigan has required licensed child care providers to master life-saving skills, this was the first time that subsidized, unlicensed providers – many of whom are grandparents, family members and neighbors of low-income parents – were required to.

The new training’s emphasis on home-based unregulated providers is significant because the vast majority of children in child care in Michigan are in unlicensed, private homes.

Providers give training program thumbs up

Despite initial skepticism, the program found favor with many providers, who said it gave them important information, but also bolstered their confidence in working with young children.

Retired nurse Naomi Davis, 69, of Royal Oak was among the early skeptics. With eight grandchildren and another eight great-grandchildren, she wondered, “What the heck could they teach me?”

After taking the course, Davis, who cares for twin grandsons and a toddler, said she loved the experience.
“As a care provider for children, I think everyone should go through this,” she said.

Karen Roback, director of the Great Start Child Care Quality Program (GSCCQP), said she’s heard similar sentiments from other providers.

“We’ve heard providers say (training) personally changed their lives and the way they think about what they do with children in their care. It went beyond first aid and CPR training. It opened a whole new group of providers to the potential they have to shape the learning and development of children in their care.”

Lisa Brewer-Walraven, director of the state’s Office of Early Education, agreed, saying most providers were ultimately “excited and proud” about training.

“This training has awakened providers in terms of the knowledge they are gaining and the connections they are making with other providers and professionals in the field,” she said.

Life-saving stories emerge

In recent months, several providers have even reported using their new skills to help children in their care and others during medical emergencies.

Shortly after he took the class, Herbert Singleton, 61-year-old retired factory supervisor from Benton Harbor, saved his young grandson from choking on a peppermint. He called the training “the best thing since lemonade in hot weather.”
“I wasn’t that excited about going. But my goodness, I could be at church, at the mall, on the highway, and I could help someone,” he said.

Glenn Cobb, 62, of Battle Creek, a relative provider for two preschool-age grandchildren, saved his mother’s life just 10 days after going through the training.

Imogene Cobb, 84, had collapsed from a massive heart attack when her son called for emergency help and performed CPR. The incident took place just as the Cobbs were entering Mrs. Cobb’s doctors’ offices for a scheduled health check this summer.

Ella Fabel-Ryder, project director of the Great Start Regional Child Care Resource Center's Southwest Region office in Portage, said such stories are heartening to hear. But many providers have also used the information to change nutritional habits and improve health outcomes for children and to learn new information about “safe sleep” practices. The “back to sleep” movement today espouses the importance of infants sleeping on their backs, a position that helps prevent SIDS-like deaths.

“This training has provided opportunities for people to change and improve the care that they have been providing. There is nothing better than that,” Fabel-Ryder said.

Training ongoing for new providers

Roback said training continues for new providers entering the DHS system. Anyone who enrolled in the Child Development and Care Program on or after March 7, 2010 is required to complete the training before they are authorized for DHS payment.

After completing safety training, roughly 4,400 providers voluntarily took more advanced “Tier 2” courses in child care and development. Those who finish 10 annual hours of Tier 2 training receive an additional 25-35 cents per hour for each child in their care.

ECIC, founded in 2005, is the state's focal point for information and investment in early childhood in Michigan. The Great Start Child Care Quality Program is an integral part of ECIC’s efforts to implement a comprehensive early childhood system for Michigan.