By Teri Banas

MUSKEGON –As Debra McCain practiced CPR techniques on a child-size mannequin in a Great Start to Quality Orientation class in May, her thoughts were never far from the heartbreaking events of Mother’s Day that month.

On that day, two 6-year-old Muskegon Heights youths drowned in an abandoned swimming pool after picking flowers for their mothers.

“I kept thinking in a situation like that I’d want somebody stronger than me to be there. But what if there’s not?”

Then the role of lifesaver would fall to her.

“So I took it (the class) very, very seriously,” said the 51-year-old grandmother who serves as a relative child care provider for her grandson. “We really never know what we’re going to need to do.”

In the class – a free, a six-hour health and safety course mandated by the state this year for all relative and aide child care providers – McCain learned about CPR, American Heart Association first aid and more.

And now McCain, who has 20 grandchildren in all, feels confident she could help if the need arose.

“I don’t want to be that kind of person who just stands there,” she said. “I’d want to be there and say, yes, I really want to save this person’s life.”

The training – called Great Start to Quality Orientation - is provided through the Early Childhood Investment Corporation’s (ECIC) Great Start Regional Child Care Resource Centers.

The ECIC, founded in 2005, is the state's focal point for information and investment in early childhood in Michigan. As part of ECIC’s efforts to implement a comprehensive early childhood system for Michigan, it aims to improve the quality of child care in Michigan through the Great Start Child Care Quality Program.

McCain helps care for her daughter Lataysha’s 12-year-old son, Taishon, so that Lataysha can work as an on-call aide in local adult foster care homes.

For her child care work, McCain receives a modest stipend - $1.60 an hour – from the state Department of Human Services (DHS) Child Development and Care Program, which helps low-income parents like Lataysha who are working or going to school with the cost of child care. (In some cases, state child care subsidies go directly to providers, in other cases they go to parents. In all cases, parents choose their provider.)

All relative and aide providers enrolled with DHS prior to March 7 must complete health and safety training by Sept. 17 in order to remain qualified. Those who enroll after March 7 must complete the mandatory training before they can receive subsidy.

According to Lisa Brewer Walraven, director of DHS’ Office of Early Education and Care, upgrading providers’ skills is critical for children.

“By taking this first step to create a professional development pathway for providers, we are making sure that every child in Michigan is exposed to opportunities that ensure their success in the future."

Research shows that children who receive quality child care as preschoolers are better prepared for school, which ultimately leads to fewer drop-outs, fewer students held back a grade, fewer special education referrals and better overall academic success, Walraven says.

Joyce Bos, program director for Pathways, Inc. and project director for the Great Start Regional Child Care Resource Center Western Region office in Holland, says the orientation course offers providers a good first-step to professional development courses that will increase skills and knowledge. The class also helps providers view themselves as the professionals they are, she said.

“Many times they underestimate the value of their role as a provider - whether grandma, aunt, uncle - and do not understand the critical role they play in the life of a child. The role they play as a provider is about life-long learning.”

Besides learning how to respond in an emergency, the course instructs participants in proper nutrition, taking safety precautions around the house, even proper ways to sanitize toys.

One of the most significant lessons deals with caring for inconsolable crying that can lead to frustration and what’s known as Shaken Baby Syndrome, which can be deadly.

Providers learn that sometimes crying simply isn’t consolable. To acknowledge and understand that helps relieve stress in a situation and prevent potential injury. Providers also learn how to soothe babies.

McCain took the class with her sister and admits that while the topics were serious, they also had a lot of fun in the session. When her own four children were young, McCain said she and her sisters took turns helping each other out. “Today, we have a lot of young mothers, young parents (who don’t have as much help). There has to be a lot of seriousness to how you watch them (the children),” she said.

In the 10-county Great Start Regional Child Care Resource Center Western Region – which includes Mason, Lake, Osceola, Oceana, Newaygo, Mecosta, Muskegon, Montcalm, Ottawa and Kent counties – there are 3,089 active providers. Thirty-one percent of the state’s 22,353 providers have completed the mandatory training.

The Great Start to Quality Orientation is available free of charge. To sign up for training, call (800) 396-0241 or visit www.greatstartconnect.org.

Providers may also sign up for optional “Tier 2” training covering such things as child development, learning through play and managing child behavior. By completing 10 hours of Tier 2 training, providers can earn up to $585 more per year.