Families And Child Care Providers Benefit From Professional Associations As Well As Regulation
Regulated family or "in-home" child care providers offer high quality care by meeting requirements for specific number of children to staff ratios, on-going training, safety procedures, building codes, and many other rules, including regular inspections by state or county officials. Parents appreciate the value of child care with a small group of children in a home environment in which their child has the opportunity to attach to one loving provider. When looking for family child care, we encourage parents to choose a provider that is county certified, city accredited or state licensed. The cost of regulated family child care can be higher, but the benefit to children is worth it.
Caring for children from several families requires more than knowledge gained in caring for one's own children. It is a demanding profession, and, like many others, is benefitted by on-going training and experience. Membership in a child care association that provides support to the caregiver is an important indication of quality and merit for a child care provider. Like other professions, family child care professionals benefit from participating in associations that support the provider. The Verona Family Child Care Association (VFCCA) provides mentoring to new providers and support to all members. Many child care providers within VFCCA, have careers that span decades, many have attained advanced credentials such as the Infant/Toddler Credential, Pre-School Teacher Credential or Administrator Credential offered through the Registry, Wisconsin's recognition system for the childhood care and education profession. New members enjoy access to knowledge provided by more experienced veteran members and the opportunity to learn about their profession as a career, discover workable methods and best practice, all of which promote job satisfaction, quality and longevity. Professional child care providers who receive training and support describe their work as "gratifying, energizing, inspiring and meaningful.".
The Verona Family Child Care Association is a professional association providing training, training scholarships, and support to its members for over 15 years. All child-care providers are welcome and are encouraged to join even if your residence is not in the city of Verona. Monthly training events and social gatherings are planned for providers each month throughout the year. On the agenda for this fall is a training on Montessori methods, a progressive dinner and Christmas party.