Iowa State University Extension

Problem:
Family life staff in NW Iowa have been working with home providers and childcare center staff to improve the quality of care of children in NW Iowa. This past year a variety of programs have been conducted to help providers learn how to evaluate and made plans that will help strengthen their programs.

Response:
Extension family life field staff conducted an Early Child Care Environment Rating Scale training ECERS for day care center directors in Dickinson County . Center directors worked on self assessments and on individual program improvement

Impact:
One of the directors attending the series has been very engaged in working with Extension and the community to strengthen her newly opened program. Steps she has taken in the past year include: Participated in the New Staff Orientation as an effort to train all her staff in an uniform manner. Opened her center up for Extension to come in and do inter-rater reliability training and take pictures for the stakeholders report. Attended the four session workshop ,worked through a self assessment of her program and reported to have made the following changes to the newly opened day care center that serves approximately 70 families: • Seeing the need for more infant cribs, the director was able to purchase with the help of the Dickinson County Endowment Fund, 4 new evacuation cribs for the infant room. • Rearranged furniture for better utilization of space and more child friendly play areas. • Hung pictures at children's eye level in the rooms. • Displayed more children's art work in rooms • Purchased more story books • Secured funds from the locate Rotary to make improvements on the playground next summer which include: new age appropriate equipment, separate areas for various age groups, and better surfacing material. Quote from the director: “I took the ECERS class as a way to go through the evaluation process and learn how to make improves that will make the program stronger.”

Contact:
Rhonda Rosenboom
O'Brien County Extension
Box 99
Primghar, IA 51245
712-957-5045
rrosenb@iastate.edu