BAS Training Opportunities

BAS Reliability Training –
When the goal is research, evaluation, or monitoring quality

Family child care program assessments used for quality rating and improvement systems, program evaluations, or pre/post intervention studies depend on valid and reliable data collection methodologies. The BAS Reliability Training provides an in-depth analysis of the items and quality indicators in the Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care. This training is designed for individuals who want to ensure that the BAS assessments are valid, reliable, and administered consistently across programs.

Audience: Researchers, program evaluators, technical assistance specialists, consultants

Fee: $750, includes texts, materials, and meals

Content: An overview of the BAS, including its intended uses, reliability and validity, and scoring rules; understanding the meaning and intent of indicator-level benchmarks of quality; interview protocol for collecting data; verifying documentation; establishing and maintaining reliability

Format: Intensive seminar; maximum 18 participants

For individuals interested in becoming an assessor, The BAS Reliability Training is also offered twice a year at the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership. The McCormick Center is located 10 miles from Chicago O'Hare International Airport. View map and directions.

More Than a Nurturing Heart –
When the goal is expanding provider awareness of the importance
of assessing quality from a business and professional perspective

A nurturing heart is an essential part of family child care, but quality care is hard to sustain without sound business and professional practices in place. This session provides an overview of the Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS). Participants will learn best practices in 10 topic areas: qualifications and professional development, income and benefits, work environment, fiscal management, recordkeeping, risk management, provider-parent communication, community resources, marketing and public relations, and provider as employer.

Audience: Family child care providers, managers, technical assistance specialists, college instructors, researchers, policymakers

Scope: One to two hours

Content: A rationale for viewing quality from a broader perspective; the importance of assessing business and professional practices; an overview of the content and scoring of the BAS; using the BAS to improve the quality of family child care programs

Format: Theater style; maximum 200 participants

Catching on to the BAS –
When the goal is program self-improvement

The Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care reflects the growing professional consensus that the quality of family child care is determined by more than a provider's nurturing heart and caring interactions with children. Research on family child care indicates that providers that utilize effective professional and business practices are more likely to view family child care as a career. They are also more likely to provide a higher quality learning environment and interact more sensitively with children. Catching on to the BAS looks at best business and professional practices in family child care. Using the BAS as a guide, participants learn a systematic process for collecting data about their programs and how that information can be turned into an action plan for program improvement.

Audience: Family child care providers, network coordinators, technical assistance specialists, consultants, coaches, college instructors, researchers, and policymakers

Scope: One or two days

Content: Viewing quality from a broader perspective; content and scoring of BAS items; common mistakes in interpreting quality indicators; using the BAS to benchmark and improve quality; developing an action plan for program improvement; exploring BAS items in-depth

Format: Interactive workshop; maximum 100 participants

Promoting Excellence in Family Child Care –
When the goal is quality facilitation

Technical assistance specialists, mentors, consultants, and other quality facilitators play a vital role in supporting family child care providers. This training is designed to create a cadre of experienced program consultants who can provide technical assistance and coaching to family child care providers interested in improving their business and professional practices. Participants will receive in-depth training on how to use the BAS to help providers of family child care programs measure, monitor, and improve business practices. In this training, participants learn key coaching strategies they can use to support providers in their efforts to achieve excellence.

Audience: Technical assistance specialists, mentors, consultants

Scope: Two days

Content: Overview of BAS content and scoring protocol; characteristics of effective coaches; establishing rapport and aligning goals; coaching strategies that promote professional competence; tailoring support to meet providers' individual needs; using assessment data to help providers create an action plan

Format: Interactive workshop; maximum 50 participants

Getting Ready for the BAS – Illinois Only

This training is designed for family child care providers in Illinois who are interested in applying for Star Level 3 or 4 of Quality Counts, the Illinois Quality Rating System. The BAS is designed to measure the quality of business and professional practices of home-based early childhood programs. After completing this 3-hour training, providers will have a basic knowledge of the BAS, be able to use the tool for program self-improvement, and know how to prepare for the Quality Counts BAS assessment.

This training is hosted by the CCR&R agencies in different locations of the state and conducted by faculty and staff of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership. Contact your local CCR&R to register or download a statewide training calendar.