Management Institutes

The Center annually offers a series of management Institutes on timely and important topics facing administrators of early childhood programs. This year our fall management institute is titled the Family-Friendly Director. In the winter wel will be offering a family child care institute focusing on indoor and outdoor environments. Detailed information including how to register is included below. You can also view a list of past management institutes.

Family Child Care Institute: Indoor and Outdoor Environments
February 28 and May 16, 2009

Meeting the needs of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children is one of the biggest challenges faced by family child care providers. This institute will help practitioners create indoor and outdoor environments that align with critera in the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale-Revised (FCCERS-R) and family child care accreditation. Participants will learn how the environment affects every facet of the program from morning arrival until evening departure. The essentials of design and space utilization, as well as health and safety considerations, will be covered.

Presented in collaboration with the Illinois Association for Family Child Care (IAFCC) and funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), this institute provides the tools you need to develop a program improvement plan for your family child care program.

What You Will Learn

• How the environment affects children's social and emotional development
• How to design space that promotes independence, exploration, and discovery learning
• How equipment and materials can be adapted for different age levels
• How to create challenging yet safe outdoor space that promotes physical development
• How to arrange space to accommodate individual as well as small-group activities

Presenters

The guest presenter for this institue is Shirely Flath. Ms. Flath is a consultant, ERS trainer, CDA advisor, college instructor, writer, and accreditation mentor. She was instrumental in the development of the Missouri Youth Development Credential System. Liliam Perez and Migdalia Young from the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership will lead the Spanish-version of the Indoor Environments session.

Dates and Locations

The institute will be conducted over two days. The first day will focus on indoor environments and will be held at the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership on National-Louis University's Wheeling, Illinois campus. The second day will focus on outdoor environments and will be held in conjunction with the Center's Leadership Connections cenference at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling.

• Indoor Environments (presented in both English and Spanish)
  Saturday, February 28, 2009
  8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.CST
  McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
  6310 Capitol Drive, Wheeling, IL
• Outdoor Environments
  Saturday, May 16, 2009
  8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CST
  Westin Chicago North Shore
  601 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, IL

Fees and Accommodations

The registration fee for this institute is $75 per day or $120 for the two days, and is due by February 15, 2009. Priority will be given to individuals registering for both days. The registration fee includes texts, handouts, and meals (breakfast and lunch). Payment is due upon enrollment and cannot be refunded after February 15.

Participants are expected to cover their own travel and hotel expenses. Accommodations are available at the Candlewood Suites for the February session and at the Westin Chicago North Shore for the session in May. When making reservations, be sure to mention you are attending a training event sponsored by the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership to receive a discounted rate.

Participants can earn two semester hours of graduate credit (ECE544, Early Childhood Environments) by paying an additional fee of $608, attending both sessions, completing a project, and engaging in an online discussion about early childhood environments.

Scholarships

Contact your local child care resource and referral agency for professional development funds that may help pay part of the institute fees and college credit. You may also be eligible for Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship funds to cover a portion of the cost of tuition for the college credit option. For more information, go to www.inccrra.org or call (866) 697-8278.

To register, download a brochure and complete the registration form. For questions about the institute, contact Debra Trude-Suter at (800) 443-5522, ext. 5056 or debra.trudesuter@nl.edu.

Past Management Institutes

We welcome your suggestions for future institute topics. To suggest a topic, contact Debra Trude-Suter, Director of Training at (800) 443-5522, ext. 5056 or debra.trudesuter@nl.edu.

• The Family-Friendly Director (October 2008)
• Family Child Care: Program Quality Evaluation (Feb/May 2008)
• Your Role in Building Financially Fit Families and Staff (October 2007)
• Family Child Care: Program Quality Evaluation (Feb/May 2007)
• Board Development: A Key to Your Program's Strategic Planning Success (October 2006)
• Family Child Care: Best Business Practices (Feb/May 2006)
• Marketing Strategies for Early Childhood Programs (Sept/Oct 2005)
• Strategies for Including Children with Disabilities (February 2005)
• Documenting Children's Learning (October 2004)
• Grantwriting and Fundraising (March 2004)
• Reggio Emilia Approach (September 2003)
• The Family-Friendly Director (March 2003)
• Outdoor Play Environments (September 2002)
• Administration of Infant/Toddler Programs (March 2002)
• School-Age Child Care (August 2001)