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April 2009

NACCRRA will launch a new Website dedicated to

prospective child care providers. The site will provide

interested individuals with the tools and resources needed

to pursue a career in child care. Specifically, it will offer

individuals a step-by-step guide on how to prepare a

business plan; information on how to effectively manage

a child care operation; information on required and

recommended pre-service trainings and ongoing trainings;

and suggestions on developmental and age-appropriate

activities and experiences for children in child care to promote healthy learning

and development.

The Website will launch in June of this year and will be hosted under the

Child Care Aware® Website. As a result, the current Child Care Aware®

Website will be undergoing some minor changes to accommodate the new

site. For more information about the new Website, please contact the Provider

Services Department. Also, be on the lookout for additional information in the

coming months.

NACCRRA to Launch New Child Care Provider Website

NACCRRA

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Departmental News and Highlights40 hour pre-service training initiative

The Provider Services Department is breaking ground on the 40 Hour Pre-service Training for child care providers. It is NACCRRA’s goal to establish a minimum standard for pre-service training for all child care providers caring for at least one unrelated child on a regular basis and for a fee. The introduction of a standard of minimum training will help entry-level providers embark on a career ladder, advance professional skills, achieve better wages and treat child care as the vitally important profession that it is.

This initiative will have two phases:

Phase I: Curriculum Development Includes components that are standard and »specific to family child care providers and child care center providers

Supports the content areas of the Child »Development Associate (CDA) Credential as a means of promoting continuing professional development for child care providers

Trainings will be available through NACCRRA’s e-Learning Solution at a cost affordable to potential child care workers, while providing a sustainable funding source for provision of the training.

Phase II: Implementation NACCRRA will design a grassroots advocacy »campaign in support of the training requirement as a national standard, a pilot incentive program and a national public awareness campaign

NACCRRA will create a grassroots campaign »to train state and local CCR&R staff, providers and parents on how to effectively educate key policymakers on the need for minimum training requirements for child care providers

Human Resources Updates

NACCRRA Welcomes New Employees

Arlean Thompson, EFMP Coordinator

Bea Underwood, Executive Assistant

Blanca Siles, Child Care Coordinator

Nancy Caracas, Child Care Coordinator

Nedelka Phillips, Director of Strategic Marketing

Peter Shadzik, Respite Care Report Specialist

Sobia Nawaz, Instructional Designer

Karen Platt, Quality Improvement Manager

Jacqueline Thomas, Assistant Chief of Subsidy

Susana Quintero, Payment Coordinator

Randy Doughty, Child Care Coordinator

Michael Agosta, Senior Research Analyst

Christina Page, Child Care Coordinator

Marcy Michael, Director of Corporate Partnerships

Bianca Williams, Child Care Coordinator

MIchelle Thomas, Director of State Government Relations

Stephany Fludd, Child Care Coordinator

Happy Birthday!

Don Valentine 4/18 Alicia Phaison 4/28

Jamallah Drayton 4/30 Linda Brown 4/5

Rose Beckner 4/11

Happy Belated Birthday!

Ollie Smith 3/31 Tamiya Andrews 3/13

Teneisha Spady 3/18 Bryan Pendleton 3/7

Janae Minor 3/3 Melissa Sullivan 3/28

Michelle Miller 3/18 Brenda Moore 2/3

Mujaahida Latiff 2/8 Mary Higgins 2/9

Marlana Kelly 2/21 Venita Liverpool 2/22

Congratulations to the Following for Their Dedicated Years of Service

Rahath Sultana 3/17, 1 yr Alicia Phaison 3/24, 1 yr

Gail Upton 2/4, 1 yr Sonia Robbins 2/18, 1 yr

Tamiya Andrews 2/26, 2 yrs Tiaira Richardson 2/27, 1 yr

Sharonne Byrd 4/6, 11 yrs Gloria J. Foster 4/18, 9 yrs

Vonciel Little 4/14, 6 yrs Shelby Ferguson 4/3, 3 yrs

Shahzad Ali 4/30, 2 yrs Cassandra Piper 4/1, 1 yr

Jamallah Drayton 4/7, 1 yr Sharnette Houston 4/7, 1 yr

Bryan Pendelton 4/17, 1 yr

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Please refer to AP rules when drafting reports and external documents. For specific questions regarding AP rules, email kendra.beasley@naccrra.org.

10 Tips for Getting Your Written Documents Approved

Know your audience and write to them—think about 1. what they know and what they want to know.

Be clear about what you are asking for, 2. recommending and why? (e.g., Why are you writing the paper? State the purpose early. Remember the famous who, what, why, when and how? Use them).

Cut out the words – think about every word you 3. use and why you use it. Don’t feel like you have to use adjectives. Too many adjectives cause the reader to get lost.

Make sure you have clear subjects, verbs 4. and predicates.

Avoid jargon and overused words. Their meaning 5. is lost on the audience. Words such as “empower” or “collaborate” have been used so much they lack meaning. Colloquialisms don’t work at NACCRRA. Avoid being “cutesy” — we are a professional organization and we need to project that.

Try to keep your papers to one page – two at most. 6. LESS IS BETTER! Don’t try to get to one or two

Communications Reminder:

Department Spotlight: Provider Services

NACCRRA’s Provider Services Department develops resources and trainings for child care providers and CCR&R trainers to improve the knowledge, practice and quality of the child care workforce.

The team is currently working on the development of the 40 Hour Pre-service Training initiative, Provider Appreciation Day, the Provider Services Quality Assurance pilot and Web pages for child care providers (accessible through the Child Care Aware® website).

Rose BecknerSenior Associate Director of Provider Services

Ext. 118

Beverly Houston

Provider Services Manager

Ext. 135

pages by moving the margins – it just looks tacky and everyone knows what you are doing. Instead, cut the words.

Do readability exercises on your work every so 7. often. To improve readability, use the first person/ active voice when possible. It is the most “readable.” Passive voice is a real snoozer.

Set the stage — put your paper in context. 8. (e.g., “Imperative #1 of our strategic plan requires” or “The Army requested . . . ”)

We are about “child care” – not early care and 9. education. Don’t try to “gussy up” or disguise what we do. We actually want the public to think about child care.

The bottom line is if you can’t think, you can’t write. 10. So, think about what you are trying to accomplish before you put words on paper. If you have a goal in mind when you start, the outcomes will be clear.

Peer Recognition Awards This award allows employees to recognize colleagues for significant contributions to the organization. Peers may nominate each other for exemplary performance, dedication, display of camaraderie, and/or team spirit. Send your submissions by the 20th of each month.

January Winner: Betty Underwood, Exceptional Family Program Manager

March Winner: Megan Miller-Johns, Quality Control and Training Specialist

4© 2009 NACCRRA Vol. 2, No. 1.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Ingredients

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup butter, softened

3 tbsp mayonnaise 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp dried Basil 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp onion powder 1/8 tsp celery salt

2 pounds tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven’s broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com.

Recipe

Events Calendar>> April 17-29, 2009 Big Band Jam! (Various Locations Throughout the DC Metro Area)

The 2009 Big Band Jam! is a 12-day jazz festival that features performances by various jazz groups from area high schools, universities and military ensembles. Performances will take place at a variety of venues in Washington, DC., including the Sylvan Theater, Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress. For more information, please visit www.bigbandjam.org/.

>> April 18-May 10, 2009 DC Design House 2009 (Washington, D.C.)

DC Design House is an annual project that brings together Washington, DC’s top interior designers to transform and showcase a house using the best in today’s home renovation and design ideas. The 2009 DC Design House is the rectory of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Georgetown Parish located at 3238 O Street, NW, Washington DC. For more information, visit www.dcdesignhouse.com.

>> April 25, 2009, MS Walk (Various Locations Throughout the DC Metro Area)

This walk, sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, is a fun, family oriented event, taking place in six different neighborhoods in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. You can participate in Washington, DC, Manassas, Reston, Potomac, Oxon Hill or Bowie. For more information, visit www.walkms.org.

>> April 28, 2009 Staff Meeting (Large Conference Room)

>> April 30 – May 1, 2009 Symposium Planning Committee Meeting (Large Conference Room)