Program Expectations

Family Child Care providers who would like to partner with us must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Education Requirements
  • Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or
  • WA State Early Childhood Education Initial Certificate or 
  • AA Degree in Early Childhood Education 
• Reserve 3 slots for eligible EHS/HS?ECEAP children 
• Offer a non-religious program
• Participate in USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
• Participate in Early Achievers 
• In good standing with DCYF Childcare Licensing 

• Continuous Liability Insurance 

As a contracted PSESD Family Child Care provider, these items are purchased by the PSESD and required to be implemented in your program. 

Curriculums

1. Creative Curriculum- 
2. Second Step Curriculum- Second Step Early Learning includes a variety of activities that help your students learn and build social-emotional skills.  
3. Cavity Free Kids- A web based oral health education for young children – from birth through age 5 – and their families. It is designed for use in Head Start and Early Head Start, childcare, preschool, home visiting, and other programs. Cavity Free Kids includes a rich collection of lessons, activities, stories, songs and other resources that actively engage young children in fun-filled, play-based learning and help parents practice good oral health habits at home. 

Assessment and Screenings

1. Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG) or Creative Curriculum- An assessment tool that’s an authentic part of instruction, not a disruption. Embedded in your everyday interactions with children in the classroom or at home, formative assessment is an effortless, organic part of your teaching day. You can easily capture, organize, and store notes, photos, videos, and digital samples of children’s work in the moment to make observations authentic, objective, and easy to remember. 
2. Ages & Stages Questionnaire-3 & ASQ- Social Emotional (SE) - A developmental screening tool that pinpoints developmental progress in children between the ages of one month to 5 ½ years. Its success lies in its parent-centric approach and inherent ease-of-use—a combination that has made it the most widely used developmental screener across the globe. 

As a contracted Family Child Care provider, you are paid based on completion of deliverables. Below are some of the required deliverables.  

Weekly: 

• Attendance Records

Monthly: 

• Daily Schedule, planned out for the week 
• 4 Observations per child documented in online system
• Attend monthly provider meeting  
• Monthly Menus 

Quarterly: 

• Teaching Strategies Gold Checkpoints 
• Teacher/Parent Conferences 
• Individual School Readiness Goals for each enrolled child

Annually: 

• Provide documentation of liability insurance 
• Continuous enrollment in a USDA food Program. 
• Adhere to all program requirements in the Early Learning Program Manual.  
• Annual online trainings 
• Site Readiness and Safety Checklist 
• Safe Arrival, Departure and Transportation Self-Assessment(SAD-T) 

What to expect when partnering with PSESD: 

• Bimonthly visits from our FCC Senior Coordinator to support implementation of performance standards and program goals. 
• Monthly Provider meetings to connect with other FCC programs and support your professional learning. 
• Support purchasing materials performance standards require that childcare licensing doesn't require. 
• Community of Family Childcare Providers
• Support from coaches and consultants in the following content areas: 
  • Health, Nutrition, Safety
  • Registered Dietician 
  • Mental Health
  • Disabilities 
  • Dual Language Learners
  • Family Engagement

Your EHS/HS/ECEAP families can expect:  

Our program is here to support the needs and goals of your enrolled families. 

• Community connections and referrals to resources are provided.  
• Individualized family goals are set by you and supported by our Family Educator 
• Parent leadership and engagement opportunities are offered within the program, including:  
  • Policy Council  
  • Peer Teachbacks 
  • Parent Committee: The Parent Center Committee is an opportunity for parents to plan activities that enhance their own adult development and learning and that support their children’s school readiness. Parents share in decision-making, are responsible for determining how Parent Funds for their group will be used, and for documenting expenditures. 
  • Quarterly Family Events  

We believe that each child and family’s physical and mental well-being are critical to school readiness and success in life. 

• Nutrition and health consultations are available, as well as support in accessing ongoing health and dental care for your child and family. 
• Vision and hearing screenings are offered upon enrollment and annually for your child. 
• Mental health consultation and services are also available to support your child’s healthy social-emotional development. 
• We provide developmental screenings to identify your child’s strengths and any areas in which your child might need additional support.