IMPROVED CHILD CARE TRAINING WEBSITE STREAMLINES TRAINING INFORMATION FOR CHILD CARE PROGRAMS
The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) today announced the launch of a new website that better informs current and prospective child care programs about required training. The Child Care Training and Professional Development site, developed in partnership with the Professional Development Program (PDP) at UAlbany’s Rockefeller College, streamlines available services to help programs enhance the quality of care they offer and further their careers.
The easy-to-follow, expandable, drop-down sections, each titled by frequently-asked questions about training requirements and opportunities, connects visitors to the specific information catered to their needs. Questions are answered in charts and bullet points, integrating information from OCFS and outside resources to provide child care programs with one website full of the information they need.
OCFS Acting Commissioner Sheila J. Poole said, “The improved Training and Professional Development site gives users easier access to resources and speeds up the process of taking advantage of required, and additional, training opportunities. I applaud the OCFS and PDP teams for helping programs cut through red tape, and for quickly giving them the answers they need, all in one place.”
OCFS Deputy Commissioner Janice Molnar said, “Our relationship with child care programs is important to supporting them in giving children the chance to succeed mentally, emotionally, and physically. The Division of Child Care Services (DCCS) is committed to offering beneficial resources and connecting parents and programs with the tools they need to give children safe, positive experiences in child care that set the stage for healthy growth and development throughout their lives.”
OCFS has worked diligently to revise and update its regulations to offer improved health and safety standards, as well as increased clarity and organization, for many registered and licensed child care programs. All school-aged child care programs, day care centers, and small day care centers must be in compliance with updated regulations effective June 1, 2015. Updated regulations for group family day care homes and family day care homes went into effect May 1, 2014. OCFS published proposed regulations on its website for 45-day public comment periods prior to adopting each of the regulations, and reviewed and considered thousands of questions, concerns, and statements to give New Yorkers a voice in the health and safety standards most important to their families and communities.
The OCFS Workgroup and PDP staff assisted in the development of the Training and Professional Development site.
OCFS serves New York by promoting the safety, permanency, and well-being of children, families, and communities. Its Division of Child Care Services (DCCS) is the regulatory oversight entity of more than 19,000 regulated child care programs, in addition to child care subsidies, child care resources and referrals, and the Advantage After School Program. For more information, visit ocfs.ny.gov, “like” the New York State Office of Children and Family Services Facebook page, or follow @NYSOCFS on Twitter. OCFS also maintains a Spanish-language Twitter account, @NYSOCFS_espanol.
About PDP
The Professional Development Program (PDP) at UAlbany’s Rockefeller College links the learning, applied research, and evaluation resources of UAlbany with the continuing professional education needs of the public service. Its 200 highly-skilled employees offer high-quality training for the public workforces. For more information, visit the PDP website.