Early Childhood Department
Carol Whalen, M. Ed., Early Childhood Coordinator, Phone
Catrina Red Willow, A.A., Early Childhood Program Secretary, Phone
Yvonne DeCory, B.S. El. Ed., Instructor, Phone
INFANT TO TODDLER CAREGIVERS TRAINING PROGRAM
Oglala Lakota College Early childhood is part of the South Dakota Early Childhood Enrichment program with
five regional offices and six tribal sites to coordiante and provide WestEd infant-toddler training services
through the SD Infant-Toddler Training Initiative. This training initiative is funded through the Bush
Foundation. The main focus of this training program is to improve the quality of child care services for
infants and toddlers in our State and on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. WestEd training is incorporated
into our collee Early Childhood curriculum but it can also be offered separately to any interested child
care provider, daycare center or early childhood program as needed. Training and certificatiion in First
Aid and CPR for child care providers is available. Students may obtain Continuing Education Credits for
this training.
CDA (Child Development Associate) TRAINING PROGRAM
Oglala Lakota College Early Childhood offers CDA training, mentoring and advising to prepare students for
the national CDA assessment process which is conducted by the Council for Professional Recognition out of
Washington DC. Our CDA instructors follow the South Dakota CDA curriculum which is recognized and honored
by the Council for Professional Recognition. Our training gives the students 131 hours of training which
exceeds the "Council's" requirement of 120 clock hours of training. The cost for the full training is
$1350. The CDA packet and assessment fee required by the "Council" is included in this fee. Each student
must complete the following plan of study:
Course Title and Clock Hours:
Course Title Clock Hours
Early Childhood Profession 24
Includes one mentor observation
Health, Safety, and Nutrition 15
Child Development and Planning 45
Includes four mentor observations
Guidance of Young Children 17
Includes one mentor observation
Partnership with Parents 15
Programs for Young Children 15
Advisor Assessment Observation Scheduled with CDA Advisor
Students will be given 11 credit hours toward their AA in Early Childhood upon successful completion of our
CDA training and the national CDA assessment with the Council for Professional Recognition. The actual CDA
Certificate must be turned in to the Registrar for the transfer of the 11 credit hours. Refer to the Early
childhood AA Degree Status Sheet for the credit substitutions, all allowed classes are in italics.
THE CDA COMPETENCY STANDARDS
Oglala Lakota College Students/Candidates for the CDA Credential are assessed based upon the CDA Competency
Standards. These national standards are the criteria used to evaluate a caregiver's performance with
children and families. The Competency Standards are divided into six Competency Goals, which are statements
of a general purpose or goal for caregiver behavior. The six goals are defined in more detail in 13
Functional Areas, which describe the major tasks or functions that a caregiver must complete to carry out
the Competency Goal.
The six Competency Goals are the same for all settings. However, the Functional Area definitions
(and sample behaviors) differ according to the particular skills needed for specific child care settings
and/or age groupings.
Table I presents the Competency Goals and Functional Areas for preschool caregiver behavior in center-based
settings. Each Functional Area has a developmental context, which presents a brief overview of relevant
child developoment principles. They also include sample behaviors and examples of caregiver skills.
TABLE 1: CDA COMPETENCY GOALS AND FUNCTIONAL AREAS
I. To establish and maintain a safe, healthy, and learning environment. Functional Areas:
1. Safe: Candidate helps provide a safe environment to prevent and reduce injuries.
2. Healthy: Candidate promotes good health and nutrition and provides an environment that contributes
to the prevention of illness.
3. Learning Environment: Candidate uses space, relationships, materials, and routines as resources for
constructing an interesting, secure, and enjoyable environment that encourages play, exploration,
and learning.
II. To advance physical and intellectual competence. Functional Areas:
4. Physical: Candidate provide a variety of equipment, activities, and opportunities to promote the
physical development of children.
5. Cognitive: Candidate provides activities and opportunities that encourage curiosity, exploration,
and problem solving appropriate to the developmental levels and learning styles of children.
6. Communication: Candidate actively communicates with children and provides opportunities and support
for children to understand, acquire, and use verbal and nonverbal means of communicating thoughts
and feelings.
7. Creative: Candidate provides opportunities that stimulate children to play with sound, rhythm,
language, materials, space and ideas in individual ways and to express their creative abilities.
III. To support social and emotional development and to provide positive guidance. Functional Areas:
8. Self: Candidate provides physical and emotional security for each child and helps each child to
know, accept and take pride in himself or herself and to develop a sense of independence.
9. Social: Candidate helps each child feel accepted in the group, helps children learn to communicate
and get along with others, and encourages feelings of empathy and mutual respect among children and
adults.
10. Guidance: Candidate provides a supportive environment in which children can begin to learn and
practice appropriate and acceptable behaviors as individuals and as a group.
IV. To establish positive and productive relationships with families. Functional Areas:
11. Families: Candidate maintains an open, friendly, and cooperative relationship with each child's
family, encourages parents to take leadership in personal and family education; supports family
empowerment, involvement in program, and positive family relationships.
V. To ensure a well-run purposeful program responsive to participant needs. Functional Areas:
12. Program Management: Candidate is a manager who uses all available resources to ensure an effective
operation. The Candidate is a competent organizer, planner, record keeper, communicator, and a
cooperative coworker.
VI. To maintain a commitment to professionalism. Functional Areas:
13. Professionalism: Candidate makes decisions based on knowledge of early childhood theories and
practices, promotes quality in child care services, and takes advantage of opportunities to improve
competence, both for personal and professional growth and for the benefit of children and families.
| Early Childhood Department Documents |
