Training And Professional Development

Child Care

Child Care Resource and Referral maintains a list of training opportunities available statewide. For more information on Child Care Orientation Training or other trainings in your area contact your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency's calendar.

OPEN Initiative

The OPEN Initiative is an "umbrella" under which many career development efforts occur. OPEN's primary focus is the development and implementation of a career development system for early childhood and school-age/after-school professionals. However, OPEN continues to support youth-development programs as well.

Vision:
Competent, reflective, and equitably compensated teachers will provide high quality early childhood and school-age/after-school education for Missouri's young children.

Mission:
To implement a career development system for Missouri's early childhood and school-age/after-school professionals.

The Professional Achievement & Recognition System was created to recognize the critical service teachers and directors provide to Missouri's young children.

It is a database system that:

• Tracks professionals' career development
• Recognizes educational attainment.

Why is PARS needed?

• Allows teachers to participate in Missouri's career development system.
• Provides a source of valuable data for the field.

What are the goals?

• Recruit all early childhood, school-age/after-school, and youth development professionals into Missouri's Career Development System. Allow teachers to track their career development efforts via OPEN's website.
• Ensure participants confidentiality
• Recognize professionals' success

Who can participate?
Any professional who works with children birth through school-age in the following settings:

• Center-based (profit or non-for-profit)
• Community-based
• Faith-based or license exempt
• Head Start
• Home-based
• School-based (before and after school)
• Unregulated

What are the benefits?

• Professionals receive recognition for education, training and professional activities.
• Programs benefit from a quality work force.
• Children/youth experience high quality environments.
• Communities are aware of the workforce issues that impact the quality of early childhood, school-age/after-school and youth development programs.

Trainer Registry
It is a database for trainers in the field of early childhood and school-age/afterschool or youth development education in Missouri that will:

• Collect and verify trainers' education and experience.
• Assist in the development of trainer criteria for a trainer approval system through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

What are the goals?
  short-term goals (collect and disseminate information)

• Compile demographic information about Missouri's trainers
• Maintain current information on trainers
• Inform policymakers about Missouri's trainer workforce

  long-term goals (implement trainer criteria)

• Facilitate development of trainer criteria
• Invite trainers to be considered for approval
• Support communities' access to local trainers

Who can enroll?
Anyone with knowledge or expertise in the following core competency areas:

• Child Growth & Development
• Learning Environment & Curriculum
• Child Observation & Assessment
• Families & Communities
• Health, Safety, & Nutrition
• Interaction with Children
• Program Planning & Development
• Professional Development & Leadership

Examples of Missouri's trainers include:
(but are not limited to)

• Early Childhood Professionals
• Environmental Public Health Specialists
• Licensing Specialists
• Medical Professionals
• Parent Educators
• Parents and Community Members
• Professors
• Public School Teachers
• Social Workers
• Therapists

What are the benefits?

• Trainers participate in the development of trainer criteria.
• Early Childhood, School-Age/After-School and Youth Development Professionals benefit from high-quality training sessions by knowledgeable and experienced trainers.
• Children, Families and Communities benefit from high-quality early childhood environments with well-trained early childhood professionals.