PITC Trainer Institute Application Information

African American man holding daughter and stuffed animal At the heart of the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) is a commitment to care for infants and toddlers that respects the differing cultures, lifestyles, preferences, abilities, learning styles, and needs of the children and families served. Therefore, PITC follows an approach that is responsive to what the infants and toddlers and their families bring to care and emphasizes relationship-based implementation strategies. The positions advocated by PITC are based on sound child development and family research. The goal of PITC is to help infant/toddler care teachers recognize the crucial importance of giving tender, loving care and assisting in the infants’ intellectual development through an attentive reading of each child’s cues.

The PITC Trainer Institutes are jointly conducted by the California Department of Education Child Development Division (CDD) and WestEd’s Center for Child and Family Studies.

Content of the PITC Trainer Institutes

Module I: Social-Emotional Growth and Socialization

Module II: Group Care

Module III: Learning and Development

Module IV: Culture, Family, and Providers

What is an Institute?

Each Institute is one week long and consists of two modules, either Modules I & II or Modules III & IV. Modules III & IV may be taken prior to Modules I & II. However, the modules must be taken in pairs.

At the Institute, participants attend workshops and interactive seminars taught by leading experts, including Ron Lally and Peter Mangione. The Institute provides an opportunity for a comprehensive study of the PITC philosophy and recommended practices through the four modules. Each session focuses on how to improve the quality of care in your programs, communities, and state as well as adult learning and teaching strategies. The Institute includes time for networking opportunities and professional reflection. Study tours of a PITC California demonstration site to observe PITC in practice will be offered based on the centers availability.

Who May Apply

Individuals wishing to participate in PITC Trainer Institutes must currently:

Why Choose PITC?

Schedule of Institutes

PITC offers Trainer Institutes two to three times per year, alternating between Northern and Southern California, and East Coast locations. Applications may be submitted at any time throughout the year. However, first consideration for acceptance will be given to applications received by the due date. Applications received after the due date will be considered if a last minute cancellation occurs.

Fees

The registration fee for each Institute (two modules) is $3,200 per Institute. This fee covers:

Fellowships (California Residents Only)

The Child Development Division provides Federal Block Grant funding for 60 fellowships for each PITC Trainer Institute held in California. These fellowships will be paid directly by the California Department of Education Child Development Division to WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies. Fellowship recipients will be responsible for a reduced $150 registration fee per Institute.

All participants are responsible for any costs associated with transportation to the training site, classroom substitutes necessary for participation in the program, and for the enrollment fees required to receive academic units. Single–occupancy rooms are available for an additional fee.

Although PITC videos are not included as part of the fees, they may be purchased at the Institutes for a discounted price.

Please do not send payment with your application.

Certification Responsibilities of Participants

All participants are encouraged to complete the certification requirements for all four modules in The Program for Infant/Toddler Care. However, California Fellowship recipients must become certified in each of the four modules. The requirements include full participation in the training sessions of each module and the writing of certification papers covering the content of each module.

Activities that will support the participants in completing certification requirements include participating in the sessions of the modules; reading PITC infant/toddler care teacher guides, trainer’s manuals, and supplementary handouts; reviewing PITC videos; engaging in reflective writing tasks; and completing certification papers for each module.

Once fellowship recipients participate in an Institute, continuation of the fellowship is contingent upon certification requirements being completed before attending the second Institute. Fellowship participants are expected to complete the entire training series (four modules) and certification requirements within a 20–month period. Fellowship participants are required to provide a minimum of 25 hours of training during the two (2) years following the completion of the Institutes and the completion of the certification process. The 25 hours of training may include training of center staff, family childcare providers, ECE students, teen parents or one–on–one work with parents of infants and toddlers.

All participants are also expected to respond to annual survey requests from WestEd/CDD to provide information about the infant/toddler trainings they have attended.

Note: Only fully certified graduates are eligible to attend the PITC Graduate Conference.

Academic Units

Participants have the option of receiving academic units for the Trainer Institutes after completing certification in each module. Academic units are extended education semester units from Sonoma State University. Participants may receive two undergraduate level units per module. The cost is $55 per unit. Participants may register for academic units at the Trainer Institute.

Applicant Review Procedure

WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies will review and consider each completed application based on the review criteria listed below, and space availability.

Review Criteria

Applicant’s Title and Position:

Description of the applicant’s current position and role in training activities in the field of child development, specifically infant/toddler development and care. Priority is given to applicants who are currently providing infant/toddler training.

Education/Professional Certification:

The applicant’s educational background, including credit hours in early childhood education and child development, CDA and other ECE/Child Development related certificates.

Past Professional Experience:

The quality and relevance of the applicant’s professional experiences in child development, with a focus on infant/toddler training activities the applicant has planned and conducted.

Interest and Intent to Provide Training:

Why the applicant wishes to participate; what the applicant hopes to learn from the training; how the applicant plans to utilize the training experience in the future; and what types of training experiences the applicant plans to conduct. Emphasis will be placed on applicant’s capacity to conduct future trainings.

Director Agreement (for CA fellowship applicants only):

The agreement indicates that the applicant’s supervisor understands the scope of work that the applicant is undertaking and agrees to provide time to complete the certification and training requirements.

Note: A significant part of the review process includes consideration of geographic diversity.

WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, or sexual orientation.

Contents of Online Application

The online application consists of four sections:

Section 1: Applicant Information
Section 2: Statement of Interest to Participate
Section 3: Enrollment Preferences
Section 4: For CA Fellowship Applicants Only: CA Residential Agreement

Instructions: