The Program for Infant/Toddler Care

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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

Social-Emotional Milestones
Responsive Caregiving
Temperament and Individual Differences in Group Care
Meeting Children’s Emotional Needs
Guidance and Discipline with Infants and Toddlers in Group Care

Module II: Group Care

Primary Care and Continuity of Care
Group Size and Individualization of Care
Setting Up Environments for Infants and Toddlers
Daily Routines in Group Care Settings

Module III: Learning and Development

Cognitive Development and Learning
Language Development and Communication
Special Needs
Culture, Language and Cognition
Brain Development in Infancy

Module IV: Culture, Family, and Providers

Self Awareness and Cultural Perceptions
Culturally Responsive Care
Using the Process of Acknowledge, Ask and Adapt
Culture and Early Identity Formation
Creating Partnerships with Parents

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:

Have training responsibilities as a director, program director, resource teacher, site supervisor or educational coordinator employed in a infant/toddler program
Train family childcare providers and/or infant/toddler care teachers in center-based programs as a staff member of a resource and referral agency
Teach infant/toddler classes in a community college, state university system, or private college
Provide training as an independent trainer to family childcare providers and/or infant/toddler care teachers in center-based programs
Provide infant/toddler training in one of the following programs: high school vocational education, parent and teen parent education, migrant infant/toddler, early intervention or special needs

Why Choose PITC?

Learn how to improve the quality of care in your programs, communities, and state
Benefit from the most comprehensive training program available that is recognized worldwide as the source for high quality infant/toddler care training and materials
Improve your training skills and receive trainer materials (i.e. manuals, infant/toddler care teacher guides, handouts)
Earn academic units
Receive PITC certification for each Module
Join a community of learners and network with peers
Receive ongoing training support through materials, graduate conferences, and online resources

Schedule of Institutes
PITC offers Trainer Institutes 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 $2,850 per Institute. This fee covers:

Tuition
PITC infant/toddler care teacher guides, trainer’s manuals, and supplementary reading materials
Hotel accommodations (double–occupancy)
Most meals (two dinners on your own)

NOTE: As of June 2009 the registration fee will increase to $3,000

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 $125 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 $50 per unit. Participants may register for academic units at the Trainer Institute.

In addition, participants attending Pacific Oaks College who are enrolled in the Master’s Program in Human Development with specialization in working with Infants and Toddlers and Leadership in Education and Human Services, can receive 8 units towards their degree upon completion of PITC Certification.

Applicant Review Procedure
WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies will review and consider each completed application on the basis of the responses in Sections 1 and 2 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.

When to Submit Your Application
Applications may be submitted at any time throughout the year. First consideration will be given to applications received by the due dates listed in Section 3. Applications received after the due date will be considered if a last minute cancellation occurs.

Group Enrollment
If you are coordinating enrollment and payment for a group of more than five people, please call Jennifer Drabek at 415.289.2305 to discuss space availability and the enrollment process. Each person in the group must complete an individual application by the application due date to be considered. Please submit all individual applications for your group at the same time.

Cancellation Policy
Once enrolled, a $125 cancellation fee for fellowship participants, and a $2,850 cancellation fee for non-fellowship participants will be charged if the cancellation occurs less than 30 days prior to the start of the Institute. In addition, for cancellations less than 48 hours prior to the start of the Institute, hotel cancellation charges may apply.

Notification of Application Status
Once your application is received, WestEd will send you a postcard acknowledging the receipt of your application. If your application is received by the due date, you will be notified of your status at least two months prior to the institute date. Applicants accepted for the Institute will receive an enrollment packet. Qualified applicants who are waitlisted will be considered for future Institutes.

Questions Regarding Your Application
For additional questions, contact:

WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies
180 Harbor Drive, Suite 112
Sausalito, CA 94965
Phone: 415.289.2300
Fax: 415.289.2301
www.pitc.org

For questions regarding the content of the Institutes and who should attend, please contact...
Alicia Tuesta, Director of California Training, atuesta@wested.org

For questions about the application procedure, the status of your application or if you did not receive written correspondence, please contact...
Jennifer Drabek, Conference Coordinator, jdrabek@wested.org

For questions about academic units, please contact...
Karla Nygaard, Conference Coordinator, knygaar@wested.org

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The Program for Infant/Toddler Care is developed collaboratively
by the California Department of Education and WestEd.