How do our Early Child Care Specialists empower providers?

Thank you for putting together the class, Best Beginnings 101. I have been doing childcare for many years and there is always room to learn and grow. I thought I had been working long enough with the Best Beginnings program that I knew about billing, policies and procedures. I had a new client question me at every turn when explaining how we work with the program policies and procedures. I started to second guess myself and this class came at the perfect time.

After taking the series of classes there were things that were the same but there were some things that had been updated. It was a great refresher course for me and a perfect class for providers that are new to the business. I highly recommend this class for all providers new and seasoned.

As we began the journey to open our own in-home group childcare, we reached out to our local HRDC for assistance. We were immediately put into contact with Julie Ludwig.
Julie helped us understand and begin all the necessary paperwork and helped us set goals we needed to accomplish to begin this process. She was kind, knowledgeable, and willing to help wherever we needed. Julie answered all our questions without judgement, even if we felt that we might be asking a silly question. She helped to connect us with the people we needed to talk to as we walked through our journey. We are so thankful for the HRDC team and especially Ms. Julie for all her help.

Having support through professional development in early childhood education is a must. Through HRDC7 I have taken courses such as the (60 hr.) Preschool Course with Crystal Hill and going through coaching cycles (PBC) with Angie Anderson. Not only these training sessions but these ladies have helped me blossom in my career. With the support, knowledge and passion I received from both Angie and Crystal I have built up so much confidence professionally and personally. I have been able to implement and provide quality care within my path of early childhood education, and the confidence and pride to do so is unmatched when you have the support from Angie and Crystal from HRDC7.

Hello, my name is Marissa Gideon, and I am the proud owner of Little Hands Early Learning Inc. Although I’ve been in the field of Early Education for over a decade, I had never OWNED a daycare before. I was completely overwhelmed at first by all the things that needed to be done before we could open. Not only have that, but all the things I would need to buy before we could open! I was fortunate enough to have the assistance of Julie Ludwig to help me navigate these new waters. She helped walk me through the process, making sure I had all the resources I needed, and informed me of a grant for new providers. I applied and was approved for $3000!
With this money I was able to purchase the things I needed for my daycare, including a table with matching toddler chairs, high chairs, dress up clothes for dramatic play, sensory balls for science and discovery, and several other items that have helped make Little Hands a place of wonder for our littles to discover. Without Julies help and the New Provider Grant, Little Hands Early Learning would still just be an idea on my vision board. Thanks for helping make my dream come true!