Better Kid Care America Selected as Newest eXtension Family CoP
Since 1991, the Better Kid Care educational training program from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has improved the availability, accessibility, and quality of childcare in Pennsylvania and across the nation. Under the leadership of Dr. James Van Horn and Lyn Horning, the Better Kid Care project supports childcare providers through satellite workshops, learn-at-home Web-based programs, topical articles, and public service announcements. In 1999, the Better Kid Care TV series won Outstanding Educational Program from the American Distance Education Consortium.
Increasing national recognition led to the development of the Better Kid Care America (BKCA) eXtension Community of Practice (COP), which provides education, resources, and support for the childcare profession and families that use childcare services across the nation. This COP involves state, regional, and county staff to provide extensive training in early childhood curriculum, early childhood teaching practices, child development, health and safety, and childcare business practices.
The COP began exploring their potential national reach through an eXtension planning grant in 2006. After receiving an eXtension planning grant to develop a comprehensive plan for the COP, a small group of core team members met at the National Council on Family Relations 2006 conference to develop an initial work plan. Through the planning grant, 11 extension specialists with early childhood responsibilities and CSREES Family Science National Program Leader Caroline Crocoll developed a 3-year plan for eXtension site content, COP leadership, and communication structure. Representatives from Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Washington participated in the planning process.
The BKCA Community of Practice has identified Communities of Interest, recognized and assigned content expertise among core team members, identified potential COP extension members, developed research–based content categories, selected existing extension resources that could be adapted for eXtension, and explored new technologies and strategies for reaching audiences through eXtension.
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