IdahoSTARS is a voluntary program that provides training in child development, education, health, safety and assessment of childcare facilities based on national quality standards. The joint project between the Idaho Center on Disabilities and Human Development and the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children is funded by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the Child Care and Development Block Grant.
Idaho Public Television is now an IdahoSTARS trainer, adding 19 brand-new free trainings to the IdahoSTARS course catalog. The flexible, self-paced PBS KIDS courses for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) teachers of children pre-K through grade 2 feature a variety of topics, including media creation and early engineering. The courses also demonstrate ways to integrate media into all areas of early learning, and some are available in Spanish.
Idaho ECCE educators seeking training hours can log in to their IdahoSTARS account and select PBS KIDS courses, which consist of short modules of 15–30 minutes that provide skills-based experiences and include a range of formats. Completion of all modules in a topic generally takes two to three hours and can be completed anytime, anywhere with a computer, tablet or smartphone.
“IdahoSTARS is excited about our new training collaboration with Idaho Public Television,” says Laura Thomas, assistant director of child care resource centers. “PBS KIDS courses offer practical, engaging and flexible training that educators can apply in their classrooms, which is something IdahoSTARS has heard educators express they value and appreciate.”
Idaho Public Television is also working on K-12 teacher certification courses for next year.
For more information, visit the IdahoSTARS website at idahostars.org/professional-development.