CCHC Orientation Guide

Child Care Health Consultants (CCHCs)
CCHCs are health professionals with education and experience in child and community health and early care and education (ECE). Local CCHCs in North Carolina are hired and funded by local agencies such as Health Departments, Partnerships for Children, or other community agencies. To work as a CCHC in North Carolina, you

• must be eligible for and successfully complete the NC CCHC Course
• remain active by complying with the CCHC Standards of Practice (found in the CCHC Program Manual)

During the NC CCHC Course, you will become familiar with the following areas of competency:

• Consultation skills
• Quality health, safety, and wellness practices
• Policy development and implementation
• Health Education
• Resource and referral
• Illness and infectious diseases
• Children with special health care needs
• Medication Administration
• Safety and injury prevention
• Emergency preparedness, response, and recovery
• Infant and child social and emotional wellbeing
• Child abuse and neglect
• Nutrition and physical activity
• Oral health
• Environmental Health
• Staff health and wellness

As a CCHC, you will work with early educators to improve the quality of early care and education (ECE) programs by helping create healthy and safe indoor and outdoor learning environments.

Guidance on what constitutes quality ECE programs is found in:

• Federal and state-specific laws and rules governing child care
• Environment Rating Scales, which is the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) in North Carolina
• National best practice standards in Caring for Our Children

You will also work with DCDEE Child Care Consultants, Children’s Environmental Health Consultants, Local Health Departments, community partners, and other technical assistance providers to surround early educators with a full spectrum of support.

You will build relationships and engage with early educators in a quality improvement cycle by:

• observing and assessing ECE environments and early educator knowledge and practice
• jointly developing a Quality Improvement Plan,
• implementing strategies including training and technical assistance
• reassessing to ensure that the improvements are sustainable over time.

You may also provide short-term consultation by phone, email, or in-person or provide training on a scheduled basis to meet the needs of their community.

NC CCHC Program Manual

The CCHC Program Manual contains guidance for you and the agencies that fund and/or hire your position.

The work of CCHCs in North Carolina is defined in:

• National Child Care Health Consultant Competencies
• North Carolina Service Model
• logic models specific to the community a CCHC serves.

The Program Manual also includes the CCHC Standards of Practice that are designed to support CCHCs maintaining competency and required be considered an Active CCHC. Active CCHCs:

• maintain access to the CCHC Resource Library of training and TA materials
• have access to the NC Health and Safety Assessment Tool
• be listed on the NC CCHC Directory.

You will attest to meeting these standards on the CCHC survey distributed annually by the NC Resource Center in January.

CCHC Implementation Specialists

The CCHC Implementation Specialists are a team of three nurses who are Child Care Health Consultants and are employed by the NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center. They will help you navigate this Orientation Guide and provide ongoing support and coaching by:

• orienting you to the field of CCHC (meeting every 1-2 weeks before and during the NC CCHC Course)
• providing ongoing support after the CCHC course to:
  • meet local expectations, priorities, and goals
  • ensure model fidelity as outlined in the NC CCHC Standards of Practice and the NC CCHC Service Model
  • increase competency as defined in the National CCHC Competencies
  • help with using the NC Health and Safety Assessment and Encounter Tool

To meet the CCHC Standards of Practice, you will engage with your coach at least quarterly or as often as needed. Some meetings should include other individuals who support you, such as your direct supervisor, programmatic supervisor, and/or evaluator.

The NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center

In addition to the CCHC Implementation Specialists, the NC Resource Center consists of a Principal Investigator at UNC-Chapel Hill, a Project Director, and other teams:

• a Training and Professional Development team, who manage both the NC CCHC and other courses and trainings
• Regional Child Care Health Consultants who provide services to early educators in areas where there is not a local CCHC
• Infant-Toddler CCHCs

The Resource Center contact information is:

• The NC Resource Center’s main office location: 5601 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC 27609
• Phone number: 1-800-367-2229 (chose 1 then 2)
• Website: healthychildcare.unc.edu
• Email: resourcecenter@unc.edu

 

The CCHC Resources page includes links to the:

• CCHC Resource Portal
• CCHC Program Manual
• Event Calendar

The page includes links to the training materials for ITS-SIDS and EPR. Access to training materials is given after a trainer completes the associated train-the-trainer courses.

• Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR)
• Infant/Toddler Safe Sleep and SIDS Risk Reduction in Child Care (ITS-SIDS)

CCHC Resource Portal

The CCHC Resource Portal is a SharePoint site hosted by UNC Chapel Hill. You will be given access to the Resource Portal after meeting with your CCHC Implementation Specialist. The Resource Portal contains the CCHC Resource Library, including:

• professional development learning opportunities
  • archived Learning Collaboratives
  • archived CCHC webinars
  • slides from prior CCHC Annual conferences
• information for CCHCs
  • announcements
  • weekly newsletters
  • links to frequently used websites
  • CCHC numbers
  • DCDEE data and resources
• Community of Practice Forum
• materials for CCHCs to use with early educators:
  • NC Health and Safety Assessment and Encounter Tool (NC HSAET) instruction manual
  • outreach materials
  • training and TA materials

You will gain access to the Resource Portal from your Implementation Specialist during orientation.

CCHC Event Calendar

The CCHC Event Calendar contains events that you will find relevant to your work as a CCHC, including:

• CCHC Learning Collaboratives held four times a year
• quarterly Webinars for CCHCs and supervisors
• the CCHC Annual Conference
• events held by other agencies that are highly recommended CCHCs attend

Additional NC Resource Center Courses and Trainings

• CCHC Trainings and Technical Assistance Guide
• Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care
• Infant/Toddler Safe Sleep and SIDS Risk Reduction in Child Care (ITS-SIDS)

The NC Child Care Health Consultant Course is designed to provide training in child care health consultation to those who have been hired to work as CCHCs or those whose job function includes providing CCHC services.

The Course teaches health professionals the skills needed to provide child care health consultation and coaching and to fulfill their role as CCHCs. The Course also provides the information, resources, and hands-on experiences to inform CCHC practice. Students receive training in providing comprehensive site assessments, technical assistance, training, consultation, coaching, and child advocacy.

NC HSAET is a web-based assessment and encounter tool developed by the NC Resource Center for use by active CCHCs in North Carolina. The tool is used by CCHCs to collect and store data on:

• encounters with child care facilities and community partners including trainings and meetings
• assessments of the health and safety aspects of child care environments and practices
• quality improvement strategies

CCHCs receive:

• training in the NC CCHC Course to use the tool
• guidance on using the HSAET to document their quality improvement work with early care and education programs.

A CCHC can access the encounters portion of the NC HSAET prior to starting the NC CCHC Course. Contact your CCHC Implementation Specialist for guidance.

Supervisors and Program Evaluators should also be encouraged to request access to the HSAET as they can be a Report Viewer with limited access to data reports.

The NC Child Care Health Consultant Association

The NC CCHCA, created in 2000, is a membership association of CCHCs. Members share ideas and resources, assist in solving problems and concerns, and offer collaboration and support to CCHCs across the state. The CCHC Association has a CCHC chair, vice-chair, treasurer, and secretary who support an executive committee which meets monthly. The CCHCA is divided into three regions, west, central, and east. The regions hold quarterly meetings organized by a regional representative.

Membership in the CCHC Association is renewed annually. In addition to being better connected to your CCHC peers, the benefits of membership include:

• Access to attend quarterly regional meetings
• Ability to serve as an officer or on a committee
• Access to becoming a Certified/Endorsed CCHC

The NC Partnership for Children

The NC Partnership for Children (NCPC) supports local Partnerships for Children (PFC) throughout the state to ensure that young children enter kindergarten healthy and ready to succeed. NCPC provides funding to 75 Local PFCs that work in all 100 North Carolina counties. Local PFCs provide a variety of services for children birth to five years old and their families including high quality child care and health and family support services. Local PFCs determine the best approach to meet the needs in their communities. This includes determining which services to fund such as child care health consultation.

Plan to meet with the Local PFC staff, including the Executive Director. You will want to be familiar with the services they offer in the community and identify how you can collaborate. Local PFC technical assistance staff help early care and education programs, and early educators develop and sustain quality child care programs. They may offer support with nutrition and physical activity, behavior, or more generalized support.

If your CCHC position is Smart Start funded, you may be a:

• Local Partnership for Children employee or
• Local health department or other community agency employee

Work with your supervisor and coach to develop or review a Logic Model that includes a statement of need, identification of a target population, description of program or activity elements, outputs, and outcomes.

The NC Division of Child and Family Well-Being

The Division of Child and Family Well-Being (DCFW) combines complementary programs within NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to support North Carolina’s children growing up safe, healthy, and thriving in nurturing and resilient families and communities. DCFW includes the following sections:

• Community Nutrition Services
• Early Intervention
• Food and Nutrition Services
• Whole Child Health

The Whole Child Health section addresses physical and behavioral health needs from birth and through the whole course of childhood. The section includes a Child Care Health Consultation Program which is part of the Child and Family Wellness Unit.

DCFW’s Child Care Health Consultation program works with the NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center and supports child care health consultation in NC through the role of the State Child Care Nurse Consultant. This position is currently vacant.

The NC Division of Child Development and Early Education

The Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) is a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and is responsible for:

• Assuring education/training requirements of early educators and administrators (Workforce Education Unit).
• Increasing access to child care for low-income families (Subsidized Child Care Program) by providing financial assistance through child care subsidies for eligible families.
• Regulation of any child care facility in NC where a person is caring for more than two children who are unrelated to them for more than 4 hours per day, with some exemptions such as summer programs, drop-in care, and military bases.

DCDEE Child Care (Licensing) Consultants

Child Care Consultants (CCCs) are part of the DCDEE Regulatory Team and are required to visit all licensed child care facilities. CCCs ensure compliance with child care regulations, including health and safety standards. Consultants also investigate complaints related to child care requirements and alleged child maltreatment.

Child Care Health Consultants (CCHCs) work closely with child care (licensing) consultants in their community to:

• support ECE programs with health and safety needs upon referral from licensing consultants
• participate in provider meetings held by licensing consultants
• convey consistent messaging

The NC Rated License Assessment Project (NCRLAP)

The NCRLAP was established to define the quality of child care in the state and to assist parents in choosing child care. It does this by assigning a star rating to licensed child care facilities in NC. Facilities that meet the minimum standards set by the DCDEE receive a one-star license but can earn up to five stars. As part of the NC CCHC Course, you will visit a child care facility and learn from an NCRLAP assessor about the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale.

Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R)

CCR&R agencies provide:

• consumer education on quality child care to families who are searching for child care programs for their children including details about quality and information on availability.
• services to improve quality in child care programs through technical assistance and the provision of professional development activities.
• and collect data to use for planning and policy development for the public and private sectors.

North Carolina has 14 CCR&R regions. Each region is overseen by a regional CCR&R lead agency. As a CCHC, you will likely interact with CCR&R staff such as

• Birth-to-Three Specialists
• Healthy Social Behavior Specialists
• School Aged Specialists
• Other technical assistance providers providing core services

Local Health Departments

Many CCHCs in North Carolina are employed at a local health department. As a health department employee, you must be familiar with health department policies, procedures, and requirements such as training and documentation. Regardless of the hiring agency, CCHCs should work closely with the health department staff in their county.

Health department partners:

• Health Director
• Children’s Environmental Health/Sanitation Specialist
• Communicable Disease Coordinator
• Immunization Coordinator
• Child Health Nurse
• School Nurses
• Health Educators
• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

During orientation, discuss your experience with public health with your CCHC Implementation Specialist who can help you determine if additional trainings are needed, such as:

• Community ToolBox
• MCH Navigator
• Public Health Learning Navigator
• Community College Course: EDU-153 Health, Safety, and Nutrition – covers promoting and maintaining the health and well-being of every child. Topics include health and nutritional guidelines, common childhood illnesses, maintaining safe and healthy learning environments, health benefits of active play, recognition and reporting of abuse/neglect, and state regulations. Upon completion, students should be able to apply knowledge of NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development for health, safety, nutritional needs, and safe learning environments.

CCHC Training and Technical Assistance Resources

During your first few years as a CCHC, there are many opportunities to increase your competency through professional development. Review CCHC Trainings and Technical Assistance Resources page which outlines many of the trainings and resources available to CCHCs.

CCHC Certification/Technical Assistance Endorsement

After you have completed 1,000 hours of CCHC work starting from when you have completed the NC CCHC Course, you are able to apply to become a Certified/Endorsed CCHC.