Items filtered by date: November 2015

SUNY EMPIRE STATE VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSION
Wednesday. July 19, 2023 - 7pm-8pm

Your Child Care Council CDA course could earn you college credits! Earn an A.A. or B.A. Degree in Early Childhood Education!

Find out about the SUNY Empire State and Child Care Council's partnership, generous financial aid packages and EIP funding, and more!!

SUNY Empire State empowers learners from diverse backgrounds to achieve their educational goals. With decades of experience providing educational access through online teaching and learning, individualized instruction, mentoring, and prior learning assessment. They build on our students’ experiences to promote their growth and drive upward mobility and economic development.

Join Dr. Joan Buzick
Asst. Professor, Educational Studies, SUNY Empire State College
&
Idie Benjamin,
CCCW Program Specialist/Career Advisor,
for this Zoom Information Session

Registration is required - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER & RECEIVE THE LOGIN LINK

For additional information, contact Idie Benjamin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please see the below for information on the upcoming ECLC training series for new directors/management of child care centers and school age programs.

The Child Care Council of Westchester will be hosting the first two sessions. Registration is free but enrollment is limited. To learn more about the trainings/to receive a more detailed pamphlet, please contact Laura Cleare at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Registration is with Mariah King: 518-690-4217 x12 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

FISCAL MANAGEMENT
Place: CCCW Scarsdale, NY
Date: July 25th & 26th
Time: 9:30am-4:30pm

ORIENTATION: THE PROCESS TO STAFF INTEGRATION
Place: Virtual
Date: August 3rd & 4th
Time:1:00pm-4:00pm

Congratulations to the graduates of the 2022-2023 of the Council’s Infant Toddler – Family Child Care In-Person CDA Class (some pictured here). The graduation ceremony was held on June 27, 2023. With family and friends present, they each received their course completion certificates and a gift from the Child Care Council of Westchester.

On October 18, 2022, they began the 120-hour course leading to receiving a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. In coming to the Child Care Council office most Tuesday nights after work and one Saturday a month, they showed their dedication to the children for whom they care and their families and to their growth as early childhood professionals.

We commend them for their commitment to improving their knowledge and skills for working with young children. They will now apply to the Council for Professional Recognition for the Child Development Associate credential.

The graduates are –
Brandi Belin – Bumble Bees Family Daycare
Brittani Belin – Kidz on the Go Family Daycare, Inc.
Vivica Haughton – Pooh and Friends
Isabella Henderson – Uncle Luis Group Family DC
Jasmine Morales – Little Sweethearts Day Care
Chelsea Pleasant – Link by Link Children’s
Shaniya Roche – Koala Park Daycare
Rosa Carolina Irala de Mestral – Stop N Play Day Care

For information about the CDA credential and the Child Care Council of Westchester’s CDA program, click here.

It's time to induct some new heroes into the Early Education Hall of Heroes! Thank you to all of you who educate and care for our children. We are so excited to come back together this fall to honor some of the world's greatest educators.

You may nominate yourself or be nominated by an employer, parent, board member, or a co-worker. If you are a former Joey Award winner, you may still be nominated. You may receive multiple nominations. A selection committee will choose the honorees, and approximately 10 professionals will be inducted this year.

The Early Education Hall of Heroes event will take place on Friday, September 29, 2023 from 7pm to 9pm. Join us for a night of celebration with awards, dinner, entertainment, giveaways, and more. So be sure to mark September 29th on your calendar and submit an online nomination form for your hero. They just might become a 2023 Early Education Hall of Heroes Inductee. Click the button below to complete the form online or print and mail in form.

We look forward to honoring a new slate of exceptional child care and after school professionals, highlighting the importance and impact of high quality programs.

For questions or more information, contact Juanita Pope at 914-761-3456 x106 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Check out our previous honorees below:

VIRTUAL – Know Your Regs! Understanding the OCFS Regulations for Child Care Centers
Thursday, July 13, 2023, 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

In this interactive training, learn the NY State Regulations for your child care center. Find out how to stay incompliance in all areas including safety, program requirements, supervision of children, health and safety, and staff background checks. We will review the most updated regulations, common violations, and ways to be in compliance at all times.

Modality - Age: C - IT, PS
Training Categories: OCFS (2, 4, 5, 7) CBK (5, 7)
Trainer: Sarah Ruppert, Professional Development Coordinator
Cost: $20 CCCW members/$25 non-members

Register Here

Comforting children with books and stuffed animals

Please help us provide stuffed animals and books for the young children who have come to Westchester seeking asylum. Many of their families are fleeing violence and persecution, and we hope to bring some comfort to these babies and toddlers, who are undoubtedly scared and confused.

Here's how you can help:
Click here for our Amazon wish list to select and donate books and stuffed animals (use "Kathy Halas gift registry" at checkout)

OR

Click here to Donate $25, which we will use to purchase stuffed animals and books.

All donated items will go directly into the hands of children at Hope Plaza/Plaza Esperanza.

Thank you!
Kathy Halas
Executive Director

Lions SEE - Free Vision Screening Program

The Lions Club Kid Site Vision Screening Program is offering FREE vision screenings on the select dates listed below. These screenings can aid in the early detection of vision troubles for children as young as 6 months old. If you are interested please contact either Joanne O’Hanlon or Silvia Estebanez directly and they will be able to assist with scheduling. Please see the available times below:    

Tuesday September 12
Friday September 22
Tuesday September 26
Tuesday October 24
Friday November 3
Tuesday November 7
Friday November 17

Joanne O’Hanlon
914-217-0769
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Silvia Estebanez
914-409-8334
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information please visit their website: www.lionsseeny.org

SAVE THE DATE FOR THIS IMPORTANT FREE TRAINING!
Eligible for OCFS training hours

YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
from NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR MENTAL WELLBEING

If you're working with school age children, you may be very aware of the stress children are experiencing these days.

This training, Youth Mental Health First Aid, teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth. This 6.5 hour training can provide you with the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to the children in your care who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care.         

When:
Saturday, July 22, 2023
9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Where
Child Care Council of Westchester
313 Central Park Avenue
Scarsdale, NY 10583

Click here to register

Please note: There is also a 2-hour, self-paced component that must be completed before the in-person class. 

Registration limited to 3 participants per program, including the director. Registration details to follow.

The training will be conducted by Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS).Questions/more info, email Carol Diemer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Here's your turn!

Take your place among Westchester's leaders via Leadership Westchester, a rigorous, 9 month program run by Volunteer NY! that sharpens leadership skills, expands relationships, facilitates a new understanding of your own values, capacities and goals, and deepens your ability to influence others.

For the 8th year, the Council is pleased to fully support the participation of a Westchester early care and education leader in this unique opportunity.  A Council committee will pre-screen all applicants for this scholarship and interview selected candidates. Interviews with the committee will be scheduled for mid July. Final selection will be made by Leadership Westchester. The first Leadership Westchester class will be in late October. 

Application deadline is Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 5 pm. 

To apply for this award through the Council's Cathryn A. Riley Fund, you must submit this application-->Click Here for Application.

For more information about Leadership Westchester go to: https://www.volunteernewyork.org/leadership

About the Cathryn A. Riley Fund
The Leadership Westchester scholarship is made possible by the Cathryn A. Riley Fund of the Child Care Council of Westchester. Cathryn "Cate" Riley was a coordinator at the Council prior to her death. She was involved with the NYS Child Care Coordinating Council, now known as the Early Care and Learning Council, the coordinating vehicle for the statewide CCRR network. She also served on the NYS Department of Education Committee for Teacher Certification, the Board of the Westchester Association for the Education of Young Children and the Advisory Board of Westchester Community College. Cate was herself an intuitive and skilled leader in early care and education. 

Thank you so much to our wonderful Dream Big 2023 honorees, sponsors, journal ad supportrs, guests and donors. Collectively, you certainly help make "the big dream" come true, which is a county where every family has access to great child care - so children can thrive, their parents can work, and the economy can flourish.

Check out our digital event journal here as well as the video we aired at the event, here.