Academy for Child Care Educators of Napa County

Growing quality child care programs together

Start a Child care Business Professional Development

About the Academy

In September 2022, we formalized our child care provider support programs under one umbrella and created the Academy for Child Care Educators of Napa County. The goal of the Academy is to provide educational and professional development opportunities and peer support to empower child care educators (family child care home providers, child care center staff and informal caregivers) to reach their full educational potential while increasing their knowledge of early learning and child development which directly impacts the lives of the children in their care. Programs are designed to meet child care educators where they are, in their language of choice, and with multiple ways to engage in programs and services.

The Academy will focus on four key areas:

Start a Child Care Business

Anyone wishing to start a child care business in their own home will receive 1:1 support from a bilingual child care business specialist. After completing the necessary paperwork, trainings and orientation, including a site visit from Community Care Licensing, child care educators will have access to a stipend to help them purchase necessary supplies, early learning materials and equipment for their business.

Professional Development

Our Quality Early Learning Team is trained to provide the following workshops either online or in person to all child care educators including licensed and informal caregivers. The professional development opportunities that will be offered include:

Business Fundamentals – workshops on topics such as marketing, finances, taxes, record keeping and insurance
Trauma Informed Care training
Caring for Infants and Toddlers
Tools and Strategies for Supporting Children with Special Needs
Working with Multiple Age Groups

Quality Coaching

Our early learning coaches meet with child care programs one-on-one to create individualized quality improvement plans. Plans and resources are shared based on provider needs, interests, assessments and/or observations and are developed mutually by the provider and the coach. Pre-requisites: licensed child care centers and family child care homes.
Contact: Judy Nielsen, jnielsen@crcnapa.org

Peer Support & Wellness Checks

Our peer support groups allow licensed and informal child care providers to come together in person and online for Caregiver Cafes to share knowledge, experiences and resources related to caring for young children. Our program enables participants to build confidence in their knowledge of child development and ability to meet the needs of the children in their care, while strengthening their relationships with other providers like them in the community. In addition, we conduct regular wellness checks with our providers, connecting them to vital resources, such as food, housing and mental health assistance, through community partners when needed.