Child Care and Guidance

Hello! My name is Susan Lloyd the Child Care and Guidance teacher at Benjamin Franklin Career and Technical Training Center. Child Care and Guidance is a one year program for half a day. Classes are two and one half hour long each day, two sessions a day, five days a week. Both secondary and adult students can enroll in this program. The first two nine weeks studens spend time learning developmentally appropriate techniques for working with children. Students take part in learning activities that reinforce what children are capable of doing from infancy to school-age. This includes handling daily routines, setting limits, and guidance techniques. During this time students are assigned a day of the week to work with the "in-house" day care. Activities preformed reinforce color, number and letter recognition, fine and gross motor abilities, and socialization skills. This day care is run through the Board of Education and has it's own staff. It is a lab for Child Care students to get their "feet wet" to basic teaching, observing, guiding and instructing small groups of children. The third and fourth nine weeks are devoted to curriculum planning and job keeping and seeking skills. Licensing Regulations, Code of Ethical Conduct and Entrepreneurship is covered at this time. Students are expected to accumulate 100 hours at a clinical site, therefore, students spend two days a week from Movember to May in local day care sites. If the student shows initiative and enthusiasm along with good entry level skills they may be hired and begin their career in the child care industry. HERO is a student organization formed by class members. Students pick and choose community service projects throughout the year. Some examples of prior activities include, Make a Difference Day, Shop-For-Tot, Tutoring with local elementary schools, and volunteer at the local day cares and hospitals. If students take Child care their junior year in high school and achieve a certificate, they can return in the working capacity their senior year in the Youth Apprenticeship program. Seniors would begin emploment at a day care that is a registered site with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training. Students would work at practical site instead of attending class at Ben Franklin. Students would then attend the two year apprentieship class, one night a week for 15 weeks, four college semesters and complete 4,000 on the job train hours during this time period. The final benefit is for students to begin working in a chosen career path, gain experience and education, become a valued employee, and receive 33 credit hours at West Virginia State College towards a two or four year degree. If you have any questions or would like further information please contact me at my E-mail address: slloyd@ACCESS.K12.WV.US. THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!