CARE for Head Start Educators

Centers

How many centers and classrooms will be recruited this year?

Across 3 years, we will work with 240 classrooms and 480 teachers from about 60 Head Start and Early Head Start centers located in Texas.

What regions will be recruited this year?

As we go into the second year of the study, we are recruiting centers from San Antonio and Hidalgo County.

What are the eligibility criteria for centers?

Centers will be eligible for participation if they have at least 2 classrooms participating in the study. We can accommodate up to 8 classrooms per center.

Teachers

Do you often feel stress at work? Do you sometimes find it hard to respond to difficult actions of children? Join our study and learn how to reduce the stress and burnout you feel in your work and rediscover the joy of teaching. 

How many teachers per classroom may participate?

Two teachers from each classroom are invited to participate. In each classroom, we will need to work at a minimum with a lead teacher AND, when possible, a co-teacher or assistant teacher as well. We encourage both co-teachers or both lead and assistant teachers from each classroom to participate in the study.

What are the responsibilities and time commitments for teachers?

Teachers will:

• Complete surveys about their well-being three times during the study. Questionnaires will be given at the beginning of the school year, at the end of the school year, and the winter of the following school year (40-50 minutes each time)
• Complete child behavior ratings for up to four children in their classrooms two times during the study. Ratings will be given at the beginning and end of the school year (20-30 minutes each time)
• Allow the research team to come and observe the classroom two times during the school year. Observation will be at the beginning and end of the school year (Approximately 2 hours each time)

Who will receive the CARE Program?

All teachers and teacher assistants who participate in the study will receive CARE training but at different points in time depending on the random assignment status of their centers. Centers will be randomly assigned into either a CARE or a Waitlist group at the beginning of the school year. Teachers who are part of the CARE group will receive CARE training during this school year. Teachers who are part of the Waitlist group will receive CARE training in the following school year.

What does participation in the CARE program look like?

Participation in the CARE program involves:

• Attending three 6-hour in-person training sessions in October and November.
• Attend a 3-hour virtual booster session in February.
• Weekly email coaching from CARE trainers throughout the school year.

Are teachers compensated for participating in the study?

Yes. Teachers and assistant teachers will be compensated for participating in the study. We will provide teachers with gift cards of up to $250. Teachers will receive the first $100 at the completion of the baseline data collection in the fall of the school year, another $100 upon the completion of the end-of-year data collection in the spring of the school year, and $50 at the completion of the follow-up data collection in the fall of the following school year.

Facilitators

CARE Affiliate Facilitators are high quality trainers who are trained in the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) program. CARE Affiliate Facilitators help to support educators’ social and emotional well-being in ways that positively promote children’s social-emotional development.  

Overview of the CARE Affiliate Facilitator Program 

The CARE Affiliate Facilitator (CAF) Training Program is designed to develop highly experienced, high quality Affiliate Facilitators (AF) who are fully competent to provide training in the CARE program to their local early childhood education programs/mental health entity. Facilitators can include staff (teachers, support staff, staff developers) from local school districts/boards, Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and non-profit agencies, or university centers focused on the promotion of children’s mental health and youth development and teachers/educators’ well-being and resiliency.  

The CREATE team trains these qualified facilitators to conduct school-based, agency-based or regional workshops for the preparation of teachers, group leaders and educational support staff who plan to implement the CARE program within these educational entities. Once certified, CARE Affiliate Facilitators conduct workshops and provide follow-up technical assistance and coaching services for organizations in accordance with the CARE workshop training materials, agenda, and guidelines.  

Benefits of becoming a CARE Affiliate Facilitator  

• You’ll be certified in a high-need adult-focused area  
• You’ll be able to add a TECPDS-approved training to your portfolio 
• You’ll be able to support educators’ mental health and well-being, which has become an increasingly pressing issue over the past few years.
• You’ll continue your advancement with badges in the Texas Core Competencies through TECPDS 
• You’ll be one of the first specialists in Texas that is certified in this training! 

This is an exciting opportunity for prospective CARE Affiliate Facilitator candidates – particularly those who are TECPDS Master Registered Trainers, ITSN specialists, and Early Head Start/Head Start specialists.  

Selection Process for Facilitator Candidates 

Prerequisites include:  

• Attendance at a full CARE Workshop (Fall 2022) 
• Have a regular mindfulness or reflective practice
• Master’s degree (preferred, but not required)
• Classroom or group experience with students in a learner role  
• Training experience with educators 
• Demonstration of trainer competencies outlined in the CARE Facilitator Profile.

In order to become a CARE Affiliate Facilitator, the potential candidate will complete the CARE Affiliate Facilitator Certification application. 

Steps of the CARE Affiliate Facilitator Certification Training Process 

1. Attend a full CARE workshop as a participant.  
2. Apply to become a CARE facilitator
3. Receive the CARE Instructor’s Manual to become familiar with all the CARE components and philosophy.  
4.  Attend a four-day training (involves trainee presentation of material, feedback from Master facilitator and group)  
5. Facilitate and record a CARE workshop (reviewed by Master CARE facilitator for feedback). Note: If this workshop is conducted with 80% fidelity the trainee will be certified.   

 Note: An Affiliate Facilitator must be certified within 12 months following the first workshop observation (unless there are extenuating circumstances). If more than 12 months ensues before CAF certification, the CAF candidate leader will be required to begin the process again. 

Affiliate Trainer Certification is valid for a three-year period. When an AF is certified they are given access to (1) a unique website for CARE facilitators that provides extensive training materials for teachers, administrators and directors on the CARE model, (2) an email network of other certified facilitators where they can pose questions/thoughts and share learning with others, (3) occasional webinars for certified facilitators.

 CARE Affiliate Facilitator Recertification Process 

 To be re-certified a CAF will meet the following requirements:

• Provide evidence that the CAF has provided at least one full (3-day) workshop training each year during the past three years. This will be tracked by regular communication with the CAF and review of the workshop Training Evaluation sent to CREATE.
• Demonstrate competence through submission of a full one-day video of a training session and submission of workshop agenda and handouts. This video will be reviewed by a Master Trainer and feedback will be provided to the CAF. 

Roles & Responsibilities of Certified CARE Affiliate Facilitators  

Only CREATE-certified CAFs are qualified to conduct CARE workshops for the district or agency’s personnel. They may not train personnel from schools and community-based organizations outside the school district or agency without the authorization of CREATE. CREATE-approved workshop models may be used and CAFs must follow the prescribed agenda and timelines. To ensure a positive, effective workshop experience, participant numbers should be between 12-35.  

Once Certified, CAFs are required to do the following:  

• Conduct a minimum of one CARE workshop per year  
• Ensure training is conducted as outlined in the CARE Training Manual  
• Use the required program materials during the training and in follow-up consultation
• Provide consultation to site as needed on staff training, ongoing support, etc. 
• Submit brief progress reports describing program activities in each school/location that has been trained and that is receiving ongoing consultation by the Affiliate Facilitator  
• Submit copies of CARE evaluations for all trainings conducted  
• Issue certificates through TECPDS (allows for a view of CARE training data)  

Families

What will be required of me in this study?

We will not ask parents and their child to do anything for the study. Passive consent allows teachers to answer questions about the child’s classroom behavior.

What information on my child will be taken from this study?

No identifying child information will be taken or shared in this study beyond how their interactions with teachers change over the course of this study. All information we collect from teachers about your child will be kept confidential.

Why should I let my child participate in this study?

You will be helping future generations of children and teachers have excellent classroom interactions!