Bananas

BANANAS is offering Eastmont Library Child Care Referrals every 1st Monday of the month! Our bilingual Spanish-speaking Referral Counselor will provide free, one-on-one referral counseling. Stop by to learn about the different types of care available and find out if you are eligible for child care subsidies. Our counselor will listen to your individual needs and preferences and help you connect with a provider who is right for your family. Our counselors are knowledgeable about every option, from in-home caregivers to family child care programs to center-based care and more. It doesn’t matter if your child is a newborn or a toddler, we will provide a wealth of child care possibilities. Whether you are looking for care on a regular, ongoing schedule or are searching for someone who can provide child care for unpredictable hours, we can offer support. Information about the parent education program will also be included. Drop by or RSVP to let us know you’ll be coming to meet with a counselor. We look forward to seeing you and helping you to connect with a child care provider that meets your family’s needs. Babies and children are welcome to come too! For more information, contact Debby Alvarez at BANANAS (debby@bananasbunch.org, 510-658-7353 x. 111).

If you have an infant, we are here to support you! Whether you are going to work, pursuing educational goals, or balancing a variety of responsibilities, we know that finding reliable, nurturing care for your infant is a top priority. Choosing the right child care fit for your baby can be a difficult decision. There are a lot of things to consider, such as the cost, hours, and type of child care that is best for your family. You may have questions about the differences between a family child care, a center, an in-home caregiver, a nanny share, or other available options. With so many types of care to choose from, many parents aren’t even sure where to start. At Choosing Infant Care, we’ll discuss each type of care so you can connect with the right provider who fits your individual needs.

Facilitator Judy Kriege brings years of experience in early education and child care referral counseling and is able to provide information and answer your questions or speak to your concerns. This is a great opportunity to meet other new and expectant parents and learn all there is to know about choosing infant care. Babies are welcome to attend!

This directors’ roundtable will focus on planning! We’ll outline the 2017-18 BANANAS Directors’ Roundtable events and develop key topics/interest areas for the next year. At this month’s roundtable, you’ll also be able to give feedback about the impact of past roundtable meetings, reflect on what’s working with our meeting structure, and, more importantly, identify ways the roundtable can grow and/or change to support you as center directors in your leadership positions. Join us to ask questions, share experiences, brainstorm, and learn from other center directors while enjoying a light lunch.

These events are held quarterly, on the second Thursday of July, October, January, and April to discuss a variety of topics around running a successful child care center. The focus of each roundtable event rotates depending on what is most relevant in the field of early learning and your own areas of interest. We invite you to join us whether you are a veteran center director or aspire to become one. The more voices and perspectives we have, the more we can learn from one another and provide the best care for children and systems for staff. Previous topics have included updates from Community Care Licensing, how to find and retain staff, and how to be leaders for positive change.

If you’re thinking of hiring a nanny, then this is the workshop for you! At this event, Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network will talk about the legal details of being an employer, including your rights and responsibilities. By offering a variety of resources such as tips for establishing wages, how to ensure a fair and safe workplace, and best practices for evaluating employee-employer arrangements, the network will set you up with all the tools you need.  They’ll also offer ideas on how to create a positive, long-term relationship with your employee. You will have a chance to talk about your own experiences, ask questions, and share concerns. This will be a safe space to learn from other parents who have hired a nanny or in-home child care provider.

This CPR & First Aid Training course meets the California State regulations for child care providers. You will practice life-saving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and care for choking on manikins. First Aid teaches injury prevention and how to respond to emergencies and accidents. This class covers age birth to adult, though emphasis is placed on pediatric ages cared for in child care programs. This is a two-year certification.

When combined with the Preventive Health class, it meets the state licensing requirement of 16 hours to operate a child care program.

BANANAS offers a discounted price of $135 for providers who enroll in both the CPR First Aid & Preventive Health modules at the same time. If you would like to enroll for both classes, please call us for the discount code.

• You can either register online or come in person to BANANAS and a staff member will help you register. (Make checks or money orders payable to BANANAS). Do not mail it. Register early. No cash payments. You will receive a confirmation of your registration.
• There are NO REFUNDS.
• The fee for the courses covers the cost of books, CPR & First Aid Certificates, and EMSA stickers.
• Please arrive 15 minutes prior to class to allow ample time for registration. NO LATE ARRIVALS WILL BE ADMITTED.
• No infants or children are allowed to accompany participants.
• Wear comfortable clothes and bare lips. You will be practicing CPR on the floor and sharing mannequins.
• There is a lunch break during these classes. Please bring your own lunch.
• You may be eligible for a scholarship. You must pay for the course and then apply for the scholarship after successfully completing it. Scholarship applications will be available from the instructor the day of the class.
• If you live or work in Berkeley, we offer scholarships year round thanks to funding from the Bayer Corporation. To receive the scholarship call us for the coupon code. You will be asked to verify your home or work address.
• These classes are offered on different dates in Spanish and Chinese. CPR & First Aid is offered in Vietnamese.

In this series about addressing racism, we will look at ourselves, what we know, and how we are affected by racism. We will explore privilege and racism and how they impact both us and our children. This will be a chance to identify and undo racism as we examine the underlying societal and personal causes behind it. There is no requirement to attend all three workshops since each one will focus on a different type of personal work and reflection as well as a different type of skill-building. However, if you do choose to attend all three, you will be able to build on what was discussed in previous trainings. As child care providers, this is a truly important topic to discuss. While working with diverse groups of children, we want to be sure we are aware of our own thoughts and feelings and to take the time to reflect on how we can best nurture our youngest learners with love and understanding. We hope you’ll join us for these truly relevant workshops that will not only present a chance to grow and learn, but also provide an opportunity to build strong community with other child care providers.

Series dates: 6/15, 7/20, & 8/17

Note: This series of workshops replaces the Addressing Racism Support Groups listed in our printed catalog.

Are you thinking of opening your own family child care program? If so, this free event is just for you! At this workshop, an experienced staff member will give an overview of each required step in the licensing process. Our bi-lingual facilitator will cover information on health and safety trainings, application submissions, an orientation and follow-up appointment with Community Care Licensing (CCL), how to assess your budgeting needs and potential expenses, and what to think about as you plan your new business venture. There will also be discussion around teacher-child ratios, yearly schedules and vacation days, and how to establish rates for clients. Many aspiring family child care business owners have lots of questions about setting up home environments as spaces for learning, so our instructor will allow for plenty of Q&A time at the workshop as well. This will also include conversation about the impact on other people living in your home and how to best arrange the business in a way that will accommodate residents and clients alike.

Note: To get a family child care license, you have to go to a Community Care Licensing orientation. Be sure to pre-register and pre-pay the $25 fee to attend by calling CCL at 510-622-2602 or going to www.ccld.ca.gov