The Financial Louisville Alliance for Development through Diversity, Empowerment, and Resources (LADDER) began a collaboration in 2015 with the purpose of increasing the financial capability of individuals with and without disabilities.
Our mission: To Create a Community-wide Culture of Financial Inclusiveness and Accessibility that Serves the Diverse Louisville Metro Population.
Special Thanks
To Jeff White of the Kentucky State Division for Developmental Disabilities and Intellectual Disabilities (DDID) for providing much of the content within this workbook.
And, to the following individuals who contributed to the content, layout, and review of this guide:
Joseph Cecil
Natasha Krider
Tina Lentz
Dave Matheis
Lucy Miller
Breanne Nugent
Marlene Ulisky
Caitlin Willenbrink
The creation of this course with made possible by a grant through the National Disability Institute’s Lead Center for economic excellence and KentuckyWorks, funded by the US Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Administration for Community Living..
The LEAD Center is a collaborative of disability, workforce and economic empowerment organizations dedicated to a single mission: advancing sustainable individual and systems level change to improve competitive, integrated employment and economic self-sufficiency for all people across the spectrum of disability.
Before We Begin…
The information in this course gives an introductory overview of how earned income affects eligibility for and entitlement to social security disability benefits and supplemental security income.
Our objectives are:
to clarify the facts about the impact of work upon disability benefits and supplemental security income benefits and
to provide you with the basic knowledge to make an informed decision about how obtaining employment may affect your financial situation.
Syllabus
Lesson 1: Getting Started
Lesson 2: Earned Income’s Effect on Benefits
Lesson 3: Incentives & Safety Nets
Lesson 4: Next Steps & Resource Listing
Legend
Stop & Think
Throughout the workbook, you’ll see a paper and pencil. When you see this image, you will have the opportunity to stop, think about what you learn, and put it into practice.
Explore
Anytime you see a compass, we provide a web resource so you may go online to learn more about the topic.
Follow-Up
An exclamation mark indicates an important item that may require additional follow-up between you and a CWIC.
Congratulations, you have nearly made it through the course requirements.
The anonymous course evaluation is available by clicking here. We ask that you please submit honest feedback, we love to hear from you.
If you have additional questions about the content, feel free to use the contact us button below and we will have the appropriate staff get back with you.
You must complete the final assessment at a score of 80% before you can access your certificate.
Read this Introductory section and print out a handout.
Complete a final assessment which must be passed at 80% or higher to complete the course. The final assessment may be retaken multiple times until a score of 80% has been achieved.
If you encounter any problems, us the Contact Us at the bottom of any page.
Optional Course Presentations
Each lesson and topic in the course will have a link to an optional presentation to watch.
Closed captioning for the narration is available. Click on the Notes tab to the right of the presentation to enable.
Most sections will allow you to close and then return at a later time.
See additional features in the image below.
This course has interactive content displayed in HTML5. Know that it might take a moment for the content to load, depending on your internet connection and browser. If you would like to test your browser’s compatibility with HTML5, please click here. What does the HTML5 test mean? Scores under 350 points will likely not have full functionality of the content. We would recommend using an alternate browser or device. Please note: the most compatible browser is Google Chrome though Firefox and later versions of Internet Explorer are also compatible.
Now, click on Overview & Call to Action to move to the next part of the course.
Our attitudes about food and food preferences begin to develop in early childhood. As adults and caregivers how we interact with children around food and nutrition can influence their habits and behaviors.
Consider your own food story.
Update your handout, page 2 with your reflection before moving to the next lesson.
In this lesson, we have reviewed how each resource can be used to support the nutrition environment in early care and education. Check your handout pages 17 – 18 to make any additional notations before moving to the next lesson.
Let’s wrap up this course with a final discussion on how we can partner with families to ensure the healthy habits formed at your center are also being practiced at home. Click on the topic below for more.
This training is intended to help you as you implement the Kentucky All STARS Standards. We hope that you have gathered new information and are eager to start your journey in Kentucky All STARS. Please check out the following resources for additional information and help.
Child Care Aware Coaches
Technical assistance offered by Child Care Aware coaches is collaborative and relationship-based. They offer assistance and support designed for professionals working in early care and education (ECE) including child care providers and trainers. Coaches work with you free of charge. Four different coaching types offer personalized TA based on your needs and goals.
Health and Safety Coaches Technical assistance related to child care licensing standards, and establishing and maintaining licensing for providers.
Professional Development Coaches Technical assistance related to professional development and scholarships (college and non-college) for existing and potential early care and education scholars.
Quality Coaches Technical assistance related to achieving and maintaining a rating in Kentucky All STARS, Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System. Providing Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) to increase the level of quality care provided for young children.
Training Coaches Technical assistance to current and recruitment of potential early care and education trainers to ensure that technical assistance for current credentialed trainers on instructional design, training development and delivery including required observations for credential renewal. Recruitment of prospective early care and education trainers to ensure that training needs are met in the region.
Are broad areas of quality based on a specific area of quality in early childhood education.
Standards:
Break a domain into individual statements of quality that early care and education programs should aspire to demonstrate to achieve the highest levels of quality.
The All STARS Standards are divided into four domains:
Family and Community Engagement
Classroom and Instructional Quality
Staff Qualifications and Professional Development
Administrative and Leadership Practices
Within your handout is a place to make notes along with some of the definitions relevant to several standards. Use the handout and definitions page as you move through the next All STARS Standards.
Who wants a program that has better relationships with families, partners with families, and shares important information with families?
Where children have improved thinking skills, increased developmental skills, and better relationships with other kids?
Where teachers feel valued, respected, and enjoy working with children?
Chances are you responded, “I do!” to each of the questions above. If so, Kentucky’s All STARS rating system could help. Kentucky All STARS is Kentucky’s expanded five-star quality rating and improvement system for early care and education programs.
The unified All STARS system serves all early care and education programs that receive public funding including child care centers, Head Start, in-home providers, and public preschool.
Kentucky All STARS:
Enhances the quality of early care and education settings for all children throughout the state of Kentucky.
Incorporates standards that will promote school readiness for all children through the addition of assessment and screening standards.
Ensures that quality care will be available to all children, especially children at risk because of a variety of circumstances.
Kentucky All STARS is based on Kentucky’s Early Childhood Standards and research-based indicators of quality. Programs who participate in Kentucky All STARS show their commitment to quality early childhood environments.
Kentucky All STARS standards are based on 4 specific domains. Within each domain are different indicators (more on that later).
Family and Community Engagement
Classroom and Instructional Quality
Staff Qualifications and Professional Development
Administrative and Leadership Practices
Programs who choose to participate at a Level 3 or higher has also had their program environment observed using the appropriate Environmental Rating Scale.
Connect with a Child Care Aware Quality Coach for individualized support and information on strategies for creating appropriate learning environments for infants and toddlers. You can find your region’s Quality Coach at ChildCareAwareKY.org.
Routines and transitions are an important part of each child’s day. Learn how you can use our daily schedule to help children navigate the day’s routines and transitions.
Learning by using the senses is the key focus of the art area. This video lesson will give you some starter ideas for materials and highlight some of the skills those materials can help to build.
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Using the Toys and Materials list, list 4 art and sensory materials you could provide for your infant/toddler classroom.
Creating a nature and science interest area can help a child develop observation and exploration skills. This lesson provides ideas for creating one for the children you work with.
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Using the Toys and Materials list, make a list of 4 science and nature materials you could provide for your infant/toddler classroom.
Pretend play is vital to a child’s development. In this video, we explore how you can enhance the pretend play of infants and toddlers.
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Using the Toys and Materials list, make a list of at least 2 block play and 2 dramatic play materials you could provide for your infant/toddler classroom.
