Page 26 - BTC Yearbook 2016

Happy Anniversary BTC!

Educare Atlanta Educare
The Educare Learning Network is thrilled to have incorporated the Central Maine Educare
Touchpoints Approach in 14 of our Educare Schools over the past Chicago Educare Denver
seven years. Educare Kansas City
Educare Miami-Dade
Year by year, and school by school, we recognize that the spirit of Educare Milwaukee
Touchpoints is positively impacting our direct work with families by Educare New Orleans
impacting our schools’ culture, our approaches to professional Educare Oklahoma City Educare
development and our work with each other. Omaha at Indian Hill Educare
Omaha at Kellom Educare Tulsa
Most importantly, we celebrate witnessing what parents bring to their at Hawthorne Educare
relationships with their children--openness; empathy; perspective; Washington D.C.
understanding; and encouragement along the journey of growth, Educare West DuPage
development and learning.

For our schools, our staff, our parents and our children,
Touchpoints has fostered an appreciation that we are all in a dynamic process of change with
experiences and lessons from the past lighting the way for the future.

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At the end of this year (our 7 year) of implementing Touchpoints-informed practices, we have reached
2,190 children (combined 856 EHS and 1,337 HS) and their families enrolled throughout the 14 Educare
Schools.

• Since 2009, our 40 active Touchpoints Trainers have provided school-based ILT trainings to
over 1,000 Educare staff. Our trainers consist of Educare school directors, master teachers,
classroom teachers, family support supervisors and family support staff. Our trainees include
school staff from all roles and at all levels, from school directors to front desk staff.
• In order to provide twice a month dedicated Touchpoints Reflective Mentoring to each new
group trained during an ILT, we have developed a cadre of 45 “Peer Mentors”. Peer Mentors
have previously been ILT-trained and have completed their own year of Touchpoints Reflective
Mentoring. The peer mentors partner with trainers to provide ongoing Touchpoints Reflective
Mentoring and support to their school colleagues.
• The Educare Learning Network offers 6 webinars for our trainers and mentors each year
and an annual webinar for school directors to support their ongoing efforts.
• Individual schools have developed many approaches for sustaining Touchpoints-
informed practice, through exploration of the Touchpoints Guiding Principles, Parent
Assumptions and Provider Assumptions in a variety of regular venues.

We have learned much from school leaders and staff in the course of our working together and through
their contributions to an ongoing longitudinal evaluation conducted by BTC now ending its sixth year.
Ultimately we have learned the most important lessons from parents:

“I realize now that parenting is a series of trial and errors. This brings me relief, it makes it easier to
appreciate how we are doing. I didn’t realize how feeling better about myself as a parent made me feel
better about myself as a woman. I have a 4 year old who feels successful and this makes me feel
successful, not just as a mom, but in other challenges I take on in life.”