Happy Holidays from the VLS team! We appreciate all that you do to make the world a better place for children, families and staff. We are grateful for all the ways that you support military children and youth and strengthen the VLS project. This year, military child and youth professionals have earned more than 493,000 hours of professional development through the VLS. Thank you for your collaboration and for being part of our mission to support high quality programs across the world!
New Content
New Focused Topics Course Available
Family child care is a valuable resource to many families, including military families, as it plays a significant role in meeting their child care needs. Valuing and Building Family Child Care is a new Focused Topics course that explores the value of family child care (FCC) and examines the critical role that FCC coordinators play in recruiting and retaining high-quality FCC programs, as well as the unique supports FCC providers need.
For specific details regarding the new content, see the October 2023 New Focused Topics Course on Family Child Care announcement.
Selected Content Updates in Q4 2023
The VLS integrates the latest research and best practices into its professional development system on an ongoing basis. Our content team reviews new research and updates made to national guidelines. Selected content updates over the last three months include:
New Activities and Course Updates for Training & Curriculum Specialists
Four additional courses within the Training & Curriculum Specialist (T&CS) track have been updated to ensure that coaches have access to the most up-to-date research and relevant information in the field as they train and coach direct care staff. These updates can be found in the Safe Environments, Healthy Environments, Family Engagement, and Cognitive Development courses in the T&CS track.
For specific update highlights, see the T&CS Course Updates in November 2023 announcement.
Updates for Storing and Preparing Human Milk (Breastmilk)
Based on the latest guidelines and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, content addressing the preparation and storage of human milk (breastmilk) has been revised within the VLS. Updates include the recommendation to swirl the expressed breastmilk to mix the fat which may have separated before feeding the infant, as well as recommended temperature and storage times for best quality. These updates can be found in Lesson 5 of Healthy Environments (Infants & Toddler track), Lesson 5 of Healthy Environments (Family Child Care track), and Lesson 3 of Essentials in Child Care Food Service (Focused Topics).
A New Child Abuse Reporting Poster from the Department of Defense
The latest child abuse reporting poster from the Department of Defense (DoD) has now been added across all tracks of Child Abuse: Identification and Reporting, Safe Environments, and Child Abuse & Identification & Reporting for Support Staff. The poster can be downloaded and printed to post in your classroom or program to help everyone understand the seriousness of reporting suspected child abuse or neglect.