Montana Child Care Licensing Orientation Courses-For New Providers

See child care FAQs for information on required classes for all new staff in Montana child care. *New Staff Orientation is listed under "What Courses are Required?".

• New Staff Health & Safety Orientation
• Infant Safety Essentials: Practices including Safe Sleep and Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome
• Together We Grow

**Don’t forget to take the in-person class at your local Resource and Referral Agency.** See here

Montana STARS Courses

These courses meet requirements for the Best Beginnings STARS to Quality program.

STARS courses are free for providers and staff who live in the state of Montana.

• Building Skills and Safe Spaces (For Child Care Providers)
• Developmental Screening: Develop a process to identify and support individual child development, promote family engagement, and enhance program quality
• Healthy Smiles: Promoting Oral Health in Child Care
• Food Safety in Child Care
• Inclusion 1 & 2
• Introduction to the Pyramid Model
• Medication Administration in Child Care - Part II
• Montana Early Learning Standards
• STARS to Quality Essentials

Family, Friend, and Neighbor/Relative Care Exempt Providers

The following 2 courses are required as Orientation requirements for Family, Friend, Neighbor and Relative Care Exempt providers.

Please note these classes are not for family/group, or center staff.

• Fundamentals of Family, Friend, and Neighbor/Relative Care Exempt Providers Orientation
• Health and Safety Overview for Family, Friend, and Neighbor/Relative Care Exempt Providers

Child Growth & Development

• Active, Willful, Curious, Unpredictable Two-Year-Old Children
• How Boys and Girls Learn Differently *Fully Automated
• Inexpensive, Safe, Learning and Play Activity Tips from Ms. Sue!
• Introduction to Reggio Emilia *Fully Automated
• Let’s Think About It! Fostering Critical Thinking Skills in Early Childhood
• Look Who’s Talking: Language Development in Infants and Toddlers *Fully Automated
• No Child Left Inside! *Fully Automated
• Pathway to Kindergarten
• Terrific Twos: A Survival Guide *Fully Automated

Child Guidance

• Behavior and Classroom Management Through a Gender Lens *Fully Automated
• Building Skills Through Block Play
• Positive Guidance in Early Childhood Settings*Fully Automated
• What’s With This Biting?

Curriculum

• A Beautiful Mess: Art for Infants and Toddlers
• Gettin’ Out There: The How, Why, and Where of Field Trips
• It’s Not Magic: Using Curriculum and Assessment
• Loose Parts - Explorations with Infants and Toddlers
• Loose Parts - Inspired Play Experiences with Found Objects
• Loose Parts STEM Explorations
• Making Math Count
• Montessori Math: What is it any way? *Fully Automated
• Open Ended Art: The Power of the Process *Fully Automated
• Responsive Lesson Planning for Infants and Toddlers
• Strategies for Teaching our Youngest Boys and Girls *Fully Automated

Environmental Design

• Deliberate Designs - Learning and Play Environments
• Exceptional Early Childhood Environments: Practices that engage, enrich and empower *Fully Automated

Diversity

• Full Spectrum Support

Family & Community Partnerships

• Building Partnerships with Families *Fully Automated
• Supporting Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness

Health and Well-being

• Around the Table*Fully Automated
• Brain Foods
• Balanced Blood Sugar for a Balanced Life *Fully Automated
• Child Abuse and Neglect: Mandatory Reporting
• Health and Safety Review 2019-2022 Not For New Staff Orientation
• High Energy with High Fiber *Fully Automated
• Introduction to Skilled Therapy in a Care Provider Facility and Red Flag Warnings*Fully Automated
• Mood and Food *Fully Automated
• Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases & Immunizations *Fully Automated
• Protecting Children from Harm *Fully Automated
• Gluten Free Guide *Fully Automated
• Growing Healthy Youngsters from Seed to Plate
• I Don’t Like That! A Guide to Picky Eating
• Intuitive Eating and Body Positivity in the Classroom *Fully Automated
• Lil' Kids Cook Too! *Fully Automated
• Medication Administration in Child Care Part 1 *Fully Automated
• M’mm-M’mm Good! Creative Snacks!
• Montana Moves
• Sources, Signals, and Solutions: Food Allergies & Intolerances
• Staying Healthy*Fully Automated
• The Importance of Healthy Fats for Developing Minds and Bodies
• The Importance of Healthy Fats for Developing Minds and Bodies *Fully Automated
• The Sweet and Sour on Sugar
• Top Tips for Tiny Tummies
• Outdoor Environments
• Vegetable Variety

Observation, Documentation, and Assessment

• Observation: The Why, What, When, Who, Where, How, and Then

Professionalism

• Discussing Equity in Early Childhood Education *Fully Automated
• Ethics in Early Childhood Education *Fully Automated
• Foundations for Trainers
• I DO THAT! Linking Early Childhood Theories to Practice *Fully Automated
• Introduction to the Montana Early Childhood Project
• Is This Appropriate? Understanding Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Education *Fully Automated
• Leading the Way: Defining Your Leadership Role in Early Childhood
• Training Strategies

Program Management

• Best Beginnings Scholarship Basics for Providers
• Family Child Care Contracts and Policies*Fully Automated
• Family Child Care Record Keeping and Taxes *Fully Automated
• How to Make a Profit in Child Care