Trainings

Child Care & Early Learning

METC offers courses for Licensed and Licensed-Exempt / Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) Child Care providers. Check out the full listing of course descriptions and upcoming trainings below. Please note: For child care classes, we’re currently only offering trainings to the main family child care provider.

Find your specific learning path that aligns with your program goals and requirements by clicking each below. 

Additionally, check out the IL Gateways Training Guide. This chart indicates the DCFS Training Requirements for Licensed Family Child Care Providers. You can show this to your DCFS representative to illustrate that you met the requested requirements. Or if you need to sign up for any of these classes please register below. Questions? Please eamil our Child Care team at: [email protected].
Path A
Licensed-Exempt Programs / Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN)
Path B
Licensed-Exempt / Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) Seeking DCFS Licensure
Path C
Already DCFS Licensed Seeking Growth
Course List
Upcoming Trainings

These classes are free for CCAP providers like you and are paid for by our Child Care Training Fund, which we won in our Union contract. For many METC classes, you can receive a stipend for your time and participation. Some of the trainings we offer may help you achieve a credential, earn a rate add-on, or meet licensing requirements.

Bringing Books to Life 2 Part Session

Family child care providers will learn how to implement fun in reading for children in their program. You will learn how to create activities/lessons from books, engage children in story time, and how to build early learning literacy skills. Please note that this is a 2-session class.

Child Care Anxiety

Discover how to identify and support childhood anxiety in this training for early childcare providers, covering its manifestations across different ages, strategies for adapting routines and environments, and methods for documenting signs to collaborate with parents and community resources.

Child Development, Health, and Safety Basics

Explore child development, health, and safety from birth through early school age in this training, covering developmental patterns, nutrition, hygiene, disease prevention, emergency preparedness, and maintaining safe environments.

CPR/FA/AED Informational & Prep Session

In this 1.5-hour informational session, participants will receive instructions on taking the American Red Cross Blended CPR/FA/AED certification training.

Does This Child Have Autism?

ECE Credential Level 1 – Tier 1: Modules 1 – 2c

The ECE Credential Level 1 Training online is designed to introduce individuals to general child development, health and safety, school-age care, observation, environments for children, and the importance of relationships with children and their families.

ECE Credential Level 1 – Tier 2: Modules 3 – 6

ECE Credential Level 1 – Tier 3: Modules 7a – 9

Family Childcare and COVID Vaccine Informational Training

Family Childcare Behavioral Policy and Transition Planning

First Aid and CPR Certification (Adult / Pediatric)

Learn to recognize and respond to cardiac, breathing and first aid emergencies and to use an Automatic External Defibrillator.

Food Handler Informational & Test Prep

A 1.5-hour informational and test prep session for Servsafe Food Handler certification, covering online registration, class content, and evaluation, all at no cost, thanks to union-funded provider training.

Gateway ID Startup

Learn how to navigate the Gateways to Opportunities training system, designed for new providers to obtain a Gateway ID and understand training requirements and opportunities.

How to Teach Black History All Year Round

Implementing Sign Language in Early Childhood Settings

Research shows that teaching sign language to young children improves cognitive, emotional, communication and focusing skills. The purpose of this training is to review all the benefits of teaching ASL (American Sign Language) and practice strategies to implement it in early childhood settings through music, books and games.

Infant and Toddler Development

Come join METC to learn about the exciting childhood age development of infants and toddlers. Do you know this is the sensitive period of the human life span for learning and brain development? We will offer researched based information on a child’s early stages of development and how to build activities, lessons, and routines for…

Introduction to Virtual Learning Platforms & Online Tools

Discover Zoom's unique features and compare it to other platforms in this 2.5-hour course, where you'll learn to enhance online learning through polls, breakout rooms, screen sharing, and more.

Lead in Water: Protecting Illinois Children

This training assists child care providers in understanding and complying with DCFS rules for testing drinking water for lead, including how to collect samples and access available resources.

Managing The Terrible Twos

Toddlers are explorers and curious like scientists! Come join METC’s new and free class to learn how to work with toddlers and understand their temperament. You will learn in depth the developmental stage of toddlers and create routines, activities, and solutions to help support toddlers in your program.  This class is opened to all family…

Mandated Reporter Plus Implicit Bias

Marketing Strategies For Family Child Care

Learn effective strategies to market your childcare business and establish a unique brand in this Marketing training, focusing on using social media, websites, creating a parent persona, and building trust with parents.

Mindfulness Practice: Meditation

Explore mindfulness practice and meditation in this training, where you'll learn its history, benefits, and application in the classroom for children aged 2 and up, including techniques for staff and parents to help children and adults manage stress and enhance mental and physical health.

Observing and Documenting Children’s Behavior

Observing and Documenting Children’s Development

Planning Activities for Family Childcare

Do you wonder how to implement activities for mixed age children in your family childcare program? Well look no further, METC is offering a free and brand-new class to help you plan activities for children in your care. You will review how to create activities to keep children engaged and learning while having fun! This…

Positive Communication Skills for Child Care Providers

Understand how different communication styles impact interpersonal relationships in this training, focusing on Direct, Spirited, Considerate, and Systematic styles, their strengths, challenges, and how awareness of these styles can enhance communication and reduce misunderstandings.

Preventable & Unexplained Tragedies (Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)/Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)/ Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID)/Safe Sleep)

This training discusses Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), and Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) and Safe Sleep. The training discusses traumatic brain injury; including behaviors that increase the risk of SIDS, safe sleep habits, licensing standards, and resources for further information. Second half of training discusses signs, symptoms, causes, triggers, prevention,…

Reading Fun While Building Literacy Skills

Smart Start Workforce Grants

Calling all Licensed Family Child Care Providers! The Smart Start Workforce Grants Application Round 1 is opening July 1, 2024 – July 31, 2024.

Social and Emotional Development: How it survives and grows in a new form

Learn to support the social and emotional development of children, their families, and providers during a pandemic in this training, which offers resources, tips for building stronger bonds, and emphasizes the importance of self-care and self-compassion.

Strengthen and Grow Grant Training

This training will provide you with a detailed overview of how to apply for the Strengthen and Grow Child Care Grant.

Strengthening Business Practices

Teaching Black History to Promote Self-Esteem

The Child Care Educator: Transforming Your Child Care Program-Part 1

The Child Care Educator: Transforming Your Child Care Program-Part 2

The Importance of Perseverance

This training provides an overview of persevering practices supportive of balancing school, home, and work life. Participants focus on the numerous benefits of perseverance, the concept of a Growth Mindset, and the decrease of stressors when the triad of boundaries exist for the life’s professionals manipulate.

The Importance of Play in Child’s Development (Spanish Only)

Play improves the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and young people. Through play, children learn about the world and themselves. They also learn skills they need for study, work and relationships such as: confidence. This training will provide the benefits, characteristics and stages of play in early childhood.

Understanding the Affects of ACES in Children’s Development

Join this impactful training to understand and address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and their effect on child development, featuring discussions, videos, and strategies to combat this national crisis through awareness and action.

Why do Toddlers Bite?

Join METC in learning the developmental stages of toddlerhood. We will review the reasons why toddlers bite and share healthy coping tools to support children who bite. Instructors will provide advice and tips to support our young children. This class is for all family child care providers. Please note that this class is only available…

Working with Children with Different Behavior Styles

This training will provide information regarding typical and atypical social and emotional development in young children,  internalized and externalized behaviors and the different temperament styles. Participants will be able to identify strategies to promote positive relationships, interactions and self regulation skills. The seven types of behavior disorders will be discussed.

Yoga and Mindfulness For Children

Come join METC’s new class to learn the benefits of practicing yoga and mindfulness for children.

Positive Communication Skills for Child Care Providers

Register

40951

Positive Communication Skills for Child Care Providers

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 2: Modules 3 - 6

Register

40975

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 2: Modules 3 - 6

Strengthening Business Practices

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40976

Strengthening Business Practices

Strengthening Business Practices

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40943

Strengthening Business Practices

Reading Fun While Building Literacy Skills

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40945

Reading Fun While Building Literacy Skills

Infant and Toddler Development

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40972

Infant and Toddler Development

Implementing Sign Language in Early Childhood Settings

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40938

Implementing Sign Language in Early Childhood Settings

Introduction to Virtual Learning Platforms & Online Tools

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40959

Introduction to Virtual Learning Platforms & Online Tools

The Importance of Perseverance

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40977

The Importance of Perseverance

Child Development, Health, and Safety Basics

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40957

Child Development, Health, and Safety Basics

Mandated Reporter Plus Implicit Bias

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40937

Mandated Reporter Plus Implicit Bias

Lead in Water: Protecting Illinois Children

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40921

Lead in Water: Protecting Illinois Children

First Aid and CPR Certification (Adult / Pediatric)

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40944

First Aid and CPR Certification (Adult / Pediatric)

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 3: Modules 7a - 9

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40942

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 3: Modules 7a - 9

Understanding the Affects of ACES in Children's Development

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40974

Understanding the Affects of ACES in Children's Development

Mindfulness Practice: Meditation

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40971

Mindfulness Practice: Meditation

Social and Emotional Development: How it survives and grows in a new form

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40935

Social and Emotional Development: How it survives and grows in a new form

Marketing Strategies For Family Child Care

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40947

Marketing Strategies For Family Child Care

Mandated Reporter Plus Implicit Bias

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40931

Mandated Reporter Plus Implicit Bias

Managing The Terrible Twos

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40939

Managing The Terrible Twos

Preventable & Unexplained Tragedies (Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)/Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)/ Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID)/Safe Sleep)

Register

40970

Preventable & Unexplained Tragedies (Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)/Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)/ Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID)/Safe Sleep)

Family Childcare Behavioral Policy and Transition Planning

Register

40940

Family Childcare Behavioral Policy and Transition Planning

Introduction to Virtual Learning Platforms & Online Tools

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40969

Introduction to Virtual Learning Platforms & Online Tools

Bringing Books to Life 2 Part Session

Register

40973

Bringing Books to Life 2 Part Session

Bringing Books to Life 2 Part Session

Register

40946

Bringing Books to Life 2 Part Session

Gateway ID Startup

Register

40922

Gateway ID Startup

Yoga and Mindfulness For Children

Register

40932

Yoga and Mindfulness For Children

Child Development, Health, and Safety Basics

Register

40958

Child Development, Health, and Safety Basics

Family Childcare Behavioral Policy and Transition Planning

Register

40941

Family Childcare Behavioral Policy and Transition Planning

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 1: Modules 1 - 2c

Register

41285

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 1: Modules 1 - 2c

Gateway ID Startup

Register

41247

Gateway ID Startup

Understanding the Affects of ACES in Children's Development

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41267

Understanding the Affects of ACES in Children's Development

Understanding the Affects of ACES in Children's Development

Register

41254

Understanding the Affects of ACES in Children's Development

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 1: Modules 1 - 2c

Register

41258

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 1: Modules 1 - 2c

Social and Emotional Development: How it survives and grows in a new form

Register

41279

Social and Emotional Development: How it survives and grows in a new form

Bringing Books to Life 2 Part Session

Register

41272

Bringing Books to Life 2 Part Session

Observing and Documenting Children's Development

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41255

Observing and Documenting Children's Development

Mandated Reporter Plus Implicit Bias

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41264

Mandated Reporter Plus Implicit Bias

Child Development, Health, and Safety Basics

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41246

Child Development, Health, and Safety Basics

Introduction to Virtual Learning Platforms & Online Tools

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41278

Introduction to Virtual Learning Platforms & Online Tools

Mandated Reporter Plus Implicit Bias

Register

41251

Mandated Reporter Plus Implicit Bias

Preventable & Unexplained Tragedies (Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)/Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)/ Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID)/Safe Sleep)

Register

41248

Preventable & Unexplained Tragedies (Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)/Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)/ Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID)/Safe Sleep)

Does This Child Have Autism?

Register

41256

Does This Child Have Autism?

First Aid and CPR Certification (Adult / Pediatric)

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41286

First Aid and CPR Certification (Adult / Pediatric)

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 2: Modules 3 - 6

Register

41273

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 2: Modules 3 - 6

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 2: Modules 3 - 6

Register

41271

ECE Credential Level 1 - Tier 2: Modules 3 - 6

Strengthening Business Practices

Register

41274

Strengthening Business Practices

Strengthening Business Practices

Register

41268

Strengthening Business Practices

After taking an ECE Credential course, I appreciated the input from the other participants. We formed a close learning community from the training event. A learned skill that I will implement in my program was to focus on higher direct engagement with the school age children and allowing for more independent activities.
Kenyatta Draper
Child Care