Caddo Kiowa Technology Center.

Caddo Kiowa Technology Center. CADDO KIOWA TECHNOLOGY CENTER (CKTC) IN FORT COBB, OKLAHOMA,provides training in more than 20 programs for adults and high schoolstudents. The high school students, from 14 school districts inSouthwest Oklahoma, may enroll in their junior and senior years. Amongthe programs offered at CKTC is the early childhood development andservices program. It is a Three Star Program, which means that it meetsmore than just the minimum licensing requirements; it is not onlynationally accredited, but it includes additional quality criteria. CKTCis accredited by the North Central Association Commission onAccreditation and School Improvement, and, in addition, the earlychildhood development program is accredited by the NationalAccreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs. The 2,100-hour program has summer and evening classes and onlineclasses available as part of Early Education: Pathway to CDA (ChildDevelopment Associate, a national credential). The courses includeProviding for Children's Health and Safety, Promoting GoodNutrition, Providing an Environment for Learning, Applying ChildDevelopment Concepts, Ensuring Developmentally Appropriate Practices,Developing Program Plans, Involving Parents and the Community, andMaintaining Record Keeping. There are two units on guiding children, and three courses oncaring for children of different ages. There is also a unit on caringfor special needs children. The last three units are Preparing for theRole of Master Teacher, Developing as an Early Education Professional,and Preparing for CDA. College credit is also available in the program through cooperativeagreements between CKTC and Redlands Community College and WesternOklahoma State College. The college courses available are Behavior andGuidance of Young Children; Child Growth and Development; Special NeedsChildren; Parent and Community Relations; Music, Movement and CreativeArts; Nutrition, Health and Safety; Portfolio Development; and ProgramPlanning. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Obama Administration's Early Childhood Initiative notesthat the years before a child reaches kindergarten are among the mostcritical in his or her life to influence learning, and the President isurging states to develop programs to improve outcomes and opportunitiesfor children and to impose high standards for early childhood education.The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services are alsoworking together to ensure that our children will have "a strongfoundation in both the educational and the social-emotional domains thatprovide children with the preparation they need to enter kindergartenready for success." The Caddo Kiowa Technology Center is helping build the educationfoundation for students in the early childhood development and servicesprogram that will in turn help them meet the challenge for building thestrong foundation for their own young students. For more information about Caddo Kiowa Technology Center and itsearly childhood development and services program, visitwwvLf.caddokioufa.com.