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in RESOURCES, SPOTLIGHT

Training and Change: New Rules, New Opportunities in 2024Featured

September 27, 2025
411

My name is Carmen Hernández, founder of the Asociación de Proveedoras Unidas and community coach committed to the professional development of educators in the state of Wisconsin. This year 2024 has been especially significant, as I have had the honor of facilitating in Spanish. The new fundamental training for early childhood educators in Milwaukee.

These trainings provide access to updated information, practical tools and spaces for professional dialogue, fostering the growth and strengthening of child care in our communities. Participants have demonstrated a high level of commitment, openness to learning, and passion for improving the educational quality of the children in their care.

Transformation in basic training

From January 2024, the basic training required to enter the child care field in Wisconsin were completely updated, marking a historical change after more than two decades without significant changes. One of the most important changes was the definitive elimination of free exams (challenge tests), whose last date to be completed was December 31, 2023.

Starting this year, all essential training must be completed without fail with a coach approved by the Department of Children and Families (DCF), either in a modality in person or live virtual, with immediate participation and feedback.

These new trainings include:

  • Introduction to the Childcare Profession (now lasting 50 hours)
  • Skills and Strategies for the Childcare Teacher
  • Fundamentals of Infant and Toddler Care
  • Fundamentals of Family Child Care
  • Principles of Child Care Certification

They have all been redesigned to be more dynamic, accessible, interactive and focused on the real needs of children, incorporating developmentally appropriate practices, cultural strategies and current contexts in the educational field.

Participation and empowerment

The sessions I have facilitated have had the enthusiastic participation of committed Hispanic educators with their professional development. Each meeting has been an opportunity to share experiences, learn from each other, and strengthen our identity as childcare professionals.

The photographs accompanying this article capture valuable moments of active learning: from group discussions and case analyses to the creation of teaching materials and presentations. These images not only show the work done, but also reflect the enthusiasm, dedication and collective effort of the participants, who proudly take firm steps towards excellence in their work.

Community involvement

The sessions I’ve facilitated have been well attended by Hispanic providers committed to their professional growth. The photos accompanying this article reflect the participants’ enthusiasm, dedication, and effort.

This work would not be possible without the commitment from DCF, The Registry, and partner agencies, who are working to raise the quality of early education in Wisconsin.

From the Asociación de Proveedoras Unidas, we will continue to promote accessible training spaces in Spanish for our communities.

“Educating with purpose is transforming lives. And every trained educator is a seed of change for the children we care for.” — Carmen Hernández, Registered Trainer with The Registry

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in ACTIVITIES, RESOURCES

The Power of Free Play: How to Strengthen Creativity and Critical Thinking in Early ChildhoodFeatured

September 27, 2025
489

In today’s world of busy schedules, structured routines, and academic standards, one of the most valuable and natural resources in children’s development is often underestimated: free play.

As a coach and founder of the Asociación de Proveedoras Unidas, I have witnessed the positive impact that free play has in classrooms and homes where childhood is honored with respect, curiosity, and freedom. This type of play, in which the child chooses what, how, and with whom to play, it’s much more than entertainment: is a fundamental tool for developing essential life skills.

What is free play?

Free play is spontaneous, undirected by adults, and is based on the initiative and imagination of the child. There are no specific instructions, imposed objectives, or specific materials. The child decides, explores, experiments, and repeats without fear of making mistakes.

This can be seen in actions as simple as building blocks, playing house, running outdoors, inventing characters, or transforming a cardboard box into a rocket ship. Each experience is loaded with deep and meaningful learning.

Benefits of Free Play

Numerous studies and child development experts agree that free play:

✓ Strengthens creativity and imagination

✓ Develop social skills such as negotiation, empathy and cooperation

✓ Promotes critical thinking and problem solving

✓ Supports emotional self-regulation and self-control

✓ Promotes independence, self-esteem and decision-making

How can we support free play in educational spaces?

As childcare providers, we have the power to create environments rich in opportunities for free play. Here are some strategies:

🎨 Provide open-ended materials: blocks, fabric, boxes, shapes, dirt, water, non-textbooks, etc.

🌱 Provide sufficient time without interruptions or rigid structures.

👀 Observe without directing: accompany the play without intervening, allowing the child to lead.

🏡 Value play as much as academic activities: play is also learning.

👧🏾👦🏻 Respect each child’s individual pace and personal interests.

The role of the adult: guiding without controlling

As adults, our role is not to direct the game, but to create the conditions for it to happen. Being present, available, and attentive allows children to feel safe exploring, imagining, and creating. Close observation gives us insights into their emotional, social, and cognitive development, without the need for direct assessment.

Exploring with Imagination: Free Play in Action

In this spontaneous activity, the children decided to build their own tent. Using sheets, cushions, and classroom furniture, they collaborated, shared ideas, and figured out how to set up their play space together. For over an hour, this ‘camp’ transformed into a house, a tent, a secret hideout… whatever their imaginations allowed!

This type of free play encourages creativity, critical thinking, communication, and autonomy. When we allow children to lead their own play, we give them the opportunity to learn with joy, depth, and meaning.

Conclusion

Promoting free play in our nurseries and early childhood centers does not mean regressing in learning; it is to move forward with purpose and awareness toward a healthier, more experiential, and truly meaningful childhood.

Let us always remember: when a child plays, they are rehearsing life.

Contribution by Carmen Hernandez – Registered Community Coach and Child Development Advocate

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in RESOURCES

The Voice of the Child: How to Listen to and Respect Their Ideas in Early ChildhoodFeatured

September 27, 2025
436

The importance of ongoing training for childcare providers

In early education, we talk a lot about what children need to learn, but we rarely stop to think about what they have to say. Even from the earliest years, children have their own thoughts, emotions, preferences, and ways of seeing the world. Listen to the child’s voice. It doesn’t just mean hearing his words, but giving value to their ideas, emotions, and choices.

What does “the voice of the child” mean?

The child’s voice is their unique way of communicating and actively participating in their environment. Sometimes they do this with words, but many other times they do it through play, drawing, gestures, glances, and even silence. Listening to children means observing carefully, asking respectful questions, and providing them with safe spaces where they feel seen and valued.

Why is it important?

When children feel their voice is heard:

✓ Increase yourself-esteem and sense of belonging

✓ Improve yourdecision-making abilityand resolve conflicts

✓ They develop more thinkingcritical and independent

✓ It strengthens therelationship with the adultbased on trust and respect

✓ Listening to the child is also a way to promoteequity and inclusion, as it teaches them that their opinion counts, regardless of their age, language or personality.

How can we do this in practice?

Here are some simple examples that we can apply in the classroom or in kindergarten:

🗯️ Ask open-ended questions: “What would you like to do today?” “How do you think we could solve that?”

🎨 Give real options: “Do you prefer to use crayons or paint?”, “Do you want to read or have me read to you?”

👀 Carefully observe their games, choices, and emotions

🤝 Create moments of authentic dialogue, where you know your opinion will not be corrected, but valued.

📋 Incorporate their ideas into your daily routine (how to choose songs, stories, materials)

Listening is educating with the heart

When we give space to the child’s voice, we are not only teaching skills; we are building a more respectful, fair, and empathetic world from childhood. The children who are listened to today will be the adults who know how to listen, dialogue, and build tomorrow.

Contribution by Carmen Hernandez – Registered Community Coach and Child Development Advocate

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