You are invited to join the Public Awareness and Education Committee outreach efforts in Raleigh. This committee organized a meeting with Representative’s White and Reeder to be held on April 4th at 1 pm in Raleigh.
Goals of this meeting are to share the highlights of CCHC works. Everyone is invited to share their experiences and dedication to the field. This is a great opportunity to network with other CCHC’s and meet Representatives that support the work of the CCHC.
Send us a message at NCCCHCA@outlook.com for more information.
The CCHC Association Certification Committee congratulates our recently Certified/Endorsed CCHCs!
Jennifer Bruni – Henderson, Polk, Rutherford
Katie Gaddy – Mecklenburg
LaKeasha Glaspie – New Hanover, Pender
Robin Worley – Buncombe
Sharleen Laporte – Lee, Harnett
The North Carolina Child Care Health Consultant Certification and Technical Assistance Endorsement (CCHC-C/E) verifies that a qualified health professional has met the requirements established by the NCCCHCA and the NC Institute for Child Development Professionals.
The inaugural event was held Monday, October 17, 2022 at Southwestern Community College’s Jackson Campus
The NC Division of Child Development and Early Education (NCDCDEE) requires a certain number of training hours per year based on facility license as well as staff education and experience. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more difficult or educators to obtain these required hours.
CCHC Cassie Rogers, CCHC Megan Cagle with Registered Environmental Health Specialist Travis Monteith
Child Care Health Consultants and Association members Meagan Cagle (Jackson & Swain Counties) and Cassie Rogers (Haywood County), and Registered Environmental Health Specialist Travis Monteith from the Jackson County Department of Public Health saw the need for trainings for early educators in the region.
This event provided 164 early educators in Jackson, Haywood, Swain, Macon, Cherokee, Clay and Graham Counties with eight free hours of professional development, and was sponsored by grant funds through the Jackson County Department of Public Health.
There were 13 speakers who generously donated their time and expertise, ensuring early educators in the region received professional development directly related to their field. Lunch and goodie bags were provided to participants as a small display of gratitude to early educators for providing nurturing and safe care to our region’s most vulnerable population, our children.
We love to share the amazing work CCHCs do! If you have something you would like to share, just contact us with some basic information. A member of the website committee will then follow up with you. It only takes a minute and the committee would love to hear from you and share our members accomplishments.
The 2022 Annual CCHC Conference was a great success. Many CCHCs enjoyed connecting for the first time in person and reconnecting with old friends. We were able to celebrate recent graduates and learn the latest information from experts from DCDEE, Environmental Health, Equity Research Action Coalition, and the Division of Child and Family Well Being. Attendees were encouraged and uplifted by speakers. Thank you to all the CCHCs who attended for making the first in person conference in three years a success! View the selfies from the conference
The Association would also like to congratulate our newly elected Vice-Chair, Sheena Butler and Treasurer, Farran Rhyne. Please reach out to any of the Association officers or contact us here if you would like to become involved with your association.
Association Chair Chrissy Wolfe welcomes attendees to the 2022 conference.
The NC Child Care Health Consultant Association’s annual conference will be held September 27-28th at the Greensboro Marriott Airport Hotel. We look forward to seeing everyone in person and having time to “recharge and reconnect.” Mark your calendars! More details to come!
We are delighted to announce that the work of Child Care Health Consultants (CCHCs) across the state and the training and support that the NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center provides to CCHCs were highlighted in a recent article in the UNC Gillings School News. The article features North Carolina Child Care Health Consultant Association members: Jacquie Simmons, MScPH and Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee Chair Cindy M. Smith, BSN, RN, CCHC-C. We invite you to visit the UNC Gillings School News website to read the article.
Public health in practice: The NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center
The North Carolina Child Care Health Consultant Association is a membership association of health professionals who provide an array of health, safety, nutrition and behavioral consultation services for early care and education programs.
Get to know our members!
Sherry Clark, RN, CCHC
Meet member Sherry Clark, RN, CCHC
Sherry received her Associate Degree from University of South Carolina, Florence Regional Extension in 1970. She began her nursing career at McLeod Hospital in 1970. Sherry has served her community as a Registered Nurse in many settings: Southwest Virginia Training Center, Pitt County Memorial Hospital, and Beaufort County Home.
Sherry began her CCHC career at Beaufort County Health Department in 2005. In 2011, she joined Beaufort Hyde Partnership. In the spring of 2022, Sherry will officially begin her retirement and we would like to honor her contributions and years of service.
What was your happiest experience as a CCHC? I have enjoyed not having to supervise anyone but me, flexible schedule, weekends and holidays off, and anytime (pre-COVID) I needed a “baby fix” I could visit a center at mealtime and help feed babies.
What message would you give current CCHCs? Remember, you are not alone. Reach out to your support system. Your coaches, fellow CCHCs, and co-workers are there for your support. They are more than willing to help answer questions, give you moral support, and listen to you vent if necessary.
Any future plans that you would like to share? I plan on frequent trips to my camper in Ocracoke, lots of yard work, porch swinging, and book reading.
The Association would like to thank Sherry for all her years of service and commitment and wish her a very Happy Retirement!
To see yourself or a colleague in the spotlight, just contact us with some basic information. A member of the website committee will then follow up with you. It only takes a minute and the committee would love to hear from you and share our members accomplishments.
Congratulations to Chatham Child Care Health Consultant, Dorothy Rawleigh! She received the Public Health Staff Recognition Award through the NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation’s 2018 Child Health Recognition Awards program. The award was presented at the NC Public Health Association conference in December 2018. This award recognizes her work developing partnerships resulting in healthier food, higher immunization rates, and better emergency preparedness planning in child care facilities.
Additionally, the Chatham County Public Health Department Immunization Program was recognized with a NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Child Health Recognition Award. Chatham County regularly ranks number one in the state in immunization rates among children ages 0 to 36 months. The Chatham County Health Department achieved this by blending policy changes, training, tracking, feedback gathering, and follow-up with child care facilities.
The NC CCHCA Achievement Award winner is announced and the award presented annually during the association’s annual member meeting which takes place on the afternoon of the first day of the annual conference. In 2018, this will occur on Wed. April 11th at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill. The award was created in 2012 as a means to recognize the important work and achievements of CCHCs across NC. It was first presented in 2013 with Pam Sailors of Iredell county being the first recipient. In 2014, the recipient was Marsha Williams from Richmond county, in 2015 Patty Rhodes from Orange County:
In 2016, Terri Walls from Craven county:
And in 2017, Amy Petersen from Wake county:
To be eligible for nomination to receive this award, a CCHC must be:
qualified by completing the NC CCHC Training Course,
a member of the association, and
engaged in CCHC work during the entire previous year.
Nominations may be submitted by coworkers, supervisors, agencies funding CCHC positions, programs receiving CCHC services, or anyone who is familiar with a CCHC’s great work and would like her/him to be recognized. Multiple nominations for an individual are encouraged. To nominate a Child Care Health Consultant, download the nomination form here: http://1drv.ms/1sI1te0. The selection panel is comprised of 3-4 impartial individuals who are well acquainted with the role of CCHCs in NC. The voting process is kept confidential. The difficult selection of the recipient is based on the merit of the submitted nominations’ contents.
