Creating a Community of Practice
Bright & Early North Dakota is North Dakota’s Quality Rating & Improvement System. Family and Group providers in the state are required to have three hours of training on the Environment Rating Scales.
Last year, they were struggling to facilitate the 3-hour required course for FCCERS-R overview within the QRIS system. They scheduled face-to-face trainings across the state but found themselves cancelling more than they held due to poor attendance.
The problem was geography. There was a definite need for training but the providers that needed it could potentially be several hours apart from each other.
Rather than seeing a problem, they saw an opportunity. By connecting their program with ERS Online Training, Bright and Early North Dakota made the education equally accessible to everyone in the state. They worked with Branagh Information Group to create to communities of practice using the existing FCCERS 101 course.
The entire program lasts 6 weeks. The first few weeks enrollees are asked to complete the online training. Each following week they have discussion questions on the Branagh Group Training Portal – a community board that they are required to answer and to respond to other providers that are also enrolled in the training.
Congratulations to North Dakota’s Community of Practice!
