Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 304 CHILDCARE PROVIDERS RECEIVE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING Without a formal childcare center, dozens of Pescadero working parents leave their infants and toddlers at caregivers' homes during the day. Some of these local venues are not ideal for childcare: cramped houses, trailers, and farm barracks with barely any room to crawl or play. The caregivers, including local childcare worker Silvia Acosta, are passionate and enthusiastic about giving their young charges the best chance for success. But many have no professional training in early childhood development or basic skills in how to interact with the young children. So, with the support of the San Mateo County Office of Education, Puente stepped in to provide those trainings, in Spanish, using curriculum from PITC, the Program for Infant-Toddler Care of San Francisco-based WestEd and the California Department of Education. Puente also offers monthly meetings where the providers can bring their questions and get advice about how to handle a difficult situation. Acosta has participated in every early child development workshop and program Puente offers, including the PITC sessions. She has already learned so much, for example: the reasoning behind letting a child climb a tree (it helps them test their own strength) and the benefits of talking and signing in the home language. "I'm giving more of my time to the children now. Before, I didn't read to them that much. Now I'm spending time playing with the children and talking to them," Acosta says.