Child care centers play a vital role in nurturing and safeguarding the well-being of young children. Volunteers form an integral part of these establishments, contributing their time and effort to support the care and development of children. In the state of Michigan, guidelines have been established to ensure the safety and welfare of children in child care centers, both when supervised and unsupervised volunteers are involved.
Distinguishing Supervised and Unsupervised Volunteers
The Michigan child care volunteer requirements define two categories of volunteers: supervised and unsupervised. A supervised volunteer is an individual aged 16 years or older who provides uncompensated service in a #child_care center. This volunteer must be under constant supervision whenever children are present. On the other hand, an unsupervised volunteer is an individual aged 18 years or older who also provides uncompensated service in a child care center but has been determined by the department to be eligible for working directly with children without continuous supervision.
Foundations of Appropriate Care and Supervision
Central to these volunteer requirements is the provision of appropriate care and supervision of children. All staff members and volunteers, regardless of their status, are expected to ensure the well-being of children at all times. Their actions and behaviors should be conducive to the welfare of the children they interact with, fostering a safe and supportive environment.
Stringent Measures for Supervised Volunteers
Supervised volunteers are subjected to specific measures to ensure the safety of the children under their care. Prior to having any contact with a child in the center, supervised volunteers must undergo a clearance check from the public sex offender registry (PSOR). A copy of this clearance must be maintained in the center's records. Furthermore, the center must establish a written policy outlining the screening and supervision of both staff members and volunteers. Notably, individuals registered on the PSOR are strictly prohibited from having any contact with children in care.
Educating Volunteers and Staff
To promote a comprehensive understanding of their roles and responsibilities, all staff members and volunteers must sign and date a written statement upon hiring or before volunteering. This statement acknowledges their awareness that child abuse and neglect are against the law. They must also confirm that they have been informed about the center's policies concerning child abuse and neglect, along with the legal obligation to promptly report any suspected abuse or neglect to children's protective services.
Health and Safety Precautions
The health and safety of children in child care centers are of paramount importance. Volunteers and staff members must provide evidence of being free from communicable tuberculosis (TB) through verification, which should be renewed within a year before employment or volunteering. Moreover, all individuals who directly work with children, including unsupervised volunteers, must receive training on the following health and safety topics:
Comprehensive Training Requirements
Child care staff members and unsupervised volunteers who work directly with #children have the responsibility to complete various training programs within their first 90 days of employment or volunteering. These training sessions, available through MiRegistry, cover essential topics including;
Michigan's #child_care_volunteer requirements set a strong foundation for ensuring the safety and well-being of children in child care centers. By distinguishing between supervised and unsupervised volunteers, emphasizing appropriate care and supervision, implementing stringent measures for screened volunteers, and providing comprehensive training, the state is committed to creating an environment where children can flourish under the watchful eyes of dedicated volunteers and staff members.
ChildCareEd makes it easy to complete all child care volunteer training requirements. Visit us today and register for your training courses.
Courses & Classes related to Michigan
Online Trainings
- 1,2,3, Eyes on Me: Classroom Safety
- 1-Hour Abuse and Neglect Training
- 45-Hour Coaching and Mentoring
- 45 hour Growth and Development Birth-age 12 ONLINE
- 45-Hour Infant and Toddler Curriculum
- 45-Hour Preschool Curriculum
- 45 Hours Director-Administration ONLINE
- 9 Hour Communication Course
- A Better Space for All
- Abuse and Neglect: Signs and Reporting
- Access for All: Inclusion and the ADA
- ACEs and Resilience in Child Care
- A Closer Look into Developmental Theories
- Administration of Medicine
- A Great Place for Education Includes All ONLINE
- A Guide to Effective Communication
- Anxiety: Signs & Strategies
- Appropriate Precautions in Transportation of Children
- A Thoughtful Approach to Children's Mental Health
- Autism Awareness in Child Care
- Baby Steps to Milestones ONLINE
- Balance Act: Teacher & Child ONLINE
- Balancing Act: Schedules and Routines
- Basics 101: Coaching & Mentoring
- Behind the Scenes: Baby Routines ONLINE
- Be Loud, No Bullying Allowed
- Brain Building
- Brain Injury Awareness in Young Children
- Bridging Intent and Response: Communication
- Brighter Futures: Social Emotional Development
- Building and Physical Premises Safety
- CDA #7: Observe & Assess
- CDA #8: Child Development/Learning
- CDA: A Closer Look at Assessments
- CDA: Approaches to Learning
- CDA: Communication: Keep It Simple
- CDA: Curriculum Alignment & Materials
- CDA Family Child Care Credential with Portfolio Review
- CDA Family Child Care Renewal
- CDA Home Visitor Credential Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 1 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 1 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 1 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 2 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 2 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 2 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 3 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 3 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 3 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 4 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 4 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 4 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 5 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 5 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 5 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 6 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 6 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 6 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 7 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 7 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 7 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 8 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 8 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 8 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Infants/Toddlers: Lesson Planning Made Easy
- CDA Infant/Toddler Credential with Portfolio Review
- CDA Infant/Toddler Renewal
- CDA Introduction
- CDA Preschool Credential with Portfolio Review
- CDA Preschool Renewal
- Child Care Administration
- Children at the Wheel ONLINE
- Children's Keepers: Building Childhood Resilience
- Classroom Arrangement: The Second Teacher
- Classroom Designers ONLINE
- Classroom Management is Collaboration!
- Classroom Positivity
- Community and Family Engagement in Childcare
- Confidentiality Is a Must!
- Coordinating with Community in Child Care
- Creating the Natural Outdoor Classroom
- Cultures in the Classroom
- Curriculum Planning
- DAP for Preschool
- Designing Your School-Age Classroom ONLINE
- Developing Program Tranquility
- Diverse Perspectives in Child Care
- Early Learning with Infants and Toddlers
- ECE Programs Through History
- Effective Coaching & Mentoring in ECE
- Emergent Learning & Development
- Engaging Indoor Activities for Inclement Weather
- Enhancing Life and Development
- Expect the Unexpected: Infants and Toddlers
- Family (or Parent) Conferencing: Developing Trust ONLINE
- Getting on the Right Path to Teaching
- Going Head-to-Head with Challenging Behavior
- Handling and Storage of Hazardous Materials
- Healing Young Hearts: Stress and Grief
- Health and Nutrition
- Heart-to-Heart Communication: Challenging Behaviors
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Depression in Young Children
- How To Keep A Healthy Class for Infants/Toddlers
- How To Keep A Healthy Class: Six Tips for Germ Control
- How to Manage Chronic Illness with Infants/Toddlers
- Inclusive Lessons for Preschoolers
- Individual Needs & IEPs for School Age
- Injury Prevention: Their Safety Is In Your Hands
- Intentional Safety for Infants/Toddlers
- Introduction to Coaching & Mentoring
- Keeping Them Safe: Infants & Toddlers
- Key Elements of an After School Age Program ONLINE
- Lesson Planning for Preschoolers
- Lesson Planning to Meet School Age Needs
- Letter & Number Planning in Child Care
- Mandated Reporters
- Matchmaking for Mentors
- Meaningful Lesson Planning for Infants/Toddlers
- Mental Health in Early Childhood
- Milestones: By Leaps & Bounds
- Mind's Medicine: Music in Early Childhood
- Montessori Assistant Training
- Montessori in Context: Decoding Educational Theories
- Moving About the Classroom: Effective Transitions for Everyday
- Mysteries of Challenging Behavior Solved
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Child Care
- No Such Thing as Boring Math
- Observations And Goal Setting in Childcare
- On My Plate: Children's Nutrition
- Open Ears: Listening in Child Care
- Open Heart, Open Art
- Opportunity for Growth: Emotional Development
- Ouch! Biting & Hitting Hurts
- Pillars of Health and Safety in Child Care
- Playful Spaces for Infants & Toddlers
- Playing with a Purpose: Infant/Toddler Lesson Planning
- Play, Learn, Grow Online Version
- Positive Attention: Infants and Toddlers
- Power of Art: Bldg Self-Esteem & Positive Behavior for ALL Abilities ONLINE
- Preschool Assessments & Observations
- Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases
- Prevention of and Response to Allergic Reactions
- Prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Use of Safe Sleep Practices
- Professional Integrity in Child Care
- Professional Partnerships & Practices
- Resources: Building Blocks to Excellence
- Responding to Emergencies
- Roadmapping Preschool Curriculum
- Role of Play in Learning
- Rooted in History: Early Childhood
- Shaken Baby Syndrome
- Shoo, Germs! Don't Bother Me!
- SIDS: Saving Babies: A Change of Position, A Change in Tradition
- Spaces that Support Discovery
- Special Needs: From Referral to Inclusion
- Spicing Up the Classroom: Learning Centers
- Stay Alert! Steps to Emergency Prep Online Version
- Staying Positive: Guidance for Preschoolers
- Strength in Differences: Cultural Diversity
- Success in Safety for Babies
- Super Special School Agers ONLINE
- Supporting Children's Independence
- Supporting Little Hearts: Divorce and Separation in the Child Care Setting
- Supporting Social Learning: Creating Classrooms that Care
- Tailoring Instruction to Children's Needs
- Teacher & Me Playtime
- Teachers, Assemble! Building Up Staff in Child Care
- Teach with Respect ONLINE
- Technology as a Classroom Tool
- The Best Promotion is Play
- The Ethical Code of Child Care
- The First Year: Feeding Infants
- The Foundations of Coaching & Mentoring
- Theories on How I Grow
- Theory of Learning
- The Right Kind of Influence for Young Children
- The Super Hero in Us All
- Toddlers and Theories
- Tomorrow's Einsteins: Infant and Toddler Science
- Training Guide for Families from Diverse Language and Cultural Backgrounds
- Transportation Safety
- Typical & Atypical Development in ECE
- Understanding Montessori's Approach to Child Development
- Understanding Print Knowledge in Preschool
- Universal Language of Coaching & Mentoring
- Using Toys to Support Learning
- Viewing Guidance in a Positive Light
- Watch Me Grow: School Age Development ONLINE
- Ways to Serve: Leadership
- Working With Mixed Age Groups
- You're Not My Friend Anymore: Learning Conflict Resolution
In-person/blended trainings