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On Demand Distance Education

New! You can now pay for more than one On Demand lesson at a time.

Better Kid Care’s new On Demand Distance Education system provides professional development anytime you are ready to learn!  The On Demand system has the following features:

  • View all content free of charge.
    Just Create an Account. Sign in now!
  • Stop and start a lesson.
    Learn at your own pace. If you are interrupted while you are taking a lesson, you can stop and return to the lesson at a later time.
  • Online professional development certificate available.
    There is a $5.00 fee/lesson to receive professional development hours.  You will be directed to a credit card payment screen prior to taking the assessment. You must have a credit card to complete the lesson for professional development credit using the On Demand system. 
  • Print your own Certificate of Completion.
    After you pay and successfully complete all the assessment questions for a lesson, you can choose to print your certificate of completion and/or have it sent to your email address.
  • View/Print a complete list of all the Better Kid Care lessons you have completed.
    Included in your list are all of the lessons you have completed through Better Kid Care, even those that aren’t in On Demand!
  • Click to see a list of current On Demand lesson titles.
    • Activities for Learning Math: Numbers, Colors, and Shapes
    • Advocacy: Raising Awareness for the Early Childhood Professional
    • All By Myself: Self Help Skills in Childcare
    • Are You Ready for A Child with Special Needs?
    • Are You Ready for An Infant?
    • Art Appreciation 101 for Young Children
    • Autobiographical Statement
    • Avoid Behavior Problems -- Teach Self-Control
    • Baby Play
    • Balancing Child-Staff Ratios (for Center Directors)
    • Be Clear on Clearances (for Center Directors)
    • Behavior is Contagious
    • Becoming a 21st Century Skills Program
    • Block Play Builds Learning Skills
    • Building Relationships with Children and Youth Who Challenge Us
    • Caring for Groups of Mixed Age Children: It's a Juggling Act!
    • CDA Credential: Understanding the Professional Path
    • Child Care...for Mixed Ages
    • Creating Intergenerational Connections
    • Creating Special Moments with Infants and Toddlers
    • Creating the Bond – Attachment
    • Developing an Emergency Preparedness Plan (for Center Directors)
    • Developing an Intergenerational Program in Your Child Care Center
    • Emergent Literacy Begins at Birth
    • Ethics: Your Responsibilities to Children
    • Ethics: Your Responsibilities to Coworkers and Community
    • Ethics: Your Responsibilities to Families
    • Every Child Counts: Building Community
    • Executive Function Skills: Foster with Play
    • Family Child Care...it's a business
    • Family Child Care: Getting Started
    • Family Child Care: Learning Environments for Infants
    • Family Child Care: Learning Environments for Mixed Ages
    • Family Child Care: Learning Environments for Pre-Kindergarten
    • Family Child Care: Learning Environments for Toddlers
    • Fighting Children's Obesity Through Active Play
    • Get Parents Involved in Your Program
    • Getting to Know Families with Preschoolers
    • Getting to Know Families with Infants
    • Getting to Know Families with Toddlers
    • Getting to Know the Kids through Observation
    • Giving Children Appropriate Choices
    • Giving Your Best: Making Secure Attachments
    • Healthy Child Care Environments: Pest Prevention Using IPM
    • Help Parents to be Advocates for Children with Disabilities
    • Hiring Staff (for Center Directors)
    • How to Get Parents on Your Team
    • How to Turn a "No" into a "Yes"
    • How to Turn Good Play into GREAT Play
    • How to Work with Active Children
    • Improving and Using Your Observation Skills
    • Improving Transition Times
    • I Want! I want! I WANT!!: Building Good Consumers
    • Keep Children Healthy and Safe: Air Quality (for Center Directors)
    • Keep Children Healthy and Safe: Reuse & Recycle (for Center Directors)
    • Keep Children Healthy and Safe: Toxins (for Center Directors)
    • Keeping Children Safe on Playgrounds (for Center Directors)
    • Keeping Families Engaged Through the School Age Years
    • Learning to Read and Write
    • Let's Talk...Discipline
    • Making A Great Day for Babies
    • Making A Great Day for Toddlers
    • Math for Every Age
    • New Staff Orientation
    • Observation: A Toolkit of Methods
    • Observation: Connections with Children
    • Observation: It Starts with YOU!
    • Observation: Preparing to Observe
    • Observation: Connections with Families
    • Playing Detective About Biting
    • Powerful Communications with Parents
    • Prevent Childhood Obesity with Healthy Eating (The title of this lesson changed from Obese Kids: They are What They Eat, however, the content of the lesson has not changed.)
    • Professional Development Record (PDR) – A Valuable Tool for Providers
    • Re-Thinking Praise
    • Safe and Smart Supervision
    • Saying Goodbye at Child Care
    • School-Age Care: New Staff Orientation
    • Science For Young Thinkers
    • Space for Playing and Learning in a Family Child Care Home
    • Sparking Kids Curiosity
    • Stepping Stones to School Readiness
    • Strategies for Preventing Challenging Behaviors
    • Super Snacks
    • Supervising Children in Family Child Care
    • Supporting Children's Families
    • Supporting Families in Healthy Living 
    • Teach Self-Regulation
    • The Ins and Outs of Recordkeeping (for Center Directors)
    • There's Always More to Learn (for Center Directors)
    • Three Core Concepts in Early Brain Development
    • Through the Eyes of a Five-Year-Old
    • Through the Eyes of a Four-Year Old
    • Through the Eyes of a Three-Year-Old
    • Through the Eyes of a Toddler
    • Through the Eyes of an Infant
    • Toilet Learning
    • Tools of the Trade for School-Age Practitioners: Positive Guidance
    • Transitions - "Hello" and "Good-bye"
    • Understand and Help Stressed Children
    • Understand & Support Children's Language and Social/Emotional Development
    • Understand & Support Children's Physical and Cognitive Development
    • Understanding Temperament
    • What Children Need to Start School
    • What Does Brain Research Tell Us About Infant Care?
    • What Does "Time" Mean to Children?
    • What's the Plan for Your Day?
    • Your #1 Priority: Keeping Children Healthy and Safe

  • Lecciones en Español
  • Immerse yourself in up to eight hours of professional development/day.
    No more than 8 hours of professional development may be completed during each calendar day. Because deeper learning takes time for reflection, we encourage On Demand users to explore ways to reflect and apply what they learned from completed lessons and return refreshed for learning more on another day.

Watch this video for a quick introduction to using the On Demand system.

 

The On Demand system may be unavailable on Sundays from 7 a.m. - 9 a.m. (EST) for system maintenance.

Are you ready to take a lesson? Click here

Getting Started

  1. You must have your own email address.
    If you don’t have an email account, create a free account using any provider.
    Google mail is a popular free email provider .
  2. We now offer two options for purchasing the assessment and receiving a certificate of completion for lesson in the On Demand system. You must have a credit card to complete the assessment and receive professional development credit.
    • Option 1: For a single lesson. Log into the On Demand system, progress through the lesson, pay to access the assessment using a credit card that is processed through a secure on-line payment system, complete the assessment, and print your certificate of completion.
    • Option 2: Prepay for multiple On Demand lessons with one credit card transaction. Select "Lesson Prepayment" option under "Your Account" after signing in. When prepayment is established, a code is provided to use for lesson payments. The code may be shared with other On Demand users; however, the purchaser of the prepayment code is responsible for the security of the code. The code purchaser can request email notification each time the code is used. The email indicates who used the code and what lessons were completed.
  3. You must set your Internet browser preferences to work with our system so you can view video and download the handouts.
    • Allow "cookies" for the On Demand web site
    • Allow pop-ups for the On Demand web site
    • Trust the security certificate for the On Demand web site
    See below for detailed settings and instructions .
  4. Adobe Acrobat Reader must be installed on your computer to access all lesson handouts. Click the link for download and installation instructions.

Are you ready to take a lesson? Click here

The On Demand system may be unavailable on Sundays from 7 a.m. - 9 a.m. (EST) for system maintenance.


Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an account?
Yes. it's very easy to sign up and start taking lessons today! Go to BKC OnDemand.

Why do you collect my birthdate and last 5 digits of my SSN?
This helps us to identify you in our database and to provide an accurate record of the lessons that you have completed. For Pennsylvania providers, we are able to enter your professional development records directly into the PA Key professional development database.

How much does each lesson cost?
There is a $5.00 fee/ per lesson to receive professional development hours.  You will be directed to a credit card payment screen prior to taking the assessment. You must have a credit card to complete the lesson for professional development credit using the On Demand system.

How do I get my password if I forget it?
After filling in the Email ID field, click the "forgot password" link and a reminder will be sent to your registered email address.

What do I do if my email address changes?
Sign in using your original email address. Once logged in, you can change Your Account email under Your Account/Email & Telephone.

How do I get my user ID if I forget it?
Please contact Better Kid Care during normal business hours (Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 5:00pm EST). You will be asked a series of security questions to verify your identity.

Why can't I see the video in the lessons?
Please verify that your browser settings allow for "cookies" and pop ups for the On Demand Distance Education website. You can find these settings in the browser preferences panel.

"Navigation to this page was cancelled" IE Error Message
If you are using Internet Explorer as your browser to access your lessons in On Demand, you may be asked the question, “Do you want to view only the web page content that was delivered securely?” In order to view your lesson materials, you need to select NO in response to this question. In selecting NO you give permission to connect to the Better Kid Care Server, a known and trustworthy site, to view your lesson content. Please note: If you select YES in answering the question, you will receive a "Navigation to web page was cancelled" message. You will need to close your browser and then open and log into On Demand again. Please be aware that is your responsibility to update all your security definitions in order to maintain the safety of your computer.

What settings should I use for Internet Explorer?

For Pop-up Blocker

  1. Go to the Tools menu and click on "Internet Options"
  2. Click on "Privacy"
  3. To disable all popups:
      Uncheck the "Turn on Pop-up Blocker" box.
  4. To disable popups on just one site:
      Click on "Settings"
      Enter the URL of the site for which you would like to allow popups
      Click "Add"
      Close the window
  5. Click "Ok"
Tip - If you grant popups for a site and want to remove them later:
    Follow the steps above to Step 4
    Click on the url to block in the list of sites
    Click on "Remove"
    Close the window

Enable Cookies for Internet Explorer 7 or 8:

  • Click Start > Control Panel. (With Windows XP Classic View, click the Windows Start button > Settings > Control Panel).
  • Double-click the Internet Options icon. Select the Privacy tab.
  • Click Advanced. Select "Override automatic cookie handling" under the "Cookies" section in the Advanced Privacy Settings window.
  • Select the "Accept" or "Prompt" option under "First-party Cookies." Select the "Accept" or "Prompt" option under "Third-party Cookies." (If you select the "Prompt" option, you'll be asked for approval every time a website attempts to send you a cookie.)
  • In the Internet Options window, click OK to exit.

Enable Cookies in Internet Explorer 6:

  • Click Start > Control Panel. (With Windows XP Classic View, click the Windows Start button > Settings > Control Panel).
  • Click Advanced.
  • Select "Override Automatic Cookie Handling." Select the "Accept" or "Prompt" option under "First-party Cookies."
  • 
  • Select the "Accept" or "Prompt" option under "Third-party Cookies." (If you select the "Prompt" option, you'll be asked for approval every time a website attempts to send you a cookie.)
  • In the Internet Options window, click OK to exit.

What settings should I use for Firefox?

For Pop-up Blocker

  1. Go to the Firefox dropdown menu and select "Preferences"
  2. Click on "Content"
  3. To disable all popups:
      Uncheck the "Block pop-up windows" box.
  4. To disable popups on just one site:
      Click on "Exceptions"
      Enter the URL of the site for which you would like to allow popups
      Close the window
  5. Click "Ok"
Tip - If you grant popups for a site and want to remove them later:
    Follow the steps above to Step 4
    Click on the url to block in the list of sites
    Click on "Remove Site"
    Close the window

Enable Cookies in Mozilla Firefox for Windows:

  • Click Tools > Options.
  • Click Privacy in the top panel.
  • (for 3.x only) Set "Firefox will:" to Use custom settings for history.
  • Check the box next to "Accept cookies from sites".
  • Click OK.

Enable Cookies in Mozilla Firefox for Mac:

  • Go to the Firefox drop-down menu.
  • Select Preferences.
  • Click Privacy. Set "Firefox will:" to Use custom settings for history. Check the box next to "Accept cookies from sites" to enable cookies.
  • Click OK.


What settings should I use for Safari?

For Pop-up Blocker

  1. Go to the Safari dropdown menu and select "Preferences"
  2. Click on "Content"
  3. To disable all popups:
      Uncheck the "Block pop-up windows" box.
  4. To disable popups on just one site:
      Click on "Exceptions"
      Enter the URL of the site for which you would like to allow popups
      Close the window
  5. Click "Ok"
Tip - If you grant popups for a site and want to remove them later:
    Follow the steps above to Step 4
    Click on the url to block in the list of sites
    Click on "Remove Site"
    Close the window

To enable cookies in Safari:

  • Go to the Safari drop-down menu.
  • Select Preferences.
  • Click Security in the top panel.
  • Under "Accept Cookies" select Only from sites you navigate to.


Firefox - What if my PDF is not displaying properly?
If Firefox prompts you with a yellow banner towards the top of the browser and reads "!This PDF document might not be displayed correctly." Please select "Open With Different Viewer" option. To make this your browser preference, go to preferences / applications / scroll down to "Portable Document Format (PDF) and change the action from Preview in Firefox to Use Adobe Acrobat.

When can I expect to get my completed certificate by email?
You should receive an email within 24 hours of your request. If not, please check your spam, junk, or quarantine folder before contacting the BKC office.

Is there a maximum number of hours of professional development/day?
Yes. No more than 8 hours of professional development may be completed during each calendar day. Because deeper learning takes time for reflection, we encourage On Demand users to explore ways to reflect and apply what they learned from completed lessons and return refreshed for learning more on another day.

Are CEUs available for completing On Demand lessons?
Yes! CEUs (Continuing Education Units) are available for completing Better Kid Care On Demand lessons. At least 5 hours of lessons must be completed to request a certificate, worth .5 CEUs. One (1.0) CEU can be earned and requested after completing 10 hours of lessons.

How do I request CEUs for the lessons I've completed and receive a CEU certificate?
Better Kid Care awards one (1) CEU, for every ten (10) hours of Professional Development completed. Any combination of 1-hour or 2-hour Better Kid Care Distance Education lessons can combine to earn CEUs. After finishing an On Demand lesson and the assessment, you will be able to go to a lesson information screen where you can choose to request CEUs. Click on the Request CEU button and you will be taken to a CEU Request Form. Print out the form and list the Better Kid Care lessons you completed, along with the dates of completion. Mail the completed CEU Request Form to Better Kid Care at the address at the bottom of the form. Better Kid Care will verify your completed lessons and mail a CEU certificate to you.

Attention Participants: If you are completing online lessons to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs), Better Kid Care will award a maximum of 8 hours of professional development per calendar day. The date that the lesson is completed is printed on the Certificate of Completion. Our online lessons are designed for participants to receive the designated number of professional development hours by reading all lesson content, viewing video clips, completing reflection activities, and reviewing handouts. It takes time and reflection to learn. Research shows that professionals who continue learning offer higher quality care to children.
What are the discussion forums?
Better Kid Care's new discussion forum feature is available to participants who have completed any lesson in our online On Demand lesson system. The discussion forum provides a way to interact with an early childhood or youth development instructor, discuss application to your own early care and education or school-age setting, reflect on what was learned, read comments and ideas from other providers, and respond to those ideas.

How do I participate in a discussion forum?
To participate in the forum for a completed lesson, select the Discussion Forum link from the lesson information screen for that specific lesson. The discussion forum associated with that lesson becomes available. Just click on the button to enter the forum. After a user participates with at least three discussion posts and/or responses to other participants' posts, the certificate of completion for that specific lesson will note "Participated in Discussion Forum"; however, no additional professional development hours will be credited for participation.

What discussion forums are available?
After a lesson is completed, the user selects the Discussion Forum button to enter the forum associated with the completed lesson. All Better Kid Care On Demand lessons are associated with one of the following nine discussion forums. To see what lessons are linked to each forum, select Discussion Forum from the On Demand menu.
  • Child Growth and Development
  • Child Assessment
  • Communication
  • Health, Safety and Nutrition
  • Behavior Management
  • The Environment and Curriculum
  • Program Organization and Administration
  • Professionalism and Leadership
  • Families in Society


Why can't I post a comment to a discussion forum?
To participate in a discussion forum you must first complete a lesson. There is a letter "C" in the far right column on the lesson list to designate that you completed the lesson.

¿Cómo se cambia el lenguaje de los videos?
  • Muchas de las lecciones tienen segmentos cortos de video. Los videos están en Inglés. Para cambiar el idioma de los videos siga estas instrucciones.
  • Para cambiar el lenguaje de (auto-translate), abra los encabezamientos "Captions".
  • Pase el ratón sobre el "Closed Caption" (CC) situado en la parte inferior derecha del reproductor de vídeo. El menú se abre.
  • Elija "Traducir Subtítulos" para usar Google Translate para proporcionar en tiempo real la traducción automática del título de la pista actual.
  • Haga clic en la "Caja de Lenguajes" y desplácese por la lista hasta encontrar el lenguaje que desea. Haga clic para fijar el lenguaje seleccionado.


Distance education lessons are available in alternative media upon request.   Please contact the Better Kid Care office at 1-800-452-9108 for assistance and information.