What does Ohio Approved even mean? The Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRRA) provides professional development and technical assistance to early childhood, child serving, and school age programs and professionals. “Ohio Approved (OA) designation represents the state’s consolidated professional development process for high quality professional development. Professional Development designated as Ohio Approved is recognized by the state agencies to meet their requirement for specified credentials, certificates, licensures, licensing rules/regulations, programs, projects, and initiatives.“ (OCCRRA)

Many professionals who work in these audiences need Ohio Approved hours to continue their work in this field, INFOhio has what professionals need by providing affordable, easy-to-access professional development with Ohio Approved hours.

INFOhio continues to offer the Ages 3-5 Digital Content Learning Pathway with six classes that provide participants two Ohio Approved hours upon completion:

• Introduction to INFOhio 
• Highlights Library 
• INFOhio Early Learning Portal class
• INFOhio Using Technology with Early Learners 
• BookFlix from INFOhio
• World Book Early Learning from INFOhio 

In addition, INFOhio now has five additional Learning Pathway classes that provides two or three Ohio Approved hours upon completion from the K-5 Digital Content Learning Pathway:

• Explora for Grades PreK-5 (2 OA hours)
• PebbleGo Next (2 OA hours)
• The World Almanac for Kids Elementary (2 OA hours)
• Reading on the Screen (3 OA hours)
• World Books Kids (2 OA hours)

To learn more about our newest Ohio Approved classes, see the descriptions below.

Explora for Grades PreK-5

Explora for Grades PreK-5 boasts full-text articles from thousands of magazines, journals, and newspapers, along with images, videos, and primary sources. Encyclopedia entries are written just for kids. There are over a million images, maps, flags, along with content to use with early learners on a variety of topics from publications like Highlights and Ranger Rick. Find the Explora for Grades PreK-5 Class on the K-5 Learning Pathway.

PebbleGo Next

PebbleGo Next digital content is designed for students in grades 3-5, but can be great for early learners when supported by an adult. It aligns to Ohio's Learning Standards for Science and Social Studies, focusing on six topics: Science, Biographies, Social Studies, States, Health, and Indigenous Peoples' History. Quality text, images, and videos provide upper-elementary students with a reliable source for learning by offering vetted information in each area. Find the PebbleGo Next Class on the K-5 Learning Pathway.

The World Almanac for Kids: Elementary

The World Almanac for Kids Elementary features articles, videos, interactive games, and activities. Topics include earth science, geography, math, animals, famous Americans, and more.Teacher Resources include printable handouts, worksheets, graphic organizers, and classroom management forms to use with any lesson, plus science diagrams and projects. Find The World Almanac for Kids Elementary Class on the K-5 Learning Pathway. 

Reading on the Screen

Reading on the Screen helps educators learn more about the differences between reading print and digital text. Studies show that readers still prefer print over digital. However, the methods for delivering text for learning are increasingly electronic in nature. This class will introduce participants to research on how reading on a screen affects student learning. Participants will learn strategies to help students read complex text online for comprehension and synthesis. Find the Reading on the Screen Class on the K-5 Learning Pathway. 

World Book Kids

World Book Kids is a K-5 online encyclopedia that includes eBooks, videos, activities, read-aloud, and translation features. It is easy to navigate and also features pictures, games, science projects, important people, searches, and dictionary functions. The Educator Tools section gives you curriculum correlations to align with Ohio’s Learning Standards, free hands-on lesson plans, and webquests. Find the World Book Kids Class is available on the K-5 Learning Pathway. 

Finding classes in OCCRRA

To find INFOhio classes in the OCCRRA system, log in to your profile.

1.  Along the left hand column at the bottom find ‘Training Search.’ In the search box, type  ‘INFOhio’ and the eleven INFOhio classes will appear in the search results. 
2. Click the title of the class you choose to take. Once the description window appears,  click the green Register button to add it to your cart. 
3. Click ‘View Cart’.
4. Then ‘Checkout’. 
5. This will complete the checkout process. 
6. The title appears in your Professional Development list, and you’ll be ready to begin the class on INFOhio’s website. 
7. To access the class, go to https://www.infohio.org/ohio-approved-credit and scroll down until you see the title of the class for which you registered. Click on the title to view a table of contents which allows you to work through the lessons at your own pace,  starting and stopping as needed. 
8. When you have completed the course, take the short quiz. Fill in your name making sure it matches the name associated with your OCCRRA account, and include your email address. A certificate will be emailed to you.
9. Each Monday, an INFOhio specialist will verify your class. You will see “verified next to the class in the Professional Development section on your profile.

As usual, if you have any questions, we are happy to help. Contact INFOhio Support at support.infohio.org.