Early Education Newsletter
December 2020
THE CASY OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED:
Friday, December 25th, 2020
Monday, December 28th, 2020
Thursday, December 31st, 2020
Friday, January, 1st, 2021
GRANT OPPORTUNITY
INDIANA CARES ABOUT CHILD CARE GRANTS
As an early child care and education provider in Indiana, you may be eligible to apply for a grant through the Indiana CARES About Child Care fund to help with pandemic-related safety expenses or emergency needs.
Indiana CARES About Child Care grants are designed to reimburse Indiana providers for COVID-19 related needs, such as purchasing health- and safety-related materials and supplies, additional staffing costs directly related to COVID responses, cleaning services, additional furniture to support social distancing and more (see the FAQs at brighterfuturesindiana.org/indianacares/for more information about allowable expenses). Grants are also available for providers dealing with temporary closures due to a positive COVID-19 case. An emergency grant will help cover expenses deemed necessary to reopen.
Providers who have closed and need assistance with staffing in order to reopen should click here.
Grant amounts up to $12,500 based on a provider’s enrollment.
Learn more about the grant fund, eligibility guidelines and allowable expenses, and find the link to start your application at brighterfuturesindiana.org/indianacares/.
NEED I-LEAD HELP? HAVING TROUBLE ACCEPTING YOUR INVITATION? NEED ASSISTANCE LEARNING TO NAVIGATE I-LEAD?
Useful I-LEAD User Tips
Here are some helpful tips for the most common questions educators ask about their I-LEAD accounts.
- You can search for existing accounts using your DOB and SSN. Anyone who no longer has access to an old I-LEAD account can use this function to search for their information and link their accounts.
- Changing the email in “Update Profile Information” could cause crashes on your account. If providers need to use a different email address, create a new I-LEAD account and use the “Date of Birth and Last 4 SSN” or “I am an Educator” features to link old accounts to the new one.
- Educator invites can ONLY be accessed and accepted by an email on a computer.
- Consent forms can only be completed and submitted on a computer.
My SPARK Learning Lab is Now Available!
The Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning (OECOSL) and SPARK Learning Lab have launched My SPARK Learning Lab, a new online portal that will provide early education and care programs the ability to complete the Indiana Self-Assessment Tool (I-SAT), access SPARK’s Knowledge Center, and engage with the SPARK Learning Lab Support Team.
How will this benefit you and your program?
● More options to receive assistance from our support team- In addition to calling the SPARK Help Desk My Spark Learning Lab will allow users to submit a support ticket or chat live with one of our helpful representatives.
● Easily search and find resources when you need them-
Search for resources in our SPARK Knowledge or explore featured topics and trending articles.
● Receive customized support by taking the I-SAT-
Select ‘Take the I-SAT’ from the Home page or My Profile page to get started with the Indiana Self-Assessment Tool (I-SAT), SPARK’S program-level assessment to help leaders identify areas of growth and receive the support they need.
Do Your Goals for the New Year Include Working on a CDA? Do you plan to wrap up a CDA by the end of this year? Did You Know There is a Scholarship Available?
- If you live and work in early childhood in Indiana, make $20 or less per hour, and work 30 hours or more (part-time scholarship is available), you will want to be aware of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® INDIANA Scholarship Program.
- If you qualify, a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship can cover up to 80 percent of your tuition and book costs for the classes you need to complete your degree.
- Plus, you are eligible for a $50 per semester stipend and a $200-300 per year bonus when T.E.A.C.H. receives your qualifying grades.
- Scholarships are available to complete CDA training, obtain an associate of early childhood education, or bachelors in early childhood education!
Contact T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® INDIANA at teach@inaeyc.org
or call at 855-484-2392 Ext.3511
to find out if you are eligible.
Contact T.E.A.C.H. Now!
Applications are approved on a regular basis!
CDA® RENEWAL AMNESTY PROGRAM
Due to recent events, the Council is extending the deadline for the CDA Renewal Amnesty Program to December 31. We hope this extension will help ease your concerns and allow you the additional time you need to take advantage of this opportunity. Please stay safe and continue to follow CDC recommendations.
This year the Council is celebrating 45 years of the CDA®! As part of the celebration, the Council is offering a limited-time CDA® Renewal Amnesty Program. This program allows anyone with a CDA® credential expiration date as far back as January 1, 2010, an opportunity to complete the renewal process and make their credential active again.
ELIGIBILITY
- Expiration date as far back as January 1, 2010
- Must meet all current renewal requirements
- Apply online using YourCouncil (click here to learn how to access your account)
The program is available from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2020. All applications and payments ($125) must be submitted online by December 31, 2020. No exceptions or extensions will be granted.
Start preparing today by downloading the free CDA® Renewal Procedures Guide available on the Council's website. The CDA® Renewal Procedures Guide provides detailed information about the renewal requirements. Be sure to allow yourself enough time to obtain the requirements needed to take advantage of this limited-time opportunity.
Professional Development Opportunities:
Adventures in Risky Play: What is Your Yes? by Rusty Keeler
December 9, 2020
2:00 PM Eastern Time
Join author-designer Rusty Keeler as he celebrates the beauty and benefits of risky play and the importance of adults supporting children’s play. Loaded with amazing images and inspiration Rusty challenges you to think about your own professional practice with children and encourages you to take bold new steps to support play a little more each day. You will learn tips and tools to breathe through risky play moments and reflect on your attitudes and comfort levels around risky play. What is your Yes? What is your No? Rusty will facilitate discussions and activities looking at risky play and our role in supporting children’s play. You’ll see amazing risky play examples from around the world and discuss with peers challenges and successes supporting risky play. Let’s take it to the next level. Join this webinar and together we can do it!
A Stronger, More Ambitious Future for Child Care, by Albert Wat and Rachel Schumacher
December 16, 2020
2:00 PM Eastern Time
Throughout this pandemic, many of us have said that we can’t go back to the child care system we had. But what will it take to build something that truly serves children, families, providers, educators, and our economy with equity and quality at its core? Earlier this fall, the Alliance for Early Success and its state and national partners released the Build Stronger Child Care Policy Roadmap that can serve as one pathway to that stronger, more ambitious future. This webinar will cover the key areas of work that this roadmap proposes as our field’s collective agenda for the coming years. We will also discuss ways that educators and providers can get involved in the policy and advocacy efforts to build back stronger. Click here to register.
Engaging and Teaching Parents About Technology
Parents can be collaborators or obstacles when the topic of technology comes up. With more remote learning than ever, schools need parents. Educators often talk to parents when mistakes or accidents happen, as a reactionary measure. However, schools can be more proactive about preventing those mistakes by reaching out and understanding parents’ situations and worries. This edWebinar will draw from on-the-ground work with hundreds of parents, sharing survey results with their biggest concerns.
Resources:
The Newly Revised DAP Position Statement
NAEYC is excited to announce that the fourth edition of the Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) position statement is now available.
First published nearly 40 years ago, this foundational position statement is one of five created by NAEYC in collaboration with the early childhood profession.
This edition of DAP reflects new research that—more extensively than in previous editions—ensures each piece of the position statement underscores the importance of social, cultural, and historical contexts of development and elevates the need for active engagement through play, exploration, and inquiry in ways that support the whole child.
Preventing The Spread of the Flu This Season
This year, providers and CCR&Rs will do their best to help children and families avoid getting colds, the seasonal flu and COVID-19. CCAoA has developed a suite of resources that describe each illness and its symptoms, and strategies to prevent becoming sick. The resources include:
- A mini webinar on flu prevention in child care programs
- A flowchart that outlines what to do if a child becomes sick at child care
- Expert advice from organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Innovative Strategies for Partnering with Families to Boost Children’s Learning
Without a doubt, families are an essential part of children’s learning and educational journey - starting at birth. “Engaging families as partners early in the educational journey allows parents to establish strong home-school connections that support their children’s achievement long-term “(Start Early, September 25, 2019). So, it is not surprising that “family engagement” is a frequent and important theme of discussions and planning in child care programs.
Early care and education professionals are typically strategizing and implementing ideas to engage families around children’s early learning and development – from meeting with parents to set common goals to providing access to parent resources, from school-home communication to parent education events, and more. However, as the Coronavirus pandemic shook the world in early 2020, it left the child care system grappling with many uncertainties and challenges including how to engage and stay connected with families in the new norm of social distancing practices. Read more.
Seeing Children do More with Less
“The story of the Pikler babies and their hands challenged me to rethink my practice. In my desire to give children all they need to grow and learn, am I giving them too much?” Continue reading.
Resources to Share with Families:
Living Apart, Parenting Together: Collaborating with your Coparent
Children quickly learn that different settings and different people have different expectations – and they respond accordingly. For example, I was constantly amazed by all the things my children did for themselves at childcare that I was still doing for them at home! Many kids discover that begging to stay up late might work with grandma but not auntie. Or that mom will feed me but my teachers expect me to use utensils and feed myself.
The same goes for living in two separate homes with different sets of rules: children will adapt to the expectations in each setting.
Yes, it is indeed ideal for separated parents to try to agree on a basic approach to childrearing, as children tend to adapt more easily when there is consistency in rules from one setting to another, but that isn't always possible. Click here for tips to create harmony when consistency in the rules isn't always agreeable.
Stay Connected:
Email: help@casyonline.org
Website: www.casyonline.org
Location: 1101 South 13th Street, Terre Haute, IN, USA
Phone: 800-886-3952
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CASY.Inc
Twitter: @CASYTerreHaute