Region 1&2 ECSE Snippets
January 2024
The Region 1&2 ECSE Snippets purpose is to provide monthly communication with practitioners regarding regional happenings, upcoming trainings and resources. It is each practitioner's responsibility to check with their district/supervisor regarding use of the resources and participation in professional development opportunities.
If you have any suggestions for resources, trainings, or regional happenings to spotlight please send them to Wendy Carter at wcarter@bric.k12.mn.us.
Region 1&2 Spotlight
Upcoming Professional Development
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI)
Resource Highlights
Inclusive Children's Literature (NEW!)
Equity
Autism Resources
Family Engagement
Housekeeping
Compassion Resilience
As an educator, you care about your students, their well-being, and their success. Working hard toward these goals can take a toll at times. It is important to find balance and support, in order to keep your cup filled and feel energized and motivated to continue this important work. Compassion resilience is the ability to maintain our physical, emotional, and mental well-being while responding compassionately to people who are suffering.
Here are some ideas to create joy and care for yourself, along with the care and hard work you dedicate to others:
1. Get enough sleep
2. Exercise regularly
3. Communicate with others
4. Nutrition
5. Work-life balance
6. Address your own trauma and mental health needs
7. Make time for play
8. Find what restores and replenishes you
9. Use mindfulness strategies
Here are 2 resources from MN Association for Children's Mental Health to help you:
Winter Bucket List Bingo (see picture on this post)
MDE Training Opportunities
Early Childhood Screening Open Office Hours
Join your peers to discuss new screening program guidance and best practices the third Tuesday of each month, 12-1 p.m., through April 16, 2024.
The next open office hours date is January 16, 2024 at 12:00 PM.
Multilingual Learners in Early Childhood Education
Project MOMENTUM has created a new free online CEU course for Minnesota Early Childhood Educators. If you serve young learners, ages birth-5 years, who are developing two or more languages at home and/or school, this course is for you! Whether you are an administrator, early childhood education teacher, ESL licensed teacher, program coordinator, or support personnel, you will gain the knowledge and skills to make research-based choices to support multilingual learners in early childhood education programs.
This course is aligned with PELSB and Parent Aware Standards.
Project Momentum: Online Training for Multilingual Learners in Early Childhood Education.
ELS Open Office Hour: Preschool Development Grant Updates and Opportunities
January 18, 11 a.m. to noon.
What’s the buzz? The MN StoryCollective is busy gathering stories from individuals and communities who are sharing their voices to help strengthen programs and services that affect all of us. Hear how the project is progressing and how you might be involved. We’ll also hear other Preschool Development Grant (PDG) project updates for the Mixed Delivery Action Lab/Compensation Parity pilot project, Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, Kindergarten Transitions, and Help Me Connect to name a few. You may also submit questions when you register that will be answered by early learning staff members. To help us prepare, please submit questions by January 10, 2024. Other questions will be answered during the session as time allows.
Sign up for the DCYF Newsletter
The Implementation Office for the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) sends a regular newsletter with updates about the new agency. Feel free to sign up for the DCYF newsletter and share the link with your partners.
Recommended Practices in Early Intervention
The purpose of the Recommended Practices in Early Intervention trainings will be to share evidence-based best practices for Early Childhood Special Education practitioners with the focus on home-visiting for Part C practitioners but is applicable for 3-5 providers partnering with community partners and for our home visiting community partners.
*There are 2 more sessions in this is a 4-day total training. You may choose to attend individual days that fit your needs or either of the remaining sessions. Please register as it makes sense for your professional development needs.
- Day 3 (1/4/24) Supporting Adult Learning to Strengthen Competence and Confidence
- Day 4 (2/8/24) Coaching: An Evidence Based Practice
- Make-Up Day (1/18/24) Held in the event another day is canceled
This training is offered in collaboration with the Region 3 MNCoE Professional Development Facilitator.
Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfqL_EOWI9ycaEZW-0ql0iyoJQnrr_o41Oarb1ogBswZMI1xA/viewform
Cost: Free (for virtual attendance)
Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV)
This webinar series is being provided by the Department of Health in collaboration with the Minnesota Low Incidence Projects. These webinars are intended for practitioners, in Minnesota, who are working with and supporting children and their families in educational settings.
There are 2 webinars in this series. You can choose to register for one or both webinars. Please see the attached flier for additional information.
All Hands on Deck! Supporting the Development of Children with Congenital CMV
January 18th, 2024, 12-1pm on Zoom
All Aboard! Impacts of Congenital CMV in Early Childhood Special Education in Minnesota
February 1, 2024, 12-1pm on Zoom
Registration: https://redcap.health.state.mn.us/redcap/surveys/?s=JRFACN8L3YL78EEN
Cost: Free
Why is this important?
Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is a leading cause of birth defects, hearing loss, and neurodevelopmental delays in children. In February 2023, the Minnesota Department of Health Newborn Screening Program became the first in the nation to screen all newborns for cCMV!
Think about your favorite children’s book. Who are the main characters? Animals? Children? Adults? Do they look like you? Do they have a disability? Who are the authors?
As you make decisions about books to include in your classroom library, remember to consider including disability and diversity through children’s literature.
Children’s book author and illustrator, Eric Velasquez says,
“Once a child sees himself represented in a book, his existence is validated, and he feels that he is part of the world.”
This new section will feature a children’s book each month that includes diversity in the author, illustrator, or primary characters.
Benji, the Bad Day, and Me
This month's book is Benji, the Bad Day, and Me, by Sally Jane Pla. In this tender story about siblings, author Sally J. Pla shares her experience of raising sons with different personality traits and needs. Benji, the Bad Day, and Me embraces the philosophy that we are all part of a wide spectrum of neurodiversity. And on those really bad, rotten days, you can always count on family to be there for you. To see a video reading of this book, use this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEPw4CEGc1o&t=205s
For a teacher's guide to accompany this story, click here: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/benji-the-bad-day-and-me/teachers_guide
Hearing Loss as an Established Condition - Eligibility Under Developmental Delay in Part C
MDE ECSE team updated the document, Hearing Loss as an Established Condition – Eligibility under Developmental Delay in Part C. This document can be found on the MDE Part C and Part B Resources webpage under ECSE Guidance and Resource Documents. The edits are intended to make it even clearer that this document is guidance for eligibility under Developmental Delay in Part C. Additionally, it is noted that chronic ear infections as defined by the Colorado list can be used to establish eligibility under Developmental Delay, even in the absence of hearing loss documented by an audiologist.
You can reference the Colorado Established Conditions list by clicking the link on the Help Me Grow Resources webpage. Chronic ear infections are currently listed in row 150.
Holidays and Anti-Bias Education: Being Thoughtful and Creative
What does a successful approach to holidays look like, and how do we get there? With so much to consider, it can be difficult to know where to begin.
This article by Julie Bisson and Louise Derman-Sparks can help you to reflect on your current approach to holidays, and open the door to some thoughtful conversation and planning to ensure that holidays reflect all the children and families in your program and allow for continued learning about each other.
You can access the article at this link: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://antibiasleadersece.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Holidays-and-ABE-Bisson-Derman-Sparks.pdf
AFIRM Modules
AFIRM Modules are designed to help you learn the step-by-step process of planning for, using, and monitoring an Evidence Based Practices (EBP) with learners with autism from birth to 22 years of age. Supplemental materials and handouts are available for download.
NCPMI Family Engagement
At every tier of the Pyramid Model, practitioners and programs should consider what strategies might be used to welcome and support diverse families; how to create opportunities to learn from families; strategies for partnering with families to promote child outcomes; and providing the supports and services that families might need to promote their child’s skill development.
(Fox & Swett, 2017, )
Explore the many resources to share with families on healthy social emotional development, including Teaching Social Emotional Skills at Home, Building Relationships, Family Handout Collections, and Related Resources.
https://challengingbehavior.org/implementation/family-engagement/