Early Education Newsletter
October 2019
The CASY office will be closed
Monday, October 14th
in observance of Columbus Day.
Changes to your Child Care Resource and Referral Effective October 1, 2019
As a child care provider, we hope that you’ve been hearing about the statewide changes in your support set forth by the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning. Starting today, October 1, things will look different in Indiana’s Child Care Resource & Referral agencies, which means the support you’ve been receiving from CASY will change. CASY will continue to provide support for providers in navigating I-LEAD, finding educational opportunities, in business operation, and more.
With these exciting changes, CASY would like to welcome the new counties that we will be serving. CASY will now serve 24 counties across Central Indiana. Our service area now covers: Bartholomew, Brown, Clay, Delaware, Fayette, Greene, Hancock, Henry, Johnson, Madison, Montgomery, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, Sullivan, Union, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash Counties.
For more information about upcoming changes and the future roll of Child Care Resource and Referral, click here.
Changes to Your CCDF Intake Agency
PTQ Advancements
Enrollments:
Angela's Childcare II, Morgan County
Evelyne's Child Care, Madison County
Cabrina's Safe Haven for Kidz, Bartholomew County
Advancements:
Level 4:
VIP Kinder College I, Vigo County
Level 3:
Walnut Elementary School - Little Mountie Preschool, Montgomery County
Tiny's Cub Club Care Center, Madison County
Parker Elementary PreK, Henry County
Winchester Head Start, Randolph County
Sunny Trails Child Care, Bartholomew County
Bei Bambini, Bartholomew County
Cabrina's Safe Haven for Kidz, Bartholomew County
Level 2:
Tiny Treasures Child Care, Wayne County
Tee Trudy's Rainbow Palace, Delaware County
I-LEAD Tip
It is important to know your background check (fingerprints), when expiring, should be completed prior to submitting your consent form. You will need your Inkless Transaction Number from your fingerprinting to fully complete your consent. If your consent is received before the background check (fingerprints) has been completed, you may be mistakenly considered unqualified to work within a child care setting. As we move to using the I-LEAD system, consent forms are now received immediately therefore causing this timing issue to emerge. For other tips and updates visit www.ileadhelp.org
IMPORTANT RECALL NOTICES!
Are these products still being used in your program?
Infant fatalities have occurred in Rock ‘n Play Sleepers, and in other inclined sleep products, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances. Day Care Centers and any others in possession of a Rock ‘n Play Sleeper or the inclined sleeper accessory included with the Ultra-Lite Day & Night Play Yard should immediately stop using them and visit www.service.mattel.com to obtain more information about the recalls. You can also contact Fisher- Price by phone at 1-866-812-6518 Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 AM and 6 PM Eastern Time.
OECOSL Statewide Updates
Join the Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning (OECOSL) at a
regional meeting to learn about upcoming changes to policy.
At this meeting, OECOSL staff will share updates on the structure of Indiana's quality support
system.
Want to Get Involved in the Future of Statewide Technical Assistance?
SPARK will have a Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) in each Service Delivery Area. Councils will provide feedback on the following:
- The development and piloting of the program self-assessment
- Format and methods of technical assistance support
- Module content
- Soliciting feedback from other programs in their region
- Program and policy development
Learn more about the RACs in the attached document. If you are interested in joining the RAC in your SDA, please fill out the online application by October 18th: www.IndianaSpark.com/RAC.
Professional Development Opportunities
Safe Sleep is Available Online
Module One: Safe Sleep Practices: Reducing Sudden Unexpected Infant Death
Module Two: Safe Sleep Practices: Implementation in Child Care Settings
To access Safe Sleep and more, visit ilead.in.gov
Bright Beginnings: Supporting Early Childhood Mental Health Conference
Early Childhood/Preschool/Child Care directors, teachers, and providers and family members of children ages 3- to 8-years-old are invited to come together for a day focused on mental health through inclusive practices and positive social-emotional and behavior supports for young children. This conference will provide information on:
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The importance of early childhood education;
Improving self-regulation skills in children;
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Universal Design for Learning;
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Guidance on the Preschool Foundations and social-emotional competencies;
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Preventing and managing difficult behaviors at home and at school;
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Rhythm and drum circles; and
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More session topics to come...
For more information or to register, click here.
Ignite Conference
“What you want to ignite in others must first burn inside yourself.” ~Aurelius Augustinus
Join us for this full day of hands-on learning for preschool teachers! Perhaps you’re a kid at heart and your passion for play and personal growth burn bright within. Maybe you are a brand new teacher and you want to light a spark and give children your best with developmentally appropriate practice in your classroom! It’s possible you’ve been teaching for a long time and you are starting to feel burned out. You need to fan the flames for learning and get some new fuel for the fire that once burned bright and now is barely flickering.
Whatever your situation, if you’re a preschool teacher and you have a passion for learning, this is the conference for you!
This is NOT your typical “sit and get” conference!
In this unique conference experience you will have the opportunity to attend inspiring keynote sessions as well as three active learning “playshops.” Session topics include PLAY, NATURE, TINKERING, LOOSE PARTS, LITERACY, CREATIVE ARTS, and TEACHER SELF-CARE. You will return to your classroom remembering WHY you became a teacher with a fire in your belly to bring more play into your classroom, and remember to make play an essential part of your daily life.
South Central Region inaeyc Conference
Columbus Region inaeyc Conference
IYI Because Kids Count
Registration is now open for the IYI KIDS COUNT Conference is the Midwest’s largest gathering of youth-serving professionals. Gain practical resources from national experts, learn about best practice models from programs like yours, and make connections that last all year long. Explore timely and relevant issues for youth in the areas of health, social emotional learning, family engagement, equity and inclusion and more! Click here for more information.
Webinar: Infectious Disease in Child Care: Knowing When to Send a Child Home, and How to Provide Care for "Kind Of Sick" Children
Monday, October 21, 12:30-1:30 p.m. EST
Resources and Information
Lights On Afterschool
Join more than 8,000 communities and 1 million Americans in celebrating afterschool programs for this year's Lights On Afterschool! This nationwide event, organized by the Afterschool Alliance, calls attention to the importance of afterschool programs and the resources required to keep the lights on and the doors open.
We encourage you to hold a Lights On Afterschool celebration to showcase the great things happening in your program, and help call attention to this important issue. All who register to be part of Lights On Afterschool will receive free posters and planning tips, and events will be promoted to media and the public.
Everything you need to plan a successful event, from case studies to sample materials, is available in the Lights On Afterschool Planning Kit.
To learn more about Lights On Afterschool, register an event, access event planning tools, or to find out what’s going on in your area, visit afterschoolalliance.org. Lights On Afterschool is a project of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to afterschool programs.
Designing the Right Classroom Environment for Infants, Toddlers & Twos
Have you ever walked into a store and felt right at home and relaxed? In a store like this, you want to linger and examine everything. You can scan the room and get an idea of where everything is. The lighting and colors are cozy, warm, and relaxing. In this store, the displays are inviting, highlighting interesting items. Everything is within reach, and, if you need help, the personnel make you feel welcome without pressuring you. You might even notice that there is visual space between items so you can really notice each detail, drawing you in. Everything just feels right.
Now, think of a store that makes you feel anxious or irritated. The lighting is too bright or too dim. Music or background noise is loud and distracting. Displays and shelves are crowded, disorganized, cluttered, or messy. You might have a hard time finding what you’re looking for, and, if you need help, personnel are unavailable, not interested in helping you, or try to pressure you to buy something different. In this kind of environment, you may want to just get in and get out!
Does your classroom feel right? Find out here.
Organizing the Classroom for High Quality Learning
Long before the dawn of brain research, educators understood that experience triggers learning. A child should be surrounded by a rich sensory environment that generates active learning experiences.
The launch of a new school year offers an opportunity to assess how your classrooms are set up. Does the physical arrangement of your classroom support child-directed experiential learning? Is there a wide variety of materials being offered to fuel the creativity and curiosity of your students?
Read these suggestions from Beverly Falk: Provisioning High Quality Learning Environments
Daycare Swaddling Changes Confuse Some Parents
Indiana consistently ranks among the worst states when it comes to its infant mortality rate. One of the ways the State Department of Health says parents can reduce that risk is by using safe sleep practices.
But, recent changes to the state's safe sleep guidelines for licensed childcare providers are causing confusion for some parents. Click here to learn more.
Stay Connected
Email: help@casyonline.org
Website: http://casyonline.org/
Location: 1101 South 13th Street, Terre Haute, IN, USA
Phone: 800-886-3952
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CASY.Inc