Calling all early childhood providers, educators and parents: your voice is needed! Help us shape a federal policy agenda focused on improving equity and inclusion for young children with disabilities and development delays across the birth-to-five early childhood system by sharing your experiences, perspectives, and ideas. Please complete our survey by March 18 and help us amplify our reach by sharing with your networks:https://bit.ly/3pd6uya
Tag Archives: Early Care and Education
Spotlights on Innovative Practices: Learning Management Systems— Sharing and Accessing Professional Development Resources
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
3:00–4:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time)
This webinar will outline the benefits of developing a repository of course modules designed for early learning professionals and the ways in which administrators of state learning management systems (LMS) can join the effort. Listen to representatives from Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island as they discuss their respective LMSs, involvement with the repository, and a description of currently available materials. Join the webinar to see how your state might get involved!
Who Should Participate
This webinar will be of interest to professional development system leaders, LMS administrators, and related staff members.
Viewing the Webinar
Select this Web link to register for the webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Questions
If you have questions, contact the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning at ecdtl@ecetta.info or call (toll-free) at (844) 261-3752.
Upcoming Webinar Making a Difference: Maternal Depression
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Child Care Aware® of America Symposium and Gala Celebrating Passion and Persistence. Igniting Possibilities
April 17-20, 2018
Marriott Marquis
Washington, DC
Child Care Aware® of America 30th AnniversaryChild Care Aware® of America is celebrating 30 years in the child care community at the Child Care Aware® of America Symposium 2018. The Symposium is the biennial event that brings together individuals from across the country come together to discuss the hottest topics of research, policy, and practices of interest to the early child care and education community. This year has been extremely special as Child Care Aware® of America celebrated 30 years of growth and accomplishments. We are honored to have you help celebrate the closeout of Child Care Aware® of America’s 30th Anniversary. |
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Speakers/ProgramWe’re excited to announce that the digital version of the 2018 Symposium program is now available for download on the Child Care Aware® of America website. Download the PDF to browse the agenda and explore the sessions and speakers most relevant to your work.
Learn more about plenary topics that were covered during the 2016 Symposium here. |
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Who Should Attend?The Symposium is the biennial event that brings together child care experts, Child Care Resource and Referral leaders and staff, child care providers, researchers, policymakers, parents, students, and anyone interested from across the country come together to discuss the hottest topics of research, policy, and practices of interest to the early child care and education community. |
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Why Should You Attend?
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RegistrationRegister Early and Save! Get the best rates when you register early. Bring your family, staff or become a Child Care Aware of America member and save even more.
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Submit Your Proposal to Provide Technical Assistance in Building Healthy Child Care & Communities
With the support of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) is pleased to offer technical assistance (TA) to states on projects that support development or maintenance of quality child care settings that promote child health.CCAoA will select up to six (6) organizations to participate in this nine-month project, based on the strength of their applications. Please submit your proposals by 5 p.m. EST on Wednesday, February 28, 2018.
During the Healthy Child Care, Healthy Communitiesproject period, the selected organization will determine which element of healthy child care will be its priority and will develop and implement a TA plan to achieve a goal articulated in this application. This goal must be a SMART goal—a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time bound. We are interested in supporting statewide, regional, or local organizations with these initiatives through intensive TA that supports systemic changes to state or local policies or practices through one or a combination of the following levers for change:
- Policy Development and Analysis
- Advocacy
- Research and Community-Informed Practices
- Family and Community Engagement
- Workforce Capacity Building Activities
Elements of a successful application include:
- Participation in or building of a broad-based coalition focused on addressing health in child care settings.
- Expressed interest in using data and data visualization to answer a research question or to solve a problem related to healthy child care settings.
- A description of the types of support activities offered by CCAoA that it plans to use to support the equity-rooted policy and practice levers selected.
- Preference will be given to applicants who are willing to enter into data partnership agreements with CCAoA,
- Total number of points that may be obtained through evaluation criteria is equal to 100 points. Maximum point values for each question are listed.
Get further information about this opportunity here. Questions about the process or the submission may be addressed to Krista Scott, Senior Director of Child Care Health Policy at Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA).
Submit Your Proposal
(Which includes goals, requirements, scope of work and criteria)
Deadline: February 28, 2018
Project Duration: March 15, 2018 to December 14, 2018
Harnessing Opportunity for Positive, Equitable Early Childhood Development (HOPE)
February 1, 2018
The Nemours Children’s Health System is proud to launch The Project HOPE Consortium, a new partnership with The BUILD Initiative and BMC Vital Village Network supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Project HOPE is designed to generate real progress toward equitable outcomes for young children (prenatal to age five) and their families by building the capacity of local communities, state leaders, cross-sector state teams, and local coalitions to prevent social adversities in early childhood and promote child well-being.
Grant Opportunity
States and communities are invited to build collaborative teams to participate in this work. Up to eight community teams and seven state teams will be selected to receive grants that will support in-depth technical assistance for capacity-building through targeted funding, tailored provision of technical assistance, focused strategies and approaches, tools and materials, webinars, and support for in-person convening. Complete your Expression of Interest Survey before March 8, 2018.
Through this survey, cross-sector teams or leaders can express interest in the HOPE project. Selected community coalitions/teams will be invited to apply for grants of up to $80,000 over 18 months. Selected state teams and individual leader survey respondents will be invited to apply for seven state grants of up to $200,000 over 24 months.
Learn More
Join Nemours, BUILD Initiative, and BMC Vital Village for an informational webinar on Thursday, February 8 at 2:00 PM ET. Any questions can be submitted toprojecthope2018202@gmail.com. Questions received before February 5 will be addressed on the webinar. Register here.
What is Systems Building?
By working collectively on state systems and community approaches, The Project HOPE Consortium will help early childhood leaders from early learning, health, and other child- and family-serving systems develop health equity as a shared value. Learn more about systems building here
Nemours looking to partner with ECE/Childhood Obesity Organization to test ECELC revised Toolkit
Nemours Children’s Health System is pleased to announce a search to fund an organization to test an Early Care and Education Learning Collaborative (ECELC) Toolkit beginning October 1, 2017. The ECELC Toolkit will guide a state/community through developing and implementing a childhood obesity learning collaborative for early care and education (ECE) providers. For additional information regarding Nemours National ECE Learning Collaborative model, please visit https://healthykidshealthyfuture.org/about-ecelc/.
Nemours’ National ECELC is an evidenced informed model that, with funding from CDC, has reached over 1,670 early care and education programs and over 170,000 children nationally over the past five years. As childhood obesity prevention efforts in the United States continue, policy and practice based interventions to promote healthy eating and physical activity best practices help shape healthier environments for children attending early care and education programs. Over the past five years, early care and education programs participating in Nemours ECELC have improved healthy environments in their programs and continue to implement healthy eating and physical activity best practices. Through self-assessment tools, we have learned, the ECELC model contributes to increases in child nutrition, physical activity, breastfeeding support, outdoor play and learning, and screen time best practices and healthy policy changes in early child care and education programs across the country.[1]
The ECELC model has been implemented with large grants to public and private partners and technical assistance from Nemours and CDC. As part of the project, Nemours has developed an off-the-shelf ECELC Toolkit to guide organizations on how to run a learning collaborative for ECE providers focused on childhood obesity prevention. Nemours is seeking a partner organization to test whether the model can be implemented with limited technical assistance using the ECELC Toolkit and a small amount of funding. The ECELC Toolkit can provide a tremendous opportunity for an organization to build upon their current professional development repertoire for early care and education programs in a targeted community. As an added bonus, all training materials and resources are provided at no additional costs to the partner organization! Piloting the ECELC Toolkit before full dissemination will allow Nemours and CDC to enhance the content and supportive resources with key information to ensure success of learning collaborative(s) launched by other organizations.
The selected organization will collaborate with Nemours beginning October 1, 2017 through September 2018.
The selected partner organization will receive the user-friendly Nemours ECELC Toolkit manual, all training materials and resources online, limited technical assistance support, and a small amount of funding from Nemours. The partner organization will provide a designated staff member for the project, funding to support the project needs beyond the Nemours grant, and participate in a formal evaluation process.
An informational webinar is scheduled for Monday, August 21, 2017 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to provide potential partner organizations information regarding Nemours ECELC Toolkit project and application process. For questions or to register for the webinar, please contact, Content Specialist Kevin Cataldo at kevin.cataldo@nemours.org.
Nemours Children’s Health System is committed to improving the health of children. As a nonprofit children’s health organization, we consider the health of every child to be a sacred trust. Through family-centered care in our children’s hospitals and clinics in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida, as well as world-changing research, education and advocacy, Nemours fulfills the promise of a healthier tomorrow for all children – even those who may never enter our doors.
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[1] Smith TM, Blaser C, Geno Rasmussen C, Shuell J, Plumlee C, Yaroch AL. Assessment of nutrition and physical activity practices using self-report and observation in early care and education across multiple US states. Public Health Nutrition. March 2017:1-7. doi:10.1017/S1368980017000155.
Smith, T. M., Blaser, C., Geno Rasmussen, C., Shuell, J., Plumlee, C., Gargano, T., & Yaroch, A. L. (In Press). Real world implementation of a project aimed to improve nutrition and physical activity policies and practices in early care and education. Preventing Chronic Disease.
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CLASP: Policy Solutions That Work for Low-Income People
October 26, 2016
According to new research from the Yale Child Study Center, many early childhood programs demonstrate implicit bias in assessing children’s behavioral challenges and making decisions about suspension and expulsion.
The study asked early childhood teachers and administrators to watch two videos—one featuring a Black boy and girl, the other a White boy and girl—and identify challenging behavior. It found that teachers spent a disproportionate amount of time watching the Black boy. When explicitly asked which student required the most attention, 42 percent of participants said the Black boy, 34 percent the White boy, 13 percent the White girl, and 10 percent the Black girl.
The study tracks closely with recent data from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) Office for Civil Rights. According to ED’s 2013-2014 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), Black children comprise just 19 percent of those enrolled in public school pre-kindergarten but 47 percent of preschool children who receive one or more suspensions. Black boys are also more likely to be expelled than their peers. In addition to implicit bias, these children experience higher stress levels and less access to high-quality early education.
The body of evidence showing racial disparities in accessing and succeeding in early childhood programs demonstrates a strong need to review and modify federal, state, and local policies. We need to create a level playing field where all kids can access quality programs and receive equal treatment—supporting their success now and in the future. If we fail to address racial disparities, we’ll be undermining healthy development for millions of our youngest children.
Source: CLASP: Policy Solutions That Work for Low-Income People
Available at: http://www.clasp.org/issues/child-care-and-early-education/in-focus/racial-bias-in-preschool-teachers
Education Coordinators Webinar Series: Practice-Based Coaching Overview
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 3–4 p.m. EST
Join the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning (NCECDTL) for the Education Coordinator Webinar Series. In this episode, review the basics of Practice-Based Coaching (PBC) and discuss implementation considerations for education coordinators. Review strategies for both implementation and for supporting coaches.
Topics for the webinar include:
- What education coordinators need to know about PBC
- What to take into account before and during PBC implementation
- Resources to support education coordinators and coaches during PBC implementation
- What coaches will learn during the PBC Institute
Who Should Participate?
This webinar will benefit Head Start, Early Head Start, and child care education coordinators who are: considering implementing PBC and need more information on PBC and supports for coaches; implementing PBC and would benefit from a review of PBC and implementation considerations; and working with program leadership who are identifying staff to attend their Region’s PBC Institute.
Viewing the Webinar
Select the link to register: https://zerotothree.adobeconnect.com/e11ypnbo59p/event/registration.html
Save the Date
Mark your calendars for the next Education Coordinators webinar on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at 3 p.m. EST.
Questions?
If you have questions, contact NCECDTL at ecdtl@ecetta.info or call (toll-free) at 1-844-261-3752.
New Guide for Providing a Trauma-Informed Approach in Human Services
January 13, 2017
By Mark Greenberg, Acting Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families and Kana Enomoto, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
We’re very pleased to announce that the Administration for Children and Families, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Administration for Community Living and the Offices of the Assistant Secretary for Health and the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at HHS have developed a Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services. The Guide is intended to provide an introduction to the topic of trauma, a discussion of why understanding and addressing trauma is important for human services programs, and a “road map” to find relevant resources.
Staff from our divisions have been working together for the last year to develop this guide. We did so because we know there is increasing recognition in human services programs about the importance of being “trauma-informed,” but there are often important questions about what it means to be trauma-informed, what such an approach implies for service delivery and staff training, and how the answers are similar and different across the array of human services programs. The Guide seeks to address these and related questions, and we hope it will be both immediately helpful and a “living” document to be updated over time as our knowledge and experience grow. Trauma is generally described as an especially stressful experience or event which results in physical or mental stress or pain. All of us may experience trauma at one time or another, and for many people, there may be few or no sustained effects, while for others, longer-term impacts and consequences result. This resulting physical or emotional harm could have lasting adverse effects on the individual’s physical, social or emotional well-being.
Research tells us that experiencing traumatic life events can affect the way people learn, plan, and interact with others. Providing human services to individuals who have experienced trauma calls for an approach that takes into consideration their trauma histories. This guide is designed for professional human services providers to help them decide if their services are trauma-informed and how best to deliver and design those services using evidence-based, evidence-informed, and innovative practices most relevant to their needs.
The guide is a web-linked compilation of resources from a range of HHS agencies, federal partners, and respected sources outside government. The site will contain both information and resources for human services leaders at the state, tribal, territorial, and local levels on recent advances in our understanding of trauma, toxic stress, and resiliency and specifically what these advances mean for program design and service delivery.
Some general trauma resources in the guide, which are applicable to all human services programs, include:
- What is Trauma?
- What are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)? How are they different from trauma experienced at other times during the life course?
- What is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
- How does exposure to trauma affect brain development?
- What do we mean by trauma-informed services and why is such an approach important?
Other trauma resources for specific human services programs or populations include topics such as aging populations, child welfare agencies, domestic violence programs, victims of human trafficking and victims of abuse.
Becoming trauma-informed is one part of ensuring that human services programs are informed by emerging work linking traumatic experiences and physical, mental and emotional health and the underlying brain science. Our agencies welcome hearing from those involved in program administration and service delivery about the issues and experiences faced in efforts to become trauma-informed, and how our agencies can support these efforts and build the knowledge base for the future.
Access the Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services.
This is posted on The Family Room Blog at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/blog/2017/01/new-guide-for-providing-a-trauma-informed-approach-in-human-services.
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