Monday, December 9, 2013

Celebrate the holidays with
old friends and new colleagues
 
December Early Childhood Directors Group
Thursday, December 12thth  10:00 am - noon
2021 Hennepin Ave. E., Minneapolis  55413

Ø Discussion Topic: New resources for center directors and staff

Ø Results from the EC Directors Group SURVEY

Ø They’re here! Be among the first Minnesotans to see Redleaf Lane’s children’s books about young children’s experiences in child care

Ø Gearing up for the 2014 Legislative Session             
 

There is no charge for this meeting. RSVP to Nancy Johnson – njohnson@thinksmall.org

The Early Childhood Directors Group meets monthly on the second Thursday, 10:00 am – noon at Think Small 2021 Hennepin Ave. E., Suite 250, Mpls.

It’s here! The NEW Training Calendar for January–June, 2014

You should have received the print version of the Training Calendar for Jan – June, 2014. The online version, with full descriptions of classes, is also  available on www.MNStreams.org  The statewide Training Calendar takes the place of Think Small's Training Catalogue as we move to all online registration for classes in January, 2014.  
 
 
You can search for training titles, read class descriptions, and register and pay for training at: www.MNStreams.org 

If you or your staff have ever taken classes from Think Small, you may already have a MNStreams ID and password. Before starting a new account, call the Training Line and ask for your ID and Password:  651-641-3549.

You can also call Think Small’s Training Line – 651-641-3549 – if you’re having trouble finding or registering for courses online. Leave your message and a training coordinator will get back to you.



The Affordable Care Act Webinar: 
What Early Care and Education Providers
Need to Know
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
12:00-1:30 PM CST
More than 1 million home and center-based teachers and caregivers who currently do not have health insurance may be impacted by new health insurance opportunities made possible by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). 
A healthy individual caring for young children is an important aspect of children’s ability to develop, learn, and thrive.  Health insurance and access to care can provide parents, family members, and early care and education providers with health security and peace of mind that allows better support of child learning and exploration. 
The webinar will discuss tax and employer provisions that may affect providers, information on the Health Insurance Marketplace, and the role that early care and education providers can play in raising awareness about ACA and the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Who Should Participate?
·        Child Care Center Directors and Staff
·        Family Child Care Home Providers
·        Head Start Directors, Program Managers, Staff
 
How to Register
To register for the webinar, select the link below and fill out the registration form. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the webinar.

Hosted by: The Healthy Child Care America at the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Association of Family Child Care, National Head Start Association, and Child Care Aware, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Offices of Child Care, Head Start, and the Chief Medical Officer are hosting a 90 minute webinar on the ACA for early care and education providers. 
Presenter Information:   Dr. George L. Askew, Chief Medical Officer, ACF, will conduct the presentation and representatives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the Small Business Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service will be on hand to answer questions including those specific to the tax and employer provisions of the law.
For additional information on early care and education and ACA, please visit The Affordable Care Act: What It Means for Children, Families, and Early Childhood Programs.  Other resources include the following:

The MNCPD Registry, Minnesota’s hub
for early childhood professional development
just got a Facelift!
Thank you to everybody who gave suggestions for The Registry’s “makeover.”  Try out the new and improved website at  www.mncpd.org 

Send your comments and questions to Cory Woosley  -  651-746-4024.

Also, Child Development Associate (CDA) candidates can now renew with hourly training. For more info, contact  Cory Woosley .

With board games, it’s how children count that counts

ScienceDaily:  Teachers and parents like to use board games to teach skills that range from fair play to counting. When it comes to improving early number skills, a new report finds that how children count is what really counts. More

You Are Invited to Public Policy Hour

Center directors are invited to monthly Public Policy Hour, hosted by the Minnesota’s Future Coalition. Public Policy Hour is held the first Tuesday of the month, noon-1:00 p.m. at Think Small in Minneapolis - 2021 East Hennepin Avenue, Suite 250, 55413. These monthly ECE policy discussions carry on the tradition started by Child Care WORKS. No RSVP is required. Feel free to bring your lunch.

Minnesota Is Third Costliest State

 for Child Care


Child Care Aware® of America’s Parents and the High Cost of Care: 2013 Report received a huge reaction from the media – more than 250 references in the news, reaching an estimated 2 million readers and viewers. The report noted that child care is one of the lowest paying professional fields and one of the most labor-intensive.

THEY’RE  HERE!

 Applications for Minnesota’s

Early Learning Scholarships

Programs can help families apply:

Ø Up to $5,000 per year will be awarded to children aged three to five to improve their school readiness. Younger siblings attending the same program can also be awarded scholarships.

Ø Programs must be participating in Parent Aware Ratings to serve scholarship children.

Ø Applications for interested families are available by calling the Think Small Scholarship Information Hotline -  651-641-6604. 

Ø Please share the application with families in your community and help them fill them out and send them in as soon as possible.

        Applications can also be downloaded at Think Small’s website:

Application and instructions for parents


Families eligible for Early Learning Scholarships:

  • Must reside in Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington county, and
  • have a child between the ages of 3 and 5 who is not yet eligible for kindergarten, and
  • have annual income of:
  •          $28,694 for a family of 2
  •          $36,131 for a family of 3
  •          $43,568 for a family of 4
  •          $51,005 for a family of 5. 
For scholarship information in other languages, call:

Yog nyob hauv ob lub nroog ntxaib: 651-665-0150

En el área metropolitana, Ilame al: 651-665-0150

Magaalada gudahed wac: 651-665-0150
 
Minnesota makes progress (finally!)                           towards closing the K-12 Achievement Gap

Last Thursday, results from the 2013 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) were released, showing that Minnesota is making progress in narrowing the achievement gap between white students and students of color. For more information, click the following links:



 

Federal Budget Sequestration’s Consequences for Young Children and Teachers in Minnesota

Sequestration – or across the board budget cuts, resulting from the inability of the U.S. Senate and House to agree on a federal budget - has had devastating consequences for low wage families, their preschoolers and their teachers in Minnesota. 120 classroom teachers lost their jobs in Head Start, over 40 classrooms were shuttered, and almost 1,000  3-5 year olds living in poverty lost their opportunity to attend quality preschool before kindergarten.

Senator Franken Introduces Two Early Childhood Bills

On November 8th, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) introduced two bills aimed to improve the "child care workforce and increase parents' access to critical education programs." The names of the two bills are the Parent Education and Family Engagement in Early Education Act and the Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce Improvement Act.

 

Read more about Sen. Franken's Parent Education and Family Engagement in Early Education Act here and the Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce Improvement Act here.