Center Directors – This
Training is Designed For You
Third Thursday
Directors Training
Thursday, February 20thth 10:00 am - noon
Think Small, 2021 E. Hennepin Ave., Mpls 55413
More Than Raffi: Musical Literacy
in the Early Childhood Setting
Learn how to coach your teachers to incorporate basic musical
concepts into their day to enrich children’s experience and get those synapses
firing!
MNCPD approved training taught by professional musician
and early childhood educator Kathy Lee. Two hours in-service, $22 fee. REGISTER
at least 7 days in advance to avoid $5 admin fee. To register, call Nancy
at 651-233-2260 or email njohnson@thinksmall.org
We hear a lot about supporting early
literacy in early childhood environments - but what about musical literacy?
Music engages many different areas of the brain: language, mathematical
thinking, creativity, and social/emotional development. And teachers
don't have to be professional musicians to teach the building blocks of
music.
“We not only need to equip [children] with the
ability to answer the questions relevant to the world we now inhabit…we need
learning that incorporates what the arts teach us.” Harvard President Drew Faust and musician Wynton
Marsalis, in "The Art of Learning," USA Today,
January 2, 2014.
The
Early Childhood Directors Group meets on the second Thursday of the following months for facilitated
discussion, resource sharing and networking. All meetings are 10:00 am – noon
at Think Small, 2021 Hennepin Ave. E., Suite 250, Mpls, 55413.
2014 Meeting Schedule: January
9th, March 13th, April 10th, June 12th,
August 14th, October 9th, and November 13th.
These meetings are FREE and open to all
center directors and assistant directors.
Directors
Trainings, scheduled on the Third Thursday of the month, are designed for center directors,
assistant directors and education coordinators. The next Directors Training is February 20th.
All Directors Trainings are $22 and MNCPD
approved for 2 clock hours. Trainings are from 10:00 am – noon at Think Small
on 2021 E. Hennepin Ave., Suite 250, Mpls, 55413.
Registration for trainings must be
made 7 days in advance by contacting Nancy Johnson, 651-233-2260 or
njohnson@thinksmall.org.
Also
plan on joining us for the 2014 Tour of Quality Programs in the Fall.
CCAP Higher Reimbursement Rates
Effective February and March 2014
The following information is taken from DHS BULLETIN #14-68-03 http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/groups/publications/documents/pub/dhs16_181885.pdf
Providers with a three- or four-star Parent Aware rating are
eligible for higher rates effective March 3, 2014.
Providers with a three-star Parent Aware rating are eligible
for up to 15 percent above the standard maximum rate, not to exceed the
provider charge.
Providers with a four-star Parent Aware rating are eligible
for up to 20 percent above the standard maximum rate, not to exceed the
provider charge.
Parent Aware programs are NOT required to submit additional CCAP
paperwork to receive the higher reimbursement rates.
Programs’
Parent Aware ratings will be entered into the CCAP rates authorization system
to alert case workers to approve new Service Authorization rates for individual
programs.
For specific rates, see the CCAP 15 Percent Quality Differential Maximum Rates - Effective
February 3, 2014 (DHS-6442B) and
the CCAP 20 Percent Quality Differential
Accredited programs eligible for higher rates
Licensed
and license-exempt centers accredited by certain accrediting organizations are
eligible for a 15 percent higher rate for quality, not to exceed the provider’s
charge. For List of Accrediting bodies,
see DHS BULLETIN #14-68-03
Accredited programs must verify their accreditation to receive higher reimbursement rates
In
order to receive the 15 percent higher CCAP rate for quality,
the provider must request the higher rate and submit
verification showing that they hold one of the approved
accreditations. Programs may request the higher rate
on their Registration and Acknowledgement Form(DHS-5190 and DHS-5191) or on the
Quality Differential Rate Request Form (DHS-4795) or by sending a qualifying
accreditation certificate with a written request.
Free Audio Conference: Using Model Child Care Health Policies
In partnership with the national American Academy of Pediatrics, Healthy Child Care America program, ECELS is presenting an audioconference, “Using Model Child Care Health Policies to Improve Quality.”Wednesday, February 12, 2014 – 11:00 am - 12:30
Presenters include:
Susan S. Aronson, MD, FAAP - ECELS Pediatric Advisor and PA AAP Chapter Child Care Contact
Timothy Shope, MD, FAAP - Associate Professor, General Academic Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh
Moderator: Danette Glassy, MD, FAAP, Co-Chair AAP Council on Early Childhood
Participants will be able to:
- Describe the intended use of
Model Child Care Health Policies
- Correlate Model
Child Care Health Policies with Caring for Our Children
Registrants will receive a pre-webinar survey to
prioritize content.
To Register: http://www.ecels-healthychildcarepa.org/using-model-child-care-health-policies
Handouts will be posted at www.ecels-healthychildcarepa.org
> professional development on 2/10/2014.
For additional information, please contact: ECELS - 484/446-3003 - 800-243-2357 - ecels@paaap.org
Be An “In The Know” Advocate
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Join Minnesota's Future at the next Policy Hour on February 4 from Noon – 1pm for an update on
Early Learning Scholarships and a presentation of the Minnesota's Future
Coalition members' policy agendas.
Policy Hour is a monthly opportunity for early childhood and
school-age care professionals to connect with each other and learn about
current policy issues in an informal setting. Policy Hour is held the
first Tuesday of each month, through June 2014, from Noon-1:00 p.m. at Think
Small (2021 East Hennepin Avenue, Suite 250, Minneapolis, MN 55413). No
RSVP is required. Feel free to bring your lunch.
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Presidential Priority:
Fund Early Childhood Education
EDWeek
Update - Jan 30th, 2014
Early
Childhood Education:
President
Obama renewed his pitch—kicked off in last year's State-of
the Union speech—for Congress to enact a major, early-
childhood education initiative that would entice states to expand
pre-kindergarten to more 4-year-olds, improve program quality, and bolster
access to Head Start. Lawmakers have already put a down payment on that plan,
funneling more than $1 billion in additional money to existing
early-childhood education programs—primarily Head Start.
But, so
far, lawmakers have been much cooler to the core piece of Obama's
early-childhood initiative—matching grants to help states begin expanding
their own programs. The two top Democrats in Congress—Rep. George Miller of
California, and Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa—introduced legislation that
would make much of the proposal a reality. But the legislation has attracted
only a couple of Republican co-sponsors, in part because of its price tag:
more than $30 billion over the first five years.
"I really want to get it done," Harkin
said of his preschool expansion legislation that is part of a push by President Barack Obama
to improve the economy by getting more children ready to learn. In a
wide-ranging Q-and-A session Wednesday on Capitol Hill, Harkin said he wants
a hearing and a markup of the early-childhood bill "sometime soon."
In the
meantime, however, Obama said he would pull together a coalition of business
leaders, philanthropists, and elected officials to help expand pre-K for the
neediest children. (House
Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline, R-Minn., has
announed a Feb. 5 hearing on early education.)
Save the Date: Voices for Children
Advocacy Day is March 26th
The 12th Annual Voices for Children Advocacy Day will be
Wednesday, March 26 at 10:00AM at the Minnesota State Capitol. The
Voices for Children Advocacy Day is an opportunity for parents, teachers,
early care and education professionals in Minnesota to stand up and counted
as a voice for children.
More details will soon be announced. You can watch for more
details at voicesforchildrenmn.org or
the Voices
for Children Advocacy Day Facebook page.
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Curious about Parent
Aware Ratings?
Come to a FREE Quality Tune Up
Learn
about the components of Parent Aware
Stop
by between 5:30—8:00 p.m.
Monday,
March 10th, 2014
Think
Small, 2021 Hennepin Ave. East, Mpls,55413
The Quality Tune Up Open House includes information
on:
- Options for Training and Education
- Completing your Learning Record on the Registry
- Daily Schedules, Lesson Plans and Curriculum
- Child Observation and Assessment
- Resources to Share with Parents
- Early Learning Scholarship Information
Think Small Class Registrations
Go Online
The online version of
Think Small’s training calendar is now available 24/7 on www.MNStreams.org . Included are
class titles, descriptions, instructors, dates, times, and fees. Mail in
registrations are no longer accepted. Please register and pay for classes on www.MNStreams.org |
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If you’re having trouble
finding or registering for courses online you can always call Think
Small’s Training Line – 651-641-3549.
Leave your message and a training coordinator will get back to you.
Parent Aware Update
Imagine Target Field jam packed full of people
Now imagine them all using Parent Aware Ratings
That’s the new reality. Driven in part by the
Ratings Ad Campaign on radio, TV, billboards, and the web, 39,735 “unique
visitors” have gone to the Parent Aware website over the last six months alone.
As the new ad campaign continues, the number of new users will continue to
grow.
Many parents who use the Ratings use them silently.
But they are there. An average of 6,600 brand new website visitors every month.
Month after month. Year after year.
78% of parents who recall the ads say that, all
things being equal, they would choose a Star Rated program over an unrated one;
4% would choose an unrated program.
New families enrolling their children are only one
reward available to Parent Aware Rated programs. Free coaching, improvement
grants, community recognition and $60 million in new scholarships and CCAP
bonuses are also available to the growing number if providers volunteering for
Parent Aware.
The website’s search function is now location-based
so that parents can view a map of Parent Aware programs in their
area. Check out the updated site at parentawareratings.org
For information about how your program can get
started in Parent Aware call Carol Stromme 651-641-6644 or cstromme@thinksmall.org and visit parentawareratings.org
