Monday, March 17, 2014


March 26th is Voices for Children Advocacy Day

The 12th Annual Voices for Children Advocacy Day at the Capitol is March 26th.  Join early childhood staff, children and parents for the BIGGEST event of the year supporting early childhood legislation. 

The “child friendly” rally in the Capitol Building Rotunda starts at 9:30AM!  Information on parking, bus schedules, and other details can be found here: http://www.voicesforchildrenmn.org

Even if you can’t join us at the Capitol, you can add your voice and the voices of the children and families you serve by sending children’s handprint butterflies to your own House and Senate representatives and to the Governor.

Directors for making handprint butterflies and where to send them are here: http://www.voicesforchildrenmn.org/art-project-flyers .

Information about how to schedule a visit with your House Representative and State Senator is here:  http://www.voicesforchildrenmn.org/meet-legislator/

Join Your Colleagues at the next Early Childhood Directors Group
Thursday, April 10th  -  10:00 am – noon  -  2021 Hennepin Ave. E., Minneapolis  55413
There is no charge for this networking meeting.  RSVP to Nancy Johnson – njohnson@thinksmall.org
The Next Center Directors Quarterly Training is THURSDAY - May 8th
The Kindness Curriculum, with author Judith Rice
Practical strategies for creating “bullying free” programs
10 am – noon - Think Small on 2021 E. Hennepin Ave., Suite 250, Mpls.
Directors trainings are $22 and MNCPD approved for 2 clock hours. Trainings are from 10:00 am – noon The next Directors Training:
Registration must be made 7 days in advance on www.mnstreams.org or by calling the Training Registration Line: 651-641-3549.
Questions? Contact Nancy Johnson 651-233-2260 or  njohnson@thinksmall.org.

DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS???

Last week, by a vote of 96 to 2, the U.S. Senate reauthorized the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) for the first time in nearly 20 years!
CCDBG is the biggest funding source for families’ to access child care sliding fee subsidies and for states to improve quality and monitoring. The new, improved CCDBG will also:

·        Improve the health and safety of children in child care settings                                    
·        Make it easier for families to get and keep the assistance they need                                
·        Provides continuity in children’s care arrangements                                                                
·        Strengthens the quality of child care
This is a key step in building a strong early care and learning system in our country.       Minnesota’s Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar provided critical support for this legislation. The U.S. House has yet to schedule action on the bill. 

Share Your Success Stories

To be successful at the legislature, early childhood advocates need to put a face on why quality child care and scholarships are important and what they mean to children, parents, providers and our communities. Send your stories so that the MinneMinds Coalition can share them with the Governor, legislators and the media. If you need some story prompts, click here. Then email your stories to stories@minneminds.com.

CCAP Higher Reimbursement Rates Effective March 2014

Providers with a three- or four-star Parent Aware rating are eligible for higher rates effective March 3, 2014.  Parent Aware programs are NOT required to submit additional CCAP paperwork to receive the higher reimbursement rates.

 
Accredited programs must verify their accreditation to receive higher reimbursement rates 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.

 

Be An “In The Know” Advocate
All directors are invited to the next  Policy Hour on April 1st -  Noon – 1pm  at Think Small -  2021 East Hennepin Avenue E., Suite 250, Minneapolis. 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. No RSVP is required. Feel free to bring your lunch.

NEW Contact Information for the Minnesota Center for Professional Development

The Minnesota Center for Professional Development
5900 Monona Drive Suite #200
Madison, WI 53716
Toll free phone: 855-378-3131
Toll free fax: 877-379-2467
Support ticket email:
support@mncpd.org