Wednesday, October 1, 2014


WEDNESDAY, October 8th is the
Last Day to Register For The

 

4th Annual Tour of Quality Centers

 

Thursday, October 9th    8:45 am – 12:30 pm

 

The Tour is free.  To join the Tour,  RSVP to:  

Nancy Johnson  njohnson@thinksmall.org  -  651-233-2260


 

We’re excited to feature the following exemplary programs on this year’s tour

  • New Horizons Academy, Woodbury , participating in Farm to Child Care
  • Miniapple Montessori, Oakdale
  • Joyce Preschool - Spanish/English Immersion, Minneapolis

This is your opportunity to visit three very different, high quality 4 Star Parent Aware rated programs. 


Tour Schedule
8:45 am – 9:00 am  -  Gather at New Horizons Academy, Woodbury
9:00 am – 9:50 am  -  Introduction and tour of Woodbury New Horizons Academy, a participating center in the NHA Farm to Child Care Project.
10:00 – 10:50 am  -  Introduction and tour of Miniapple International Montessori, Oakdale, an inspiring Montessori exploration and learning environment.
11:20 – Noon  -  Introduction and tour of Joyce Preschool, Minneapolis, an English/Spanish immersion child care and education and family engagement program.  
Noon – 12:30  -  Networking and refreshments

To join the Tour and receive maps and other details you must register with Nancy Johnson: njohnson@thinksmall.org    –   651-233-2260.


The Tour of Quality will take the place of our regular monthly Early Childhood Directors Group meeting in October. The Directors group will meet again on November 13th from 10 – Noon at Think Small, 2021 E. Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, 55413.


More about the featured centers on the Tour of Quality:

New Horizon Academy - Woodbury

Director: Susan Zachary         Phone:  651-731-5222



 

New Horizon Academy has grown to become the nation’s largest family-operated early childhood company, and we are now the 9th largest private child care organization in the nation. We have 59 centers in Minnesota and Idaho.

 

Mission and Philosophy
The entire mission, philosophy, and practices of New Horizon Academy are devoted to the development of a healthy sense of self in every child enrolled in our programs and a commitment to excellence.

How Children Learn
Powerful research on child development tells us that from birth, a child's brain is a burst of activity. Each and every experience creates an electrical impulse in a baby's brain, and an immediate connection is made. These early connections form the foundation for the acquisition of language, mathematical reasoning and logic, art and music appreciation, and the development of emotional intelligence.

We also know that family members and early childhood educators can have the greatest impact on each child's potential for learning. The early interactions, stimulating environment, and learning opportunities we provide at New Horizon Academy will help determine how young children will learn, think, feel, behave and interact for the rest of their lives!

Miniapple International Montessori Oakdale

Director: Deb Sack                              Phone:  651-739-6275


Address:  780 Helmo Ave N.,  Oakdale, MN 55128


Our Mission Is:

  • To promote a culturally diverse, purposeful, fun, and peaceful environment that nurtures the development of children through compassion, respect, and imagination.
  • To recognize the uniqueness of each child who will grow to be an independent, responsible and wholesome member of society.
  • To inspire children to explore and learn through hands on experiences with caring, long standing, dedicated staff.
  • To reach excellence in global learning and children realizing their full potential to live in a harmonious world.

The team of early childhood educators at Miniapple Montessori believe that individualized learning can begin at a very young age. The philosophy is based on the realization that a child’s developmental needs are met through freedom within limits in the prepared environment. Over a century ago, Dr. Maria Montessori discovered an approach to education that emphasizes the potential of young children by means of a sensory-rich “prepared environment,” specially trained adults, and carefully created scientific teaching materials.

The Montessori classroom is filled with attractive and interesting hands-on materials. These objects are progressively designed so that concrete tasks and simple activities lead to those that are more complex, abstract, and challenging. Children are helped to help themselves discover, learn, and reach their fullest potential as they make choices in selecting their own work and proceeding at their own pace. This freedom within limits is the key to the wonderful feelings of success and accomplishment Montessori children enjoy as they develop intellectually, socially, physically, and emotionally.
 
Joyce Preschool Spanish-English Immersion Program
Director:  Sarah Clyne                                  Phone: 612) 823-2447, ext. 101
Associate Director:  Laura Tompkins         Phone: 612) 823-2447, ext. 102
Address:  3400 Park Ave. S, Mpls, 55407

Joyce Preschool’s mission is to provide children from diverse ethnic, linguistic, and economic backgrounds with developmentally and culturally appropriate preparation for success in school and lifelong learning.

The preschool implements its mission through an innovative, two-way (Spanish-English) immersion program that successfully prepares children for kindergarten and school achievement while actively involving and strengthening their families.

Joyce maintains a balance of children from Spanish and English speaking families, which is crucial to addressing disparities in student achievement and successful development of literacy skills; the school's vision is to become a recognized leader in offering two-way immersion and multicultural early childhood education, offering its model for replication to the local and regional community.



 



Ebola, Enterovirus D68 & Flu: Strategies for Child Care, Schools



There are numerous news reports about the epidemic of Enterovirus D68 affecting many children, and now Ebola virus.

To ensure the health of all children in child care and school settings, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends caregivers and teachers continue the current procedures already in place to manage infectious diseases (e.g. immunizations, infection control, and proper exclusion practices).

Children with Enterovirus D68, for example, may have symptoms that look similar to children with the common cold, the flu, or other respiratory viruses. Remember, it is not the job of caregivers and schools to diagnose children.

There are steps that Child Care Providers, Facilities, and Schools can take to prevent the spread of infection and illness, including having policies that encourage:

·         Routine childhood and adult immunizations.

·         Handwashing and hand hygiene.


·         Infection control measures such as sanitation, disinfection, and maintenance.


·         Excluding (sending home) children if the illness prevents the child from participating comfortably from activities, results in a need for care that is greater than staff members can provide (without compromising the care of other children), or poses a risk of harmful diseases to others.


·         Preparing in advance for infectious disease outbreaks or epidemics.
 
By following these recommendations, you will be doing your part to maintain a healthy environment for all the children in your care, regardless of illness.

Additional resources for Child Care Providers & Schools:


·         Preventing the Spread of Illness in Child Care or School Preventing the Flu: Resources for Parents & Child Care Providers




·         Managing Infectious Diseases in Child Care and Schoo​ls, 3rd Edition (AAP Bookstore - shop.aap.org)

·         Caring for Our Children Manual (National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education)

·         Caring for Our Children: Standard 3.3 Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting (National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education)

·         Model Child Care Health Policies (A Publication of the AAP and the Pennsylvania Chapter of the AAP)

·         HealthyChildren.org

 


Policy Hour is back for 2014-2015

 

What is Policy Hour ? It’s 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.

 

Mark your calendars! Policy Hour is held the first Tuesday of each month, October 2014 - June 2015, from Noon-1:00 p.m. at Think Small (2021 East Hennepin Avenue, Suite 250; Minneapolis, MN 55413.) 

 

Our first event of the season, on October 7, will feature Melvin Carter, Director of the Office of Early Learning. He will provide us with an update on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant in each of the three key areas:

  • Accountability and decision-making
  • A great early childhood workforce
  • Access to high-quality, accountable programs
Bring your lunch, invite your friends, co-workers, and colleagues and no RSVP is required.

 

Minnesota’s Early Learning Scholarships Are Going Fast

 

Child care programs participating in Parent Aware can help families struggling to afford quality care to apply for Minnesota Early Learning Scholarships. There is no deadline for applications and Think Small has already received over 500 applications. Please continue to encourage families to apply. You can find the updated application HERE and on Think Small's website. As you continue to connect with families and help them with the application process, please remind them to include supporting documents for income verification. An application without income verification is the most common cause for application denial or delay.

  

Only a small fraction of the families who need help paying for quality care will benefit due to limited scholarships available. Families on the wait list will be the first in line if additional scholarship dollars become available. The Early Learning Scholarships will be distributed on a priority-basis, including consideration of the date the application was received. Priorities also include whether the parent is under 21 and/or if the child would be finishing their second year of a scholarship.

 

Again, thank you for all your help spreading the word to families in your community. If you have any questions, please contact us at 651-641-6604 or 855-898-4465 or email scholarships@thinksmall.org.

 

GOOD NEWS (!) from Washington D.C.

From the Early Care and Education Consortium

On Monday, September 15th, the US.S.House of Representatives voted to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014.  This is the primary federal grant program that provides child care assistance to families, and funds quality initiatives for child care.  

Now it's on to the Senate. To watch the progress of this important legislation and to find out how you can advocate about it, go to the Early Care and Education Consortium website.

The legislation includes new changes to improve program access and quality.  Some of the key changes include:

  • Stronger health and safety standards for all child care programs that receive federal funding, including required annual inspections of all licensed providers, and annual fire, health and safety inspections of license-exempt, non-family providers.
  • Technical assistance given to providers on effective business practices.
  • De-linking provider reimbursement from absence policies that destabilize the cost of care for both families and providers.
  • Extended subsidy eligibility re-determination periods (12 months).
  • A new emphasis on technical assistance to providers around effective business practices.
  • Increased investment in program quality, with additional activities that include wage incentives, tiered reimbursement, Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, accreditation, and focus on school readiness.
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