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
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
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
