News from Idaho AEYC

Promoting Excellence in Early Care and Education

May 2011

Greetings!

We hope you are enjoying E-News, the monthly publication of Idaho AEYC and the IdahoSTARS project. Are you aware that there is another means for receiving timely information on the happenings affecting the early childhood field in Idaho?

Idaho AEYC sponsors the Early Care and Learning (ECL) ListServ, which is available at no charge to all those who are interested. The Idaho AEYC ListServ provides announcements regarding public policy, training, professional development, news flashes, and other topics relevant to Idaho early care providers, parents, supporters, and educators. ListServ items come by email usually 1-3 times a week. If you would like to be on the ListServ distribution list, sign up here.

We hope you will take advantage of the E-News and the ListServ to stay connected to the happenings in the early childhood field.

Beth Oppenheimer

Executive Director

Idaho AEYC

Provider Appreciation Day

Provider Appreciation Day May 6 is Provider Appreciation Day and it's not too late to spread the word for this year's events.

Provider Appreciation Day is a special day to recognize child care providers, teachers and other educators of young children everywhere.

Each year, special events such as luncheons, parades, city hall dedications, and other celebrations honor child care providers for their hard work and commitment to our children.

In Coeur d'Alene, North Idaho AEYC hosted a Provider Appreciation Luncheon on April 30 to honor those providers in the region as well as the early childcare supporters such as North Idaho College (NIC) and University of Idaho (UI) professors as well as members of Head Start and Early Head Start. About 50 in-home and center providers attended enjoying a delicious homemade meal of Chicken Alfredo, Caesar salad, broccoli, garlic bread and dessert. Each provider received a small token of appreciation. Entertainment was provided by the Sweet Adeline Quartet.

For other ideas about how to celebrate the event, write a press release, and more, visit Provider Appreciation Day. Click here to download the Provider Appreciation Day flyer.

Governing Board Election in May

Nine interested candidates submitted applications to seek election to the Idaho AEYC Board of Governors. Balloting will take place in May to select the people to fill six slots on the Board. Only current members of the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC) are eligible to vote.

Members should watch their email inbox around May 20^th for their voting materials. Balloting will be done online with some exceptions for those who do not have Internet access.

Newly elected board members will meet with the full board July 11-13 in Boise to conduct the business of the Association.

If you have questions about the election process, contact Jane Zornik.

Meet New Staff at Idaho AEYC

Lisa Robinson joined Idaho AEYC in April 2011 as the Professional Development Registry Manager. Previously, Lisa worked for Hewlett-
Packard (HP) making LaserJet printers, Multi-function InkJet printers, Digital Senders and Network Scanners for 23 years. Fortunately, she
survived about 20 downsizes, but finally decided a more satisfying career and work environment was in order so left HP for Idaho AEYC.

Lisa's responsibilities include overseeing all functions of the Professional Development System Registry and the IdahoSTARS database. Her main goal will be to improve, streamline, and automate wherever possible, the many data processes at IdahoSTARS and to make using the database a more pleasant experience for all.

Lisa's hobbies include re-styling old furniture and other treasures, gardening and making decorative pillows. She lives in Boise, is married to Joe and has a wonderful son named Daniel (27).

Sarah Rose joined the Idaho AEYC team as an IdahoSTARS Data Assistant at the beginning of March 2011. Sarah works mainly with the Professional Development System (PDS) by analyzing, processing, and approving applications. With her organizational and customer service skills, she helps providers stay updated and make sure they understand what the PDS program can do for them. She is excited to be part of such an amazing team and amazing cause.

Sarah has been married to her husband Michael, for three and a half years. Michael is part of the 25^th Army Band stationed at Gowen Field here in Boise, which makes Sarah a proud Army wife. They have lived in Boise for the last 3 years with their cat, Benson.

Sarah's hobbies include dancing ballet with a local dance company, scrapbooking, and photography.

Idaho Benefits Eligibility System

CASE MANAGEMENT IN IBES:The Department of Health and Welfare has taken the first step in putting the Child Care program into the Idaho Benefits Eligibility System (IBES). The unit's name in IBES is the Child Care Processing Center (CCPC). The benefits program will continue to be known as Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP). By having the ICCP information in IBES, customers will experience improved service.

APPLICATION PROCESSING TIMES:As a result of putting the child care program in the IBES system, some application processing is taking longer. Once the transition is complete, the system will be more efficient thereby providing better service to customers.

ICCP TRAINING TO REGIONAL ELIGIBILITY STAFF:Our statewide Self Reliance field staff received additional training for the ICCP. Changes are being monitored to measure improvements in customer service and for gains in efficiencies in processing benefits.

ICCP CONTACTS: The Department's call center continues to improve in response times. Providers and parents are encouraged to contact the unit directly using the email address at ICCPUnit@dhw.idaho.gov. Staff responds to email requests within two business days.

Welcoming ALL Child Care Providers at Third Bilingual Mini-Conference

Milagros were mailed to President Obama in Washington, D.C as an invitation to celebrate El Día de los Niños-Celebrating Young Americans.

Milagros fueron enviados al Presidente Obama en Washington, D. C como una invitación a celebrar el Día de los Niños con los jóvenes estadounidenses

The third bilingual mini-conference in Region 5, Welcoming ALL Child Care Providers, was sponsored by St. Luke's Magic Valley Community Health Improvement Fund.Forty-one early childhood educators from 19 different child care programs gathered at Agape Christian School and Child Care in Twin Falls on Saturday, March 5^th.

The Keynote presenter, Dr. Ernesto Ramirez, delivered his program in both languages, English and Spanish and inspired attendees through art, music, video, and slides. Dr. Ramirez' presentation stressed the importance of the quality and "heart" of early education for young children as much as the professional development, mentoring, and the rights of child care providers to work in healthy environments. Caregivers in attendance received support on how they fit in to the field of early education with a vision of professionalism.

La tercera mini-conferencia bilingüe en la Región 5, Dando la bienvenida a todos los proveedores de cuidado infantil, fue patrocinada por el Fondo comunitario de St. Luke's Magic Valley para mejorar la salud del pueblo. Cuarenta y uno maestros de la educación inicial representantes de 19 diferentes programas infantiles se reunieron en el centro cristiano Agape el cual es ubicado en Twin Falls el sábado, 5 de marzo.

El locutor principal, el Dr. Ernesto Ramírez, entregó su programa en ambos idiomas, inglés y español a través del arte, música, video y diapositivas. Alentó e impresionó a los en asistencia. La presentación del Dr. Ramírez destacó la importancia de la calidad y el "corazón" de la educación temprana tanto como el desarrollo profesional, el asesoramiento y los derechos de los proveedores de cuidado infantil a trabajar en entornos saludables. Las personas asistiendo recibieron apoyo sobre cómo sentirse más satisfechos en el ámbito de la educación inicial con una visión de profesionalidad.

Highlights, Lo más destacado:

· The heart and mind, El corazón y la mente

· Growing Research, La investigación cada vez mayor

· Educational thoughts, Meditaciones educativos

· Successful Attributes, Atributos para el éxito

· Implications, Las consecuencias

Changes to Idaho's Immunization Law Affect Child Care Providers

Immunizing our children is a great way to keep them happy and healthy. Idaho children must receive required immunizations to attend child care and school. Changes went into effect on April 7, 2011. If you are a care provider or parent, be certain to review the requirements.

To attend a licensed childcare facility in Idaho, a child must receive the required immunizations outlined on the Summary of Child Care Immunization Requirement Chart no later than the age-deadline specified. This means a child has received all of the doses of each vaccine appropriate for the child's age. Parents/guardians must present their child's immunization record to the child care provider within 14 days of the child's initial attendance.

Post this guide on a wall or desktop as a quick reference to help you determine whether children seeking admission to your childcare facility meet Idaho's school immunization requirements.

To be eligible for conditional attendance, a child must have received at least one dose of each required vaccine and currently be on schedule for subsequent immunizations. Failure to receive still-needed doses of required vaccines as indicated on the Schedule of Intended Immunizations Form will result in exclusion of the child from child care until the child is back on schedule with no required vaccine doses due.

Idaho law allows a parent/guardian to claim an exemption from immunization requirements for their child for medical, religious, or personal reasons. All exemptions must be documented on the official State of Idaho form provided by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Immunization Program.

A medical exemption requires the signature of a licensed physician and certification that the child has a medical condition that prevents him or her from receiving required vaccinations. The law does not allow parents/guardians to claim an exemption because the shot record is lost or incomplete, or because it is too much trouble to contact the physician or clinic and obtain a copy.

Child care facilities should maintain an up-to-date list of children with exemptions so they can be excluded quickly if an outbreak occurs.

Providers can sign up for the Immunization Reminder Information System (IRIS) database to access information about immunizations. Providers are now allowed to use the IRIS print off as their immunization record of children in attendance.

If you have any questions, contact the Idaho Immunization Program or visit their website.

Question:

What are the Environment Rating Scales?

Answer:

According to Dr. Thelma Harms, one of the authors of the Environment Rating Scales, all children have three basic needs: Protection of their health and safety, chances to build positive relationships with other children and the adults who care for them, and appropriate learning opportunities that meet their wide range of developmental needs. These needs do not change through childhood, regardless of a child's ethnicity, culture, race or socio-economic background. These important needs are the base that all of the scales are built on. The Environment Rating Scales are tools that can be used to assess a child care provider's ability to address the three basic needs. No one need is more or less important than the others and it takes all three to create quality care.

The Environment Rating Scales are tools that use a 1-7 scale and over 450 separate indicators to assess the quality of a child care environment including: space and furnishings, health and safety, activities, language, interaction, supervision, schedule, staff needs, and parent involvement. An individual trained in the Scales (an assessor) conducts the assessment by observing and recording what occurs on a typical day in a child care setting. The hundreds of indicators are broken down into an overall score.

While children of all ages and backgrounds have the same three basic needs, the expression of those needs - and thus the environment that best nurtures them - changes as children grow. There are 4 Environment Rating scales, each carefully designed with a specific age group/setting in mind that are used to assess the environment in which providers care for children. The four scales are: ITERS-R (Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale for birth - 2 ½ years), ECERS-R (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale for 2 ½ - 5 years), SACERS (School Age Environment Rating Scale for 5 - 12 years) and the FCCERS-R (Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale for family and group home care). An assessor uses the scale that fits the children's ages and setting. The scales have been tested and retested over the years, are constantly updated, and are rooted in national standards. The scales are widely used across the United States and in other countries.

The Environment Rating Scales are one tool to help providers understand what quality they are already providing as well as where and how they can improve. For more information on the Scales visit the ERS website or the Idaho AEYC website. Choose QRIS or Assessment Resources.

Have something that is puzzling you? Send your question to Jane Zornik. One question will be selected for publication each month. Names will not be published.