CALLING ALL EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS
Help us make a difference in our community.
Happy Spring,

Change (and pollen) is in the air! There was a change of the season, the clock, the calendar page, our coordinator and, in a sense, our direction. That is a lot of change and keeping up is keeping me on my toes!  As I begin my new duties, I find myself excited about what I am discovering, learning, and experiencing and I am admittedly exhausted at the breadth and depth of the ECE field. I will use this newsletter as a primary tool to keep you (and me) updated on the latest information from agencies and organizations on topics that matter to Early Childhood Education in Lake County.

This spring we are focusing on two exciting new programs detailed in this newsletter: 
  • Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) 
  • CTKS Child Care and Development Block Grant.(LEAP)

One more thing spring announces is our annual Early Childhood Educator of the Year Awards Program. Mark your calendar for May 8th! We have a spectacular venue and program planned for you so make sure you check out the link below and reserve your place.

Have a great April, 
Laurie
A little party never killed nobody..... 
                             F. Scott Fitzgerald

That's our sentiment for the 2015 ECE Awards Program! Mark your calendar and plan on joining us at Marymount California University May 8th.

Invitations will be delivered to sites the week of April 6th and/or mailed the same week. 

If you want to get your spot reserved now, here is the link to RSVP.
Lake County QRIS
With our eyes on the future, the LPC QRIS Consortia has decided to implement a QRIS for Lake County. We currently have two sites in Lake County that have had assessments and will be rated on the Matrix and will receive an improvement plan. These plans, along with our Quality Continuum Framework Matrix and letter of intent will be filed with the CDE shortly in an effort to clear the way for eligibility to apply for the upcoming QRIS Block Grant in May. At the end of the 2015-16 year, the CARES Plus grant will no longer be structured in it's current format and will become a QRIS funding source. The efforts to begin the QRIS this year will take us one step ahead for future funding.
5th Annual Children's Festival and Advocacy Walk
Gather the family and walk with us. Dress as your favorite super hero to Protect Lake County Children! This totally free event is from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and is fun for the whole family. Get all the information or register for the walk here. 
 

CTKS Child Care & Development Block Grant



















Want to know the qualifications? 
  • Are you currently employed as a transitional kindergarten teacher or are you currently employed in a state funded preschool program?
  • Are you currently earning ECE or Child Development units for which you incurred fees (registration, unit fees, books)?
  • Would you like to get reimbursed for your ECE/CD education costs?
Hero Project Update: Be a Hero PROTECT
April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and the Hero Project is aligning the Be A Hero PROTECT month with this theme. 

 

Our Breathe month focusing on positive parenting techniques is closing and the SHIELD challenge is starting. As a parent, protecting your child's health and emotional wellness must be a priority. Taking responsibility for their healthcare, dental care, eating habits, sleeping habits, emotions and relationships will ensure that you are protecting them to the fullest. Children that feel safe, loved, and protected have the best chance at turning into independent and successful adults capable of maintaining healthy relationships. Take the SHIELD Challenge and commit or recommit to being your family's strongest health, wellness, and safety supporter.

 

Our Lake County Early Childhood Education sites are our primary targets for connecting with families and we depend on our educators to partner with us to get this information to Lake County families. Go to www.lakecountyheroproject.com to get all the latest information and encourage your families to take the challenge. Literature from all our previous themes and our current theme is available in the LCOE office. Please check with Robyn Bera ([email protected]) if you would like postcards to distribute at your program.

LPC Meeting Information
Planning Council Meeting Updates
Zip Code Priorities

Our Zip Code Priorities report is complete and will be presented at the next LPC meeting for voting approval. 

 

The Zip Code Priorities Report is used as a baseline to estimate the number of children eligible for State funded child development services. LPCs are mandated to identify local priorities for the distribution of new state child care and development and preschool funding. 

LPC Coordinator Subcommittee

Brock Falkenberg will be meeting with LPC Members interested in a dialogue about the LCP Coordinator position vacated by Shelly Mascari. Those members who would like to offer their thoughts and be part of the discussion about how to proceed with filling the position on a permanent basis are welcome. The meeting is April 9, 2:00 pm at the Lake County Office of Education Board Room.

Programs with Positions Open:
  • The Learning House has an opening for substitute teachers. Call 995-2076.
  • NCO RCCC is hiring a R&R Specialist, 28 hr/week. No Benefits. $12.40/hr. Go to www.ncoinc.org
  • e Center Migrant Head Start has positions open in three classifications, Associate Teacher (floater), Infant Toddler Teachers and Teacher Assistant II. Jobs are listed on Ed Join.
  • Mother-Wise has opens for two Children's Activity Coordinator positions that plan and implement activities for the children, ages 1-5, who attend our groups. Openings at both the Lakeport and Clearlake group. Anyone interested in more information can call 349-1210.
Next Meeting
 
Thursday, April 16, 6:30 pm, LCOE, Lakeport, Kesey Room
Steps To Quality
Stay on track, plan ahead.
First Year Participants
 
If you have not had your second meeting with your advisor please make sure to schedule that.

You should have your permit. If you have not acquired or renewed your permit do it now!
Second Year 

Continue working on your Learning Community posts on facebook. Catch up if you are behind. 

Make sure your permit is current.
Legacy Participants 

We will be meeting on April 16th at 5:00 pm before the LPC meeting in the Kesey Room at LCOE. This meeting is to discuss the current year Hero Project participation and select our focus for next year.

Advocacy hours are available at the April 11th Children's Festival and Advocacy Walk. Email Laurie at [email protected] for more information.

Please keep checking for current announcements on the S2Q Website for all the latest information.

If you have any questions about your individual plan contact your advisor or Laurie [email protected].
Remember to check in on the website frequently at www.stepstoquality.com
WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?
Our spring has come at last with the soft laughter of April suns and shadow of April showers. ~Byron Caldwell Smith

Next LPC Meeting -  April 16, 6:30 pm LCOE, Lakeport

 Advocacy Walk and Children's Festival  - April 11, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, Library Park, Lakeport

 


Preschool English Learner Guide (PEL) - May 2, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm, Sonoma County Office of Education

ECE Awards - May 8, 6:00 pm, Marymount California University, Lucerne
HOT TOPICS
in the Local and State Early Childhood Education Community
 Education News from the CapitolHearings affecting ECE on the Hill

Budget Trailer Bills Listed on the Legislative Grid are available as follows: 
 

  • Click here for the Governor's 2015-16 Budget Omnibus Education Trailer Bill.
  • Click here for the Health and Human Services suspension of the fingerprint licensing fee exemption Trailer Bill.
  • Click here for the Health and Human Services next phase of Community Care Licensing Division's Quality Enhancement Trailer Bill. 

Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee - Click here to access the committee's hearing schedule.The following is a list of the upcoming hearings:

  • Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 9:30 am in Room 4203 - Joint Hearing Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education and Subcommittee No. 3 on Health and Human Services
  • Thursday, April 30, 2015 at 9:30 am in Room 4203 - Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 3 on Health and Human Services
Resources
Links and Information to assist you.
Teacher Tips From Teachstone
Tech in Early Education #4: Four Ways Technology is Changing Education  


 
I'm no tech-nerd. And if you're anything like me, you probably cringe when you see couples sitting in restaurants blankly staring at their phones instead of talking to one another; or worse yet, toddlers eerily scrolling through an iPad with ease as if it were as natural as sucking on a bottle. Although I'm relatively young, I've never been into gadgets-to give you an idea, I was still using a flip phone less than a year ago. Technology was never a passion of mine until I began working at Teachstone and saw the ways it could impact education for the better. -   

Get the tips here

 

The Case for Vaccination


Today we are seeing an alarming trend of reduced vaccination rates across the country, particularly in our most affluent and educated communities. This is causing a reduction of the herd immunity. What is "herd immunity" you ask, and why is it important? Herd immunity is reached when a sufficient proportion of the population is immune to a particular infectious disease due to vaccination. When herd immunity rates are high, the chance of an infectious person crossing paths with a susceptible person is very low.  Therefore the infectious person would not be able to spread the disease within the population. However, as more and more pockets of non-immunized people emerge, more outbreaks are inevitable, particularly with pertussis and measles. 

Read the full article here, watch the video below.


 

Vaccines: An Unhealthy Skepticism | Measles Virus Outbreak 2015 | Retro Report
Vaccines: An Unhealthy Skepticism | Measles Virus Outbreak 2015 | Retro Report
 
Early Childhood Education Is Critical for our Own Kids' Future -- and the Nation's
Huffington Post's Smart Parents Blog

With so much discussion and debate going on about how to improve our nation's schools, we must also be thinking of smart, proven ways to invest in children's development that are more than just corrective steps. And nowhere can we make a smarter investment than in the earliest years - birth to age 5, before children enter the K-12 system - so that children are primed and ready to succeed the moment they set foot in a kindergarten classroom. Parents, business leaders and elected officials are galvanizing around the notion that investments in high-quality early childhood education are a proven means of setting children on the right academic and developmental path, and also a smart financial investment.

Read more of Kris Perry's article here
 

CCDAA Produces First Television Segment!
CCDAA
CCDAA
CCDAA is very excited to announce, in collaboration with the award-winning PBS series, Leading Edge, the release of a television segment emphasizing the importance of early childhood education programs.

 

During the week of March 23, 2015, CCDAA's segment will air 50 times on stations based out of Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego. Networks such as CNN, CNN Headline News, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, TLC and Discovery are participating in the distribution. Additionally the segment will be distributed to over 200 participating PBS stations throughout the U.S.

 The 2014-15 Lake County  FAMILY RESOURCE GUIDE
 ON SALE!!!!
 Call Laurie at 262-4162 or email  [email protected] for copies.
  
 Spanish translation version is almost  ready to launch online. Watch the  LPC website for the guide.
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1152 South Main Street, Lakeport, CA 95453
707-262-4162 phone,   707-263-0197 fax
Laurie Allen at [email protected]